The Road to Paris Peace Forum 2020: Calling for Innovative Projects in Response to a COVID-19 World

The Road to Paris Peace Forum 2020: Calling for Innovative Projects in Response to a COVID-19 World

The Paris Peace Forum (PPF) was born in 2018 as a supporter of multilateralism and a catalyst for a global collective movement that seeks to provide solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has only further reaffirmed PPF’s commitment to think forward, pave the way for the global community to best respond to the COVID-19, and most importantly, shape the landscape for multilateralism in a post-COVID-19 world. For the Paris Peace Forum third event in November 2020, the PPF Secretariat is looking for projects and initiatives from around the world that have been addressing the COVID-19 crisis. The PPF Secretariat is especially looking for those whose projects seek to improve our collective resilience and build a more robust and sustainable world. In this context, those who are addressing the following issues are strongly encouraged to apply: the governance of health; the use and regulation of digital tools and platforms to respond to the crisis; and the support of civil society and economic activity in times of pandemics.

Apart from COVID-19 related solutions, the PPF Secretariat is also considering other projects that tackle various issues in sustainable development, climate change and environment, education, and gender equality. Selected projects and initiatives will have the unique opportunities to receive project support mechanisms from the PPF Scale-Up Committee. Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) as one of the founding members of PPF is trusted to introduce the spirit of the Forum in Indonesia and the greater Southeast Asian region. We fully support PPF’s important agenda in developing the most innovative and workable solutions and enhancing cross-sectoral collaborations for the most pressing issues of our day. We are proud and excited to share such spirit here in Indonesia.

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Virtual Public Discussion – Keep Her in Your Prayers: Why the Involvement of Religious Leaders and Organizations Matter in Protecting and Empowering Women in Society during the COVID-19

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic gives a new challenge to the global health system and a test to the United Nations member states commitments in protecting and empowering women in society. UN Women reveals that the economic impact of the COVID-19 is affecting women disproportionately and differently than men. The imposed social restrictions or even complete lockdowns in some countries have been affecting minority groups, informal workers and women-led small businesses in varying degrees, from having to balance between the new normal of taking care of their families while also working from home, to simply not having the luxuries to do so at all.

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KF – FPCI Virtual Dialogue – Democracy in the Time of COVID-19: Challenges and Future Opportunities

COVID-19 pandemic is not only a global health crisis, it has challenged the current state of our democracy. While both Indonesia and South Korea are countries that have been promoting democratic values in its socio-political system, this unprecedented COVID-19 has grown more concerned whether the pandemic has become the cover for the current political leadership’s authoritarian instinct and intent. Both governments have different containment policies and measures in combating COVID-19 and has also resulted in a dissimilar effect on the ground. This condition has sparked questions of whether democracy is the best form of government in handling the pandemic and how well kept are the values of democracy during the pandemic globally and particularly in both countries? What containment policies might be considered as authoritarian and has it significantly impacted citizens’ freedom of rights and expression?

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The Disproportionate Effect of COVID-19 on Migrant Workers in ASEAN – Opinion by Camille Bismonte

A significant percentage of all ASEAN workers consist of migrant labor, whose remittances contribute a substantial proportion of GDP in many nations around the region. In light of COVID-19, however, the impact on these migrant workers has been significantly higher — and the consequences devastating. Migrant workers are often the most overlooked population during a crisis such as the pandemic, and they are now being viewed as the primary cause for second-wave infections. If issues involving marginalized communities such as migrant workers are not addressed, this will fuel more virus containment obstacles going forward.

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Virtual Public Discussion – COVID-19 Update: Indonesia’s Economic and Political Review 2020

With the spreading of COVID-19 outbreak, the beginning of the year 2020 has seen a critical threat to state’s economy. In financial sector, Indonesia is under a threat of flagging rupiah with the currency exchange rate reached 16,625 as of 24 March 2020—the weakest since 1998 crisis. Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani stated that the worst situation of Indonesia’s growth could reach minus 0.4%. The pandemic is also testing political leadership of President Jokowi and his administration. Government’s efforts in dealing with the crisis are being questioned and considered lack of transparency. How has the pandemic impacted the economic and political condition in the last few months? Will political instability follow as caused by health crisis that triggered economy crisis?

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Global Efforts to Discover Covid-19 Vaccine

The efforts of developing the vaccine for COVID-19 has become the top priority for countries around the world to be able to solve this unprecedented global health crisis. Who is involved in the endeavor so far? How much is the cost to develop the vaccine and what are the challenges posing the discovery?

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