Joining forces to beat crisis

Asean, australia to work with WhO to enhance virus response

THE Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia have vowed to work with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and relevant agencies to enhance collective response to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a press statement by the Cambodian foreign ministry.

The statement was released on Tuesday following the special Asean-Australia foreign ministers’ meeting on Covid-19 via video conference.

“The meeting agreed to work with relevant international organisations, especially WHO, and the global community to enhance collective pandemic preparedness and response and prevent its long-term impacts,” it said.

During the virtual meeting, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Asean had been very active since the beginning of the crisis in galvanising collective response, not only among Asean member states but also with their external partners, the statement said.

“The proactive approach of Asean can send a clear message that, in times of crisis, the international communities in fact need to ramp up a coordinated and collective response as well as international solidarity,” he said.

Sokhonn, who is also a deputy prime minister, said Asean and Australia needed to stay vigilant in case of a second wave of infection as countries are beginning to draft their own respective roadmap for easing the Covid-19 restriction.

“We must continue to intensify our efforts to defeat this pandemic together on all fronts as our respective governments have committed at the 73rd World Health Assembly,” he said.

He added that as part of the economic recovery plan, a concrete action could be done through the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership at the earliest possible time.

Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.