Report of the NEAT WG Meeting
ASEAN Plus Three and COVID-19 Pandemic: Country Responses and Regional
Cooperation
Hosted Online by NEAT Indonesia

Wednesday, 14 July 2021
IOverview

1.

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 has significantly affected the lives ofhundreds of millions of people in the world, including in ASEAN Plus Three (APT)
countries. The surge of cases since July 2021, marked by the spread of the more infectious
Delta variant, forced countries to activate emergency measures. While the public healthimpact is immediate, the pandemic also brought about enormous impacts on the economy
and other sectors.

2.

All APT countries must grapple with the multidimensional challenges brought by thepandemic. Due to differences in geographic features, population size, level of economic
development, political system, and many other aspects, the pandemic is experienceddifferently by APT countries. Some are hit very hard, threatening the public healthinfrastructure into the verge of collapse, while others successfully kept the cases
consistently low, at least for now. While most of the policies to mitigate the pandemic aresimilar, there are some variations in the policies and their implementation, as well as in theeffectiveness of such measures.

3.

APT leaders recognize the importance of regional and international cooperation in copingwith the pandemic. At regional level, ASEAN had convened its Special ASEAN Summit
on Coronavirus Disease 2019 that resulted in the Declaration of the Special ASEAN
Summit on COVID-19 of 14 April 2020. The Declaration declared maximum commitment
on a group response to the pandemic in a show of solidarity of a Cohesive and Responsive
ASEAN. The ASEAN Plus Three (APT) leaders also released a Joint Statement of theSpecial ASEAN Plus Three Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) at thesame time, boosting ASEAN’s multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder, whole-of-communit yapproach to manage the plethora of pandemic challenges and uphold APT’s sharedcommitment to strengthen solidarity, enhance cooperation and mutual support in
mitigating the pandemic and its negative socio-economic effects. Such collaboration iscrucially needed to cope with acute equitable resource distribution needs during crises
situations such as the current pandemic.
4.

Building on this foundation, there is a pressing need to learn from the different experiencesof APT countries and to improve regional cooperation among APT countries. With this inmind, NEAT WG on ASEAN Plus Three and COVID-19 Pandemic: Country Responses
and Regional Cooperation comprising experts from the APT countries gathered online on
14 July 2021 to share their knowledge, experience, and ideas on the mitigation of COVID19 pandemic in their respective countries as well as at the regional level. The WG
discussed and exchanged views on best practices as well as challenges in the efforts tocope with the pandemic. The WG further deliberated on a set of recommendations for APT
cooperation in responding COVID-19 and future possible pandemic.

5.

The list of NEAT participants is at Annex.

IILessons Learned

6.

While acknowledging the uniqueness of the situation in each APT country, the WG agreed
that there are some key best practices that are proven to be significant in ensuring thesuccess of policies in responding COVID-19 pandemic. In general, it is recognized thatpandemic preparedness of the public health system as well as other related institutions
before the pandemic is a crucial factor. The swiftness and decisiveness in the early periodof the pandemic also make a significant difference on the trajectory of the pandemic.
Experiences with previous public health as well as other crises contributed to the readinessof countries in responding to the pandemic.

7.

The WG also further stresses the importance of testing and tracking. An adequate level oftesting and effective tracking are important to ensure that we know exactly the extent of
the impact of the pandemic, which is crucial to develop effective measures. APT countries
with strong testing and tracking are generally more successful in mitigating the publichealth impact of the pandemic.

8.

The WG believes that institutional capacity is also a crucial factor which shapes theeffectiveness of pandemic response in APT countries. Some APT countries are unable torealize the full potential of their resources and policies due to institutional problems, suchas multisectoral and multilevel coordination.

9.

Another impact lesson is the importance of clear and effective communication to ensurethat the public has access to credible information. Transparency is the key to gain publictrust, which is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of any measures in responding to thepandemic. Without clear and effective communication, the spread of fake news and hoaxes
are hindering the efforts to cope with COVID-19.

10. Several APT countries are leading in the innovative use of new technologies to support theefforts to cope with the pandemic, such as tracing applications. The use of thesetechnologies significantly increases the effectiveness of pandemic response. The WG
believes that there is potential to further develop and expand the use of these technologiesthrough regional cooperation.
11. The WG believes that regional cooperation is essential in supporting economic recovery
during and after the pandemic. It is generally recognized that the recovery appears unevenacross and within countries, and subject to possible elevated risks including the spread of
new variants and different paces of vaccination. Against this backdrop, regional unity andcooperation in both multilateral and bilateral formats are important to mitigate theunevenness of recovery between different APT member countries.
12. The WG acknowledges that there is a problem in the availability and the equality in theaccess to vaccines, which is essential in the fight against the pandemic. It is important todrive regional cooperation to ensure adequate supply, equality of access, as well as
effective distribution of vaccines.

