Participants at the opening session of the G20 Summit on November 21. (Photo: AFP/VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo hascalled on the G20 economies to help developing and underdeveloped nations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn.
Accompaniedby Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Widodo made the remarks when attending the first day of the G20Summit viavideo conference from the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, on November 21 evening.
The President remindedthe UN Secretary-General's statement on the need for strong solidarity fordeveloping countries, Widodo was quoted by the foreign minister as saying.
He said without the assistance of the G20 countries,developing and underdeveloped countries will not easily recover from the pandemicand economic downturn, according to Marsudi.
The President said thatthe United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has requested financial support of 2.5 trillion USD sothat developing countries are able to get out of the economic downturn, Marsudisaid.
Widodo also conveyed the importance of debt restructuringassistance for low-income countries, especially from large debt-givingcountries, in support of the world economic recovery, while it is important tocontinue providing extraordinary support for fiscal, monetary and financialsector policies, the minister said.
On the occasion, the Presidentalso called for the important funding for health recovery, saying that thevaccine is one of the ammunitions against COVID-19.
Widodo said the world was currently watching and waiting for the meeting of the leaders of the G20economies who are expected to bring the world out of the health crisis andeconomic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The G20 Summit 2020 took place in a virtual format onNovember 21-22 in Riyadh under the presidency of Saudi Arabia, with the theme"Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All"./.
VNA
