Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (left) greets Indonesian President Joko Widodo as he arrives for the G-20 summit in Rome, on Oct 30, 2021. - AFP
ROME, Oct 31 (The Straits Times/ANN): Indonesia officially assumed the presidency of the Group of 20 (G-20) major economies for the first time on Sunday (Oct 31), putting recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic high on next year's agenda.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi handed over the reins to Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the close of a two-day summit which was held in Rome. The meeting took place in person for the first time since 2019.
"This is an honour for us, for Indonesia, and at the same time a great responsibility, which we must carry out well," the Indonesian leader better known as Jokowi said before leaving for the summit on Friday.
The year-long presidency, which officially begins on Dec 1 and ends on Nov 30, will culminate with the 17th leaders summit on the holiday island of Bali in October next year .
As host and president, Indonesia has put "Recover Together, Recover Stronger" as the core theme of the G-20 agenda next year.
It will push for fair and equitable global vaccine distribution, as well as the availability of sufficient financing through the establishment of a joint finance and health task force to tackle issues related to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said at the meeting of G-20 finance and health ministers on Friday: "As the 2022 G20 president, Indonesia is ready to continue this health agenda, because we believe that a stronger health system is an important condition for the global economy to recover together and recover stronger."
Daily Covid-19 cases in Indonesia stood at 523 cases on Sunday, a dramatic fall from over 50,000 at the peak of a major outbreak in July.
Mobility curbs have also been relaxed, and tourists from 19 nations have been allowed into Bali and the Riau Islands from Oct 14.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Indonesian President Joko Widodo proposed the establishment of a vaccinated travel lane with Australia to improve tourism and economic ties between both countries.
Under such an arrangement, fully-vaccinated people arriving from Indonesia and Australia will be able to enter without having to undergo quarantine requirements. Further recognition of both countries’ vaccination certificates will help accelerate travel as well, Widodo, known as Jokowi, told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of Group of 20 leaders’ summit.
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