JAKARTA: President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo
(pic) emphasised the role of the United Nations in facilitating vaccine access for all, while speaking in the 11th Asean-UN Summit via teleconference from Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Sunday.
The Indonesian President said that in the short term, the UN must play a role in fulfilling access to medicines and vaccines for all, while in the long term, the UN and Asean could collaborate to ensure preparedness in dealing possible pandemic in the future, the Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat said in a press statement.
The virtual Asean-UN Summit was co-chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as Asean Chairman, in Hanoi, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, as part of a series of activities organised during the 37th Asean Summit and related summits held from Nov 12 to 15, 2020.
Indonesia believes that improvements to the national and regional health systems can be a strong foundation for improving the global health system, he remarked.
Jokowi also encouraged the UN to maintain diversity and tolerance. He expressed his concern that amid the current pandemic, he witnessed religious intolerance and violence in the name of religion.
“If this is allowed, it will tear apart harmony and foster radicalism and extremism. This must not happen,” he said.
As the third largest democracy in the world, Indonesia is of the view that freedom of expression is not absolute. Religious values, symbols and sensitivities must always be respected, he noted.
“At the same time, Indonesia condemns all forms of violence for any reason. Terrorism has nothing to do with religion. Terrorism is terrorism,” he stated.
He called on the UN Secretary General to encourage the world to continue to work together, to strengthen tolerance, prevent hate speech, and reject violence for any reason.
“Diversity, tolerance and solidarity are solid foundations for a peaceful, safe and stable world,” he said.
In addition to, he also said that the UN must restore confidence in multilateralism. Trust will grow if multilateralism can meet the expectations of the world community, especially in fighting the pandemic, according to Jokowi.
Today the world needs unity, brotherhood and cooperation to overcome Covid-19 and other global challenges, he said.
During the virtual summit, the President was flanked by Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, and Indonesian Permanent Representative to Asean Ade Padmo Sarwono.
