BREAKING: G20 panel calls for global digital health passports

The Indonesian minister of health said during the B20 summit that the G20 should adopt a global framework to track vaccination status.

Speaking in a crowd in Bali, Budi Gunadi Sadikin said, "Let's have a digital health certificate acknowledged by WHO. If you have been vaccinated or tested properly, then you can move around. So for the next pandemic, instead of stopping the movement of the people, one hundred percent... you can still provide some movement of the people.



The health minister went on to say that Indonesia has achieved, along with G20 countries, an agreement "to have this digital certificate using WHO standards."

Indonesia has recently embarked on a mission to "improve global health architecture" reports Tempo, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo saying that funding would go towards mechanisms to "prevent and cope" with future pandemics.

"I express my gratitude for (countries') contributