Jakarta. Indonesia will zero in on strengthening the global health architecture, among others, during its mid-pandemic G20 presidency, according to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.

“The president [seeks] three topics, including the global health architecture. Particularly to encourage Asean, including Indonesia, to become a mRNA-based vaccine production hub,” Airlangga told a broadcasted conference on Tuesday.

Indonesia recommends that every country with a population of 100 million people to establish at least one vaccine production center. 

“This of course has to do with the vaccines’ intellectual property rights, which would need global cooperation,” Airlangga said.

The global spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has shown the vaccination gap between the developed economies and its developing counterparts. First to identify the Omicron variant was South Africa, whose vaccination rate still stands at 24 percent. The entire African continent’s vaccination rate has also only reached 7 percent on average, according to Airlangga.

“The economic reopening still greatly depends on how we handle the pandemic, including the new variant, and how the world does not panic over the new variant,” he added, while also calling for global collaboration.

Aside from global health architecture, Indonesia's G20 presidency will primarily focus on fostering a digital transformation and energy transition.

“This presidency gives Indonesia an opportunity to showcase its global leadership and address existing challenges. [...] Economic recovery must take place in an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable manner,” Airlangga told the conference.