Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (centre) chairs the Special ASEAN Summit via video conference (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Special ASEANSummit via video conference on April 14, 2020 has issued a declaration. Thefollowing is the full text of the declaration.
We, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held the Special ASEAN Summit via video conference on 14 April 2020. The Summit was chaired by H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Viet Nam, in his capacity as Chair of ASEAN.
We expressed our serious concerns about the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which the World Health Organization (WHO) declared as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, and its negative effects on the well-being of the people and global socio-economic developments.
We were deeply saddened by the loss of life and the suffering caused by the pandemic. We also commended our medical professionals, healthcare workers and other frontline personnel.
Recalling the Chairman’s Statement on ASEAN Collective Response to the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 of 14 February 2020, we reaffirmed our 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.
We appreciated the extensive measures undertaken by each ASEAN Member State and the timely efforts by the ASEAN Health Sector and other sectoral bodies of ASEAN, in collaboration with ASEAN’s external partners and the international community, to prevent, detect, control and respond to the spread of COVID-19 and address its severe and multi-faceted challenges.
Recognising our interconnectedness and vulnerabilities in the face of COVID-19, we emphasised the critical importance of a coherent, multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and whole-of-ASEAN Community approach in ensuring ASEAN’s timely and effective response to the pandemic.
We recognised the important role of the WHO and committed to working closely with the WHO, relevant organisations and the international community towards enhancing our collective pandemic preparedness and response. We underscored the value of regular and timely exchange of information and sharing of best practices among ASEAN Member States and with ASEAN’s external partners in effectively responding to COVID-19.
We called for further enhancement of a caring and sharing ASEAN Community where ASEAN Member States help each other in this challenging time.
Building upon existing efforts by individual ASEAN Member State and that of the ASEAN Community, we hereby resolve to:
(i) Further strengthenpublic health cooperation measures to contain the pandemic and protect thepeople, including, inter alia,through timely and transparent exchange of information on real time situationand pandemic response measures taken by Member States, sharing of experienceand best practices in epidemiological research and development, clinicaltreatment, jointresearch and development of vaccines and anti-viralmedicines, enhancing capacity for the public health systems of ASEAN Member Stateswhile protecting and ensuring the safety of public health workers.
In this regard, we commend the efforts toenhance practicalcooperation among ASEAN defence establishments to organise information and bestpractice sharing activities, and with our external partners, bilaterally ormultilaterally, including the holding of a tabletop exercise on public healthemergencies response by the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine (ACMM); and the Network of ASEAN Chemical, Biological andRadiological Defence Experts in promotingscientific cooperation and enhancing professional linkages, as agreed by theASEAN Defence Ministers in their Joint Statement on Defence Cooperation againstDisease Outbreak of 19 February 2020.
- Intensify cooperationfor adequate provision of medicines, essential medical supplies andequipment, including, but not limited to diagnostictools, personal protective equipment etc. and encourage the development ofregional reserves of medical supplies as well as utilising relevantASEAN reserve warehouses to support the needs of ASEAN Member States in public health emergencies.
- Strengthen theimplementation ofthe WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005)and consider formulating an ASEAN standard operating procedure (SOP) for public health emergencies.
- Bolster national andregional epidemic preparedness and response, including through the possiblesetting up of a network of experts on public health emergencies for future need, strengthening the capacity of existingASEAN’s emergencies response network namely the ASEAN Emergency OperationsCentre (EOC) Network, the ASEAN RiskAssessment and Risk Communication Centre, theASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Center (ABVC) andthe ASEAN Centre for Humanitarian Assistanceon disaster management(AHA Centre) for future public health emergencies.
(ii) Prioritise thewell-being of our peoples in ASEAN’s collectivefight against COVID-19, and provideappropriate assistance and support to the nationals of ASEAN Member Statesaffected by the pandemic in each other’s country or in third countries.
- Encourage the effective operationalisationof the ASEAN Guidelines on the Provision of Emergency Assistance by ASEANMission in Third Countries to Nationals of ASEAN Member Countries in CrisisSituations.
(iii) Enhance effectiveand transparentpublic communication involving multiple forms ofmedia including timely updates of relevant government policies, public healthand safety information, clarifications onmisinformation, and efforts to reduce stigmatisation and discrimination.Encourage the ASEAN information sector tostrengthen cooperation in countering misinformation and fake news, as well as to develop a set of guidelines and apossible common platform to facilitate timely sharingof information in ASEAN.
(iv) Reaffirm our commitment to take collective action and coordinate policies in mitigating the economicand social impact from the pandemic, safeguarding the people’s well-being andmaintaining socio-economic stability.
- Task our ministers and officials toimplement the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ JointStatement on Strengthening ASEAN’s Economic Resilience in Response tothe Outbreak of COVID-19 of 10 March 2020, including, interalia:
Remain committed to keeping ASEAN’smarkets open for trade and investment, and enhance cooperation among ASEAN Member States and also with ASEAN’s external partners with a view to ensuring foodsecurity, such as the utilisation of the ASEANPlus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), and strengthening the resiliencyand sustainability of regional supply chains, especially for food, commodities,medicines, medical and essential supplies.
Implement appropriatemeasures to boost confidence and improve stability of the regional economy,including through policy stimulus, assist people and businesses suffering fromthe impact ofCOVID-19, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and vulnerable groups.
- Cooperate in ensuringsocial safety netfor our peoples,preventing social disruption and instability as a consequence of negativeimpact of the pandemic, continue efforts to design and implement risk-informedand shock-responsive social protection systems to reduce the vulnerabilities ofat-risk populations and improve their overall resilience.
- Encourage thedevelopment of a post-pandemic recovery plan to share lessons learned, restoreASEAN’s connectivity, tourism, normalbusiness and social activities, prevent potential economic downturns.
(v) Stress theimportance of a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral, and comprehensiveapproach by ASEAN to effectively respond to COVID-19 and future public healthemergencies. Commend the active role of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC)and the good work of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on PublicHealth Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) and other relevant sectoral bodies of ASEAN.Instruct the ACCWG-PHE to assist the ACC servingas the main platform that coordinates ASEAN’s overall response to public healthemergencies situations.
(vi)Task our Economic Ministers and Senior Economic Officials to explore anarrangement to preserve supply chain connectivity, particularly amongst ASEANMember States, that provides for trade to continue for the smooth flow ofessential goods, including medical, food and essential supplies; ensures ourcritical infrastructure for trade and trading routes via air, land and seaports remain open; and refrain from imposing unnecessary restrictions on theflow of medical, food and essential supplies, in accordance with the rights andobligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) covered agreements, theASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and principles of international law.
(vii) Supportreallocating existing available funds and encourage technical and financial support from ASEAN’s partnersto facilitate cooperation against COVID-19, including the proposedestablishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.
We tasked the ACC, supported by the ACCWG-PHE to oversee ASEAN’s coordinated efforts in responding toCOVID-19 and addressing its socio-economicchallenges, regularly report to the ASEAN Leaderswith appropriate recommendations for further guidance and instructions. In thisregard, we call on all relevant sectoral bodies of ASEAN to fully and closelycooperate with ACC in realising thecommitments and agreements by the Leaders set forth in this Declaration.
Wepledge to remain united and vigilant against COVID-19 and commit to workclosely with the WHO, ASEAN’s external partners and the international communityto suppress the spread of the pandemic, protect people’s lives and livelihoods,maintain socio-economic stability while sustaining ASEAN Community buildingmomentum for sustainable development, inclusive growth and leaving no onebehind./.
VNA
