President Jokowi Reaffirms Indonesia Is Ready To Become A Vaccine Production-Distribution Hub

Screenshot - President Joko Widodo delivers a virtual speech at the COVID-19 II Global Summit in Washington DC

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo reiterated Indonesia's readiness to become a hub or center for vaccine production and distribution in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific region, he said in a virtual speech for the COVID-19 II Global Summit in Washington DC, United States, Thursday, May 12 local time.

According to the President, the step to make Indonesia a vaccine production-distribution hub is an important aspect of realizing empowerment in a joint effort to build a stronger world health and preparedness architecture.

"With its capacity, Indonesia is ready to become a vaccine production and distribution hub in the region," said Jokowi in a speech that was watched online via the official YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat, Friday, May 13, morning western Indonesia time.

The President said that collective capacity must be pursued based on cooperation between countries as the key to increasing empowerment in the process of building a world health and preparedness architecture.

According to the President, several collaborations that must be strengthened are research collaboration, technology transfer, and access to raw materials.

"There should be no monopoly on the supply chain of the health industry. Diversification of production centers for drugs, vaccines, diagnostic and therapeutic tools must be carried out," he added.

In general, the President believes that the recent COVID-19 pandemic situation, which has seen a decline in the number of active cases almost all over the world, should be used to launch the final blow against the virus.

This can be done through collaborations that bridge the challenges of COVID-19 vaccination, from financing, logistics, to human resources.

Previously, the World Health Organization (WHO) on 23 February 2022 announced that Indonesia was one of five countries, along with Bangladesh, Pakistan, Serbia, and Vietnam, as recipients of the transfer of messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine technology.

On that occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said that the appointment as the recipient of the transfer of mRNA-based vaccine technology was in line with one of the priorities of the G20 Presidency of Indonesia which included efforts to equalize vaccine coverage throughout the world.

"This is the kind of solution that developing countries need, a solution that empowers, a solution that strengthens our independence, a solution that allows us to contribute to global health resilience," said the Foreign Minister.

In September 2021, Foreign Minister Retno also conveyed before the Gavi Vaccine Alliance Council meeting forum on Indonesia's readiness to become a center for COVID-19 vaccine production in the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto encouraged the use of the Indonesian G20 Presidency to make Indonesia a hub for mRNA-based vaccine production for the Southeast Asia region.