Pushing For Emergency Fundraising For Pandemic Response In ASEAN, Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi: Voluntary And Open

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin while attending a meeting of ASEAN Health Ministers in Bali. (Photo: Doc. Antara/Ministry of Health)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, has encouraged the raising of emergency funds to tackle the pandemic in member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to Budi, ASEAN member countries need to adopt a pandemic emergency fundraising initiative through a mechanism that has been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Emergency funds (emergency funding) that have advanced are the G20, there has been approval from G20 countries to hold an ASEAN emergency fund," he said while chairing a meeting of ASEAN health ministers in Nusa Dua, Bali as reported by Antara, Sunday 15 May.

The emergency funds can then be used to help countries affected by the pandemic carry out prevention and recovery efforts. Budi said that ASEAN member countries had started raising emergency funds for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2020.

However, the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund whose management is facilitated by the ASEAN Secretariat is still voluntary and open to other countries outside the region. Therefore, Budi asked for approval from the delegations of ASEAN member countries to continue the efforts to provide these financial resources.

He said that the emergency funds collected later could also be used to strengthen the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).

"Later, when it is formed, we will discuss the need for funds for the COVID-19 pandemic in the ASEAN region," he said.

ACPHEED will play a role in surveillance, response and risk management efforts for health and disease emergencies. ASEAN member countries that are willing to play a role in ACPHEED are Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.