The Group of 20 (G20) announced this Sunday in Indonesia a $1.4 billion fund to prepare for future pandemics, a sum to be sponsored by the country hosting the summit of the organization’s leaders, the taking place this Tuesday and Wednesday is considered insufficient.
During a press conference, Indonesian President Joko Wikodo stated that this fund, in which 24 countries participate, aims to “prevent and prepare for a pandemic”.
Tahukah Kamu, SohIB?
Pandemic fund yg telah disepakati ini dipergunakan bersama u/ membenahi sistem, hingga menanggulangi kesenjangan anggaran 5 tahun ke depan berpijak dr penanganan pandemi Covid-19.#IndonesiaBaik #G20 #G20Indonesia #G20 updates #GotongRoyong20 #KominfoNewsroom pic.twitter.com/93h2QxtbOa— Indonesian Baik (@IndonesiaBaikId) November 13, 2022
The initiative, taken by Health and Finance Ministers and three charities, aims to strengthen healthcare systems and fill budget shortfalls for five years.
The Fund takes as a point of reference the management of resources over the past two years during the Covid-19 pandemic, the official statement highlights.
The global health crisis resulting from the spread of Covid-19 has shown that viruses “know no borders” and countries must work together to prevent a new pandemic and create a “more resilient healthcare architecture”.
The announcement came two days before the summit hosting the meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies on the island of Bali.
“When our health suffers, our economy suffers too. The joint work between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health makes us stronger,” said Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin at the opening of the meeting.
The health ministers of the G20 countries also agreed on a reassessment of the so-called “Covid-19 Access Tools Accelerator”, an international program to combat the pandemic.
The program, which is responsible for the global distribution of vaccines, for example, did not work as planned. Critics accuse rich countries of selfishness, which has led to an imbalance with poor countries that has not yet been overcome.
(With information from Telesur)