MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to work closely with India to ensure better access to medicines and vaccines as the region recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
Delivering his intervention during the 19th ASEAN-India Summit, President Marcos said that as Southeast Asia emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a matter of great urgency for its governments to ensure better access to health services alongside medicines and vaccines.
“ASEAN friends, let us not miss the opportunity of having the 'pharmacy of the world' as our close neighbor and dialogue partner. The high cost of life-saving medicines and vaccines are barriers to a healthy population,” Marcos said in his intervention.
“Let us work closely with India in ensuring that our region has access to a sufficient volume of affordable, high-quality medicines and vaccines,” the chief executive added.
The Philippine leader also suggested a deepening engagement with India on blue economy, particularly as the Indo-Pacific becomes a theater of geopolitics and geoeconomics.
According to Marcos, ministers and senior officials must find the intersection between maritime security and economic prosperity cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which should be balanced by shared concern of preventing further environmental degradation, allowing the region’s marine ecosystem to thrive.
“We cannot move towards a blue economy if our oceans cannot support sustainable vibrant life,” the President said.
To counter the destructive effects of climate change, Marcos encouraged India’s continued support for the work of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity in mitigating biodiversity loss through management of ASEAN heritage parks.
To address the issue on fluctuations in rice and fertilizer supply and prices, Marcos said he looks forward to working with India towards the implementation of the “ASEAN Multi-sectoral Framework on Climate Change: Agriculture and Forestry contributing to Food Security and Sustainable Development Goals.” (PND)
