"Indonesian Government will always fight for an inclusive pandemic treaty which benefits everyone, with the limitations (considered)," Director for Sociocultural Affairs and Developing Countries' International Organization at the ministry Penny Dewi Herasati said.
During a discussion hosted by the Health Ministry here on Wednesday, she highlighted that the treaty is a legal instrument, which is expected to contain agreements on global health governance in a bid to prevent pandemics.
She added that the treaty covers the rights and obligations of a country in facing a future pandemic.
Collaboration is expected to prevent a pandemic in the future through improvement in efforts such as detection, response, and prevention of infectious diseases, Herasati added.
The director disclosed that during a discussion held last week by the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), officials listened to the concerns voiced by the public regarding the treaty.
The concerns, she said, include the gap between developed and developing countries in terms of access, benefit sharing, technology transfer, and financing.
"Since the beginning, Indonesia's stance has never changed, that is equity and equitable, fair access, which is always voiced by Indonesia, be it in pandemic treaty negotiations or when we were facing COVID-19 in the past," she added.
Herasati said that the pandemic treaty highlights the idea of "the world together, equitably achieving equity in, for, and through pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response."
Currently, she said, the negotiations are still ongoing, with nine formal meetings hosted and informal ones held in between.
She added that she expects the negotiations to conclude during the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024.
According to her, Indonesia considers the pandemic treaty as a means to reinforce the health system at the national, regional, and global scale.
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Reporter: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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