‘Let us surmount this crisis together’

The 27 member-states of the european Union showed the world the inadequacy of individual efforts to fight the pandemic. In a Bloomberg Opinion article, Lionel Laurent said: “Despite a common market, a [mostly] common external border, and a common health-care challenge in the shape of an aging population, the eu’s 27 member-states have scattered like mice when fighting the coronavirus. At the beginning of the crisis, Italy, the first and worst hit in europe, begged its partners for masks and equipment—not money. The response was a string of border closures and the hoarding of medical supplies for domestic consumption. By the time France, Spain and Germany instituted their own lockdowns, it was clear there would be 27 different responses to the coronavirus, not one ‘european’ one.”

Bearing in mind the importance of solidarity, the heads of state of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held an online summit on Tuesday to discuss ways on how the regional bloc can collectively address the Covid-19 pandemic. In their “Declaration of the Special Asean Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019,” the Asean leaders reaffirmed their “determination and commitment, in the spirit of a cohesive and responsive Asean, to remain united, and to act jointly and decisively to control the spread of the disease while mitigating its adverse impact on our people’s livelihood, our societies and economies.”

In his intervention speech, President Duterte said members of the regional bloc—brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—must work together to defeat the virus that has exacted a heavy toll on people’s lives. The President said retreating from the regional and global connections would be counterproductive. To effectively overcome the challenge of the pandemic, he said, “Asean must collaborate and coordinate within our region and beyond.”

Welcoming Thailand’s proposal to establish a Covid-19 Asean Response Fund, the President cited the need to improve and expand existing Asean mechanisms to cover public health emergencies. The current emergency has triggered a crisis of solidarity in the other parts of the world. But for the Asean, he said the group stands in unity, mutual assistance and confidence.

The President spelled out areas of cooperation for the regional bloc: First, Asean must fortify its health-care systems, which is under increasing stress as a result of rising number of infections. With the impending shortage of vital medicines, medical equipment and supplies, Asean must boost production and facilitate intra-asean trade.

Second, to ensure food security during the period of lockdowns, he underscored the need to ensure sufficient supply of rice for the people. The President said: “Asean must remain open for trade. Crisis or no crisis, as no country can stand alone. Let us, therefore ensure the supply chain connectivity and the smooth flow of goods within our region. Food security is key in maintaining socioeconomic and political stability, especially at a time of great difficulty for our people. We can ignore this only at our own risk.”

Another measure is for Asean member-states to aggressively pursue vaccine and research and development initiatives, the President said, stressing that without a vaccine or a cure, Covid-19 will continue to spread, putting the region in dire socioeconomic uncertainty.

Cooperation with Dialogue Partners on the pandemic must also be fasttracked, according to the President, adding the Philippines is ready to join the conduct of clinical trials for Covid-19 treatment. The President added: “We have to improve and expand existing Asean mechanisms to cover public health emergencies. Specifically, we should establish an early warning system for pandemics in the region. This is something vital and concrete that we can do in a collective manner.”

The present challenge has transcended borders and exempted no one, he said. Regardless of how nations handle the crisis within their own territories, every country would be safe if the virus is defeated completely. “Let us therefore strengthen our networks of solidarity and cooperation. Let us surmount this crisis together,” the President said.