President Widodo delivered the statement during his visit to Rome, Italy, where he will take over the G20 presidency from Italy, Reisa Broto Asmoro said in a statement that was streamed on FMB9's YouTube channel on Friday.
"Indonesia, as the holder of the G20 Presidency for the 2022 period, urged all developed countries collaborating to ensure equal COVID-19 vaccine access and together defeating the pandemic,"
Among the G20 member states, Indonesia is in the top five with the lowest daily COVID-19 confirmed cases, besides China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, the spokesperson informed.
Related news: WHO lauds Indonesian leadership for promoting equal access to vaccine
Indonesia has recorded only three-digit COVID-19 positive cases since Friday (October 15, 2021), a global feat since Indonesia's case reduction is in sharp relief with the recent surge in various countries, she added.
"The daily cases in Europe have reached 100 thousand, while more than 70 thousand daily cases were recorded in the US. As part of the global community, we have expressed our concern about the surge and remain hopeful for the improvement of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in other countries, as the disease will stay in Indonesia unless the global situation improves," Asmoro stated.
Therefore, the President has called for equal COVID-19 vaccine access for the global community to hasten an improvement in the pandemic situation, she said.
"As we believe that independence is the inalienable right of all nations, independence from the COVID-19 pandemic is also the right of the nations in the world," Asmoro remarked.
G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 20 major economies that account for more than 80 percent of the global gross domestic product, control around 75per cent of global trade, and represent 60 percent of the global population. Indonesia has been designated as the holder of the G20 Presidency for the 2022 term.
Related news: Indonesia's COVID handling among the best in the world: ministry
Translator: Andi Firdaus, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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