JAKARTA, April 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Assuming the presidency in the upcoming G20 summit, Indonesia has begun the Health Working Group (HWG) meeting series that took place on 28-30 March 2022 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Indonesia’s G20 presidency seeks to harmonize safe and healthy travel procedures worldwide, especially the recognition of COVID-19 vaccine certificates in the wake of the pandemic that ravaged countries globally. The HWG meeting was aimed to foster a dialogue in the health sector between participating countries and synchronize global health protocols.
The meeting was attended by 70 foreign delegates and 50 local delegates. Delegates who participated in person were Australia, Argentina, the United Kingdom, India, etc., and the World Health Organization (WHO). Meanwhile, those who attended virtually included Canada, France, etc., and international organizations such as the World Bank.
“We need to have synchronized health protocols globally to enable safer international travels and accelerate the social and economic recovery for good,” said Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the Minister of Health of Indonesia.
The HWG meeting has unveiled the initiation to standardize the digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates through a universal verifier made according to the WHO standards. The system is web-based that can be used on all devices. Each country does not need to change the system or the QR codes that are currently used.
Health protocol restrictions differ for every country. For instance, European countries like Denmark, Hungary, etc., have lifted all measures, but some still require a vaccination certificate upon arrival. While Middle East and African countries still require a vaccination certificate or a PCR test.
Each country is given the flexibility to apply necessary health protocols for their countries. However, the procedures are clear and universal thus strengthening the global health architecture and easing traveling across countries.
The synchronization of health protocols is needed to support the interconnectivity of health information. This process is expected to start from the G20 countries and expand to other countries globally.
The second HWG meeting in Lombok in June, will discuss about the global health fund in case of a future pandemic. The last of the HWG series in Bali in November, will discuss about the global medical research.
More information can be accessed at the Indonesia’s Ministry of Health website https://www.kemkes.go.id/.
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