Special Virtual Public Discussion – Indonesia’s Foreign Policy in Addressing the Threat of COVID-19 with H.E. Retno L.P Marsudi
On Friday, 8 May 2020, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) held a special virtual public discussion on “Indonesia’s Foreign Policy in Addressing the Threat of COVID-19” featuring H.E. Retno L.P. Marsudi, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Like all countries around the world, for Indonesia, diplomacy is a critical part of the life-and death efforts to beat the Covid-19 pandemic. This involves a variety of important tasks: evacuating Indonesian citizens from affected areas, coordinating with WHO on Covid-19 knowhow, securing medical equipments including test kits from international manufacturers, pushing an ASEAN response, ensuring effective international cooperation, mitigating the economic impacts of Covid-19, and so on.
At the regional level, Indonesia and ASEAN leaders have initiated a special ASEAN Summit and ASEAN+3 Summit on COVID-19 on the 14th of April, resulting in the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund. At the multilateral level, Indonesia with 5 other countries in the United Nations sponsored the first resolution on COVID-19, with Indonesia continuing to ensure the equal access and distribution of health supplies to all countries. Foreign Minister, Retno L.P Marsudi is also active in communicating with several foreign ministers at the bilateral level, such as with Malaysia, India, Australia, and many more. What are the initiatives, objectives, priorities of Indonesia’s foreign policy in addressing the threat of COVID-19?
