Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday launched a global fund to prepare for future pandemics and warned that the $1.4 billion (a similar figure in euros) raised so far is not enough.
The announcement followed a meeting of G20 health and finance ministers on the Indonesian resort island of Bali ahead of a summit of the group of the world’s leading economies on Tuesday and Wednesday.
«I thank all donors from G20 and non-G20 countries and philanthropic institutions for their contributions, but the amount is not enough,» Widodo said via from Cambodia, where he was attending the ASEAN/EAS summit.
«I hope for stronger support for this pandemic fund,» Widodo added, after stressing his hope that the fund will help strengthen the global health architecture.
Twenty countries and three charities have pledged to contribute a total of 1.4 billion euros to the fund, according to Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha, head of Indonesia’s Ministry of Health.
«This is significant because the World Health Organization and the World Bank have projected a pandemic funding gap of around 10.5 billion over the next five years,» Widodo warned.
