151. At the outset, Indonesia would like to align itself with the statement made by South Africa on behalf of the co-sponsors. On this agenda item, our delegation would like to thank Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization and yourself for showing able leadership to steer us towards the adoption of the Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement during the MC12 meeting last June. I would also like to congratulate the Members for the cooperation and flexibilities shown that allowed us to come up with a much-needed result in addressing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
152. While reported cases and deaths from COVID-19 have now declined 90% from their peaks in January, we should not be misguided and think that we are at the end of the pandemic. In fact, transmission is increasing in many countries, while new and more dangerous variants are emerging. Furthermore, bear in mind that 40% of the world population remains unvaccinated, and new variants also pose health risks to those who have already been vaccinated. Vaccines are only part of the solution. As we look forward to a world free from the pandemic, our work is far from over and we should seize the momentum to build a more resilient global health system, not only for today's purpose, but also for tomorrow's challenges.
153. In fact, one of our priorities, as the current chair of the G20, is to encourage the strengthening of global health resilience and help make the global health system more inclusive, equitable, and responsive to crises. To that end, one of our deliverables is ensuring access to emergency medical countermeasures. In this regard, therapeutics and diagnostics are inseparable parts of the countermeasures devised in the World Health Organization's four-pillar strategy, which also includes vaccine and health protocols, and has been proven to be effective in the prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19 and subsequent pandemics.
154. Learning from the lesson of this current pandemic, global health resilience is only as strong as the weakest link. Therefore, we should ensure equitable access to countermeasures through the extension on therapeutics and diagnostics no later than six months after its adoption. With that in mind, Indonesia would also like to extend our full support to document , submitted by South Africa, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt and Tanzania on behalf of the co-sponsors, that highlights the urgency of holistic countermeasures to the pandemic, as well as guides our work on the key remaining issues on therapeutics and diagnostics. Indonesia, as always, stands ready to engage constructively on this issue.