Indonesia will push for new global agency to replace WHO, says Jokowi – Politics

AFP
Jakarta ●
Fri, January 21, 2022
Indonesia will push for the creation of a new global health agency while the country holds the G20 presidency, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said Thursday at the virtual Davos forum.
Jokowi said the agency would strengthen global “health resilience” and help make the global health system more inclusive and responsive to crises.
“The Indonesian presidency will fight to strengthen the global health resilience architecture, which will be led by a global agency,” he said in a speech at the World Economic Forum’s online meeting.
“(His) task is to mobilize global health resources, in particular for the financing of health emergencies, the purchase of vaccines, drugs and medical devices.”
The president said the World Health Organization had shown limited capacity to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many current global health collaborations, including on vaccines, are only temporary programs, he added.
“The role of WHO still has to cover many strategic aspects for the world,” Jokowi said.
Likening the new agency to the International Monetary Fund, the president said it would help formulate standardized protocols for activities such as cross-border travel and work to build capacity to manufacture drugs and medical equipment.
He called on major world economies to co-finance the initiative and reach an agreement during Indonesia’s G20 presidency this year.
“The costs are clearly far below the global losses due to the fragility of the global health system,” he said.
Indonesia holds the G20 presidency for the first time this year and has specified pandemic recovery as its main objective.
His official G20 Presidency slogan is “Recover Together, Recover Stronger” and his focus will be on global health architecture, the transition to sustainable energy and digital transformation, the president said.
The Southeast Asian country was badly hit by the pandemic last year, with hospitals running out of beds and medical oxygen at the height of its outbreak in July.
Indonesia has reported over 144,000 deaths from COVID-19.
It struggles to procure enough vaccines for its large population, with only 45% of its 270 million people currently fully vaccinated.