IO – The Global Health Security Consortium (GHSC) has launched a partnership in support of Indonesia’s global B20 health and life science agenda. GHSC brings together the political, science and medical expertise of three prominent world-leading organizations: Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Lawrence J Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine, University of Oxford scientists on February 9, 2022.
The Business 20 (B20) is the official dialog forum between the G20 and global business communities. As the holder of the 2022 G20 Presidency, Indonesia, as the first Southeast Asian country to host the G20 Summit titled “Recover Together, Recover Stronger” underlines the importance of inclusive partnership and international cooperation in tackling global health security challenges and stimulating global recovery. The Covid-19 pandemic has wiped out over $ 20 trillion of the world economy and enlarged the gap between rich and developing countries.
As a prominent leader, Sir Tony Blair joins the B20 Indonesia International Advocacy Caucus and leads GHSC to help decide policy recommendations, focusing on global public health to support economic recovery and prepare for a future pandemic.
The B20 and GHSC collaboration will be authorized through strategic support from the Bakrie Center Foundation and carried out by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and Equatorise.
During the B20 Inception, Sir Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and former Prime Minister of the UK (1997-2007), stated, “I believe there couldn’t be a better country to lead the world in 2022 (than Indonesia). The Global Health Security Consortium will support Indonesia in forging a Global Health Alliance, including enabling the B20 to convene industry, as well as the best minds, to turn November’s Bali declaration from theory into practice. It will be led by the Government, working with the WHO and other international bodies like CEPI and GAVI. But I know that the Indonesia B20 is determined to play a much more active role: it can be a major catalyst, because transformation requires the private and public sector to work in tandem.”
Founding Director of Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine and Senior Advisor on Covid-19 at the White House Dr. David Agus said that the GHSC and B20 partnership would steer life science investments and policy to be on the lookout for a global scale pandemic in the future.
Regius Professor of Medicine of the University of Oxford Sir John Bell added his positive remarks, stating that the current pandemic will leave a positive legacy, one with resilient infrastructure for life science in emerging economies. Indonesia is the perfect country to continue such a legacy.
The Chair of B20 Indonesia, Coordinating Vice-Chair on Maritime, Investment & International Affairs and CEO of Sintesa Group Shinta Kamdani, said that the International Advocacy Caucus (IAC) under B20 Indonesia Presidency in 2022 will enforce three priorities: green economy transition, more rapid digital economy, and responsive global health structure reform in facing a pandemic. “I am delighted to welcome Sir Tony Blair as a member of the B20 Indonesia IAC. Under his leadership, the Global Health Security Consortium will be a strong partner for B20 Indonesia, as we prepare concrete policy recommendations to the Indonesian G20 Presidency, the objective being to improve global health architecture and advance inclusive, innovative, and collaborative growth,” she declared.
Anindya Bakrie, as the Chairman and Founder of Bakrie Centre Foundation and Chairman of Supervisory Board at KADIN, responded positively in supporting the partnership between GHSC and B20 Indonesia to shape policy recommendations to improve global health structure as the essential factor for inclusive and collaborative recovery from the pandemic. “BCF will support a positive global health and life science legacy in Indonesia. As stated by President Jokowi during B20 Indonesia Inception, the Covid-19 pandemic is a challenge as well as an opportunity, to make the global health architecture more responsive to face the pandemic; this is the focus of the BCF, GHSC and B20 Indonesia,” explained Anindya.
Arsjad Rasjid, Executive Chairman at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), also expressed his support for the collaboration. He welcomes the partnership announcement between the GHSC and B20 Indonesia to advance the global health agenda, which aligns with one of the President of Indonesia’s G20 2022 priorities: developing a global health infrastructure. “One of KADIN’s priorities is to contribute to restoring public health and improving national health infrastructure. I am confident that the GHSC, through its world-class expertise, can assist B20 Indonesia and KADIN in achieving that vision for the people of Indonesia,” he concluded.