III

Recommendations

13. The APT governments need to work closely together. It is important to recognize that noone is safe when not everyone is safe. The following are key recommendations to promote
APT cooperation in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as possible future
pandemics, and in supporting post-pandemic recovery in APT member countries:
1) Strengthen the solidarity among APT countries and demonstrate political will andcommitment for a stronger regional cooperation in responding to the public health aswell as economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2) Enhance the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms and frameworks such as
ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework
and ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergency(RRMS).
3) Develop regional cooperation in ensuring adequate supply and equal access to vaccines.
APT should consider pooled procurement for COVID-19 vaccines. For the long term,
APT also should consider initiatives to develop the capacity of APT member countries
to produce vaccines.
4) Develop regional mechanisms to help develop pandemic preparedness of APT membercountries. This includes:a. Expediting the establishment and operationalization of ASEAN Center for
Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) as a central
body for public health emergencies preparedness and response.
b. Investing in public health capacity.

c. Strengthening information sharing among APT member countries to ensure
faster learning and implementation of best practices.
d. Developing protocols and procedures at the regional level, such as: (i) regional
standard of transparency in pandemic situations, (ii) regional protocol on borderclosure and lockdowns and (iii) regional protocol on migrant people protection
during pandemic.
5) Enhance capacity building through exchanges and visits between experts in APT
member countries, establish long-term cooperative mechanisms for health personnel
training, and consolidate the sustainable partnerships between APT member countries.
6) Strengthen science and technology cooperation, as well as transfers on technologies
proven to be essential in dealing with pandemic, such as vaccine production, oxygen
concentrators, Artificial Intelligence, robotics and drones, digital and mobiletechnologies.
. .. ..

AnnexList of Participants of the NEAT WG Meeting
ASEAN Plus Three and COVID-19 Pandemic: Country Responses and Regional
Cooperation
14 July 2021
NEAT Country

Name of Participants

Co-ChairsIndonesia

Dr. Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad
Universitas Indonesia
Dr. Evi Fitriani
Universitas Indonesia
Dr. Yeremia Lalisang
Uninversitas Indonesia

PresentersBrunei
Darussalam

Dr. Anie Haryani Binti Abdul-Rahman

Cambodia

Dr. Teng Srey

Director of Department of Environmental Health Service
Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam
Deputy Director of Department of Communicable Diseases Control
Ministry of Health Cambodia

China

Prof. Youlin Qiao
Director of Center for Global Health
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Indonesia

Dr. Sartika Soesilowati
Airlangga UniversityJapan

Prof. Onimaru Takeshi
Vice Dean of School of Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation
Kyushu University

Lao PDR

Ms. Haknilan Inthalath
Research fellow
Institute of Foreign Affairs

Malaysia

Dr. Nabila binti Nasharudin
Independent researcher
Dr. Khor Swee Kheng
Visiting Fellow
ISIS Malaysia

Philippines

Prof. Joefe Santarita

Asian Center, University of the Philippines
Singapore

Dr. Lim Tai Wei
Senior Research Fellow adj.
National University of Singapore East Asian InstituteSouth Korea

Dr. Lee Jaehyon
Senior Fellow
Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Vietnam

Dr. Le Trung Kien
Director of Security and Development
Institute of Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy ofVietnam

Observers
Cambodia

Ms. Var Puthneath
Deputy Director of Department of International Cooperation
Ministry of Health Cambodia

China

Liu Renxue

Indonesia

Dr. Edy Prasetyono
Executive Director ASEAN Study Center
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia
Ms. Carolina Tinangon
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Indonesia
Ms. Mutaaririn Nurul Hidayah
NEAT Indonesia WG support

Korea

Mr. Kim Hyung Jong

Malaysia

Dr. Khor Swee Kheng
Visiting Fellow
ISIS Malaysia

Philippines

Dr. Celia M. Rayes
NEAT Philippines Country Coordinators
Ms. Melalyn Mantaring
NEAT Philippines Focal Person
Ms. Jean Clarisse Carlos
NEAT Philippines Focal Person
Ms. Tina Ortiz
Supervising research Specialist, PIDS