As a part of Workforce Europe’s international response to the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union introduced right this moment a brand new €20 million programme to assist the preparedness and response capacities of our companions within the Affiliation of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The South-East Asia Pandemic Response and Preparedness programme shall be applied by the World Well being Group, working carefully with nationwide authorities and the ASEAN Secretariat. It is going to improve regional coordination of the COVID-19 response and strengthen the capability of well being methods in South-East Asia, whereas paying particular consideration to weak populations.
Commissioner for Worldwide Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, introduced the programme on the 23rd EU-ASEAN International Affairs Ministers assembly: “The South-East Asia Pandemic Response and Preparedness programme is a part of the European Union’s €350 million solidarity response to assist our ASEAN companions in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Robust regional coordination on entry to info, gear and vaccines is crucial for overcoming this disaster. We’re on this collectively and, as companions, stronger collectively.”
The programme, with a period of 42 months, will strengthen the monitoring and testing capacities of ASEAN Member States, in addition to the capability of their well being establishments and employees to handle the caseload whereas sustaining important well being providers. The programme may even assist well timed and clear communication concerning the pandemic, and assist attain folks residing in rural and distant areas with details about the preventive measures, signs and dangers.
Background
The EU response to the coronavirus pandemic within the South-East Asian area quantities to €350 million. Including the contribution from EU Member States, the Team Europe response reaches a complete of greater than €800 million.
To deal with the well being and socio-economic affect of the coronavirus pandemic, the EU has reoriented programmes in South-East Asia, whereas focusing significantly on the necessity for public communication and analysis. The EU assist to Indonesia, for instance, has included digital options for monitoring COVID-19 expenditures of the Authorities, serving to to make sure their transparency and accountability.
The EU is a significant improvement cooperation accomplice of ASEAN and its Member States. Within the interval 2014-2020, the EU supported the ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN regional integration with over €250 million, whereas bilateral EU assist to ASEAN Member States amounted to €2 billion.
Regional improvement cooperation programmes focus primarily on connectivity by way of sustainable financial integration and commerce; local weather change, atmosphere and catastrophe administration; complete EU-ASEAN coverage dialogue in joint areas of curiosity; larger schooling and scholar mobility in ASEAN; and the elimination of violence towards ladies and women and assist to the rights and alternatives of girls migrant employees.
The ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Sustainable Development, began in 2017, is a vital high-level coverage platform for exchanges on sustainable improvement cooperation.
ASEAN consists of 10 Member States: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
For Extra Info:
ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Sustainable Development
Factshhet: Team Europe supports ASEAN in the fight against COVID-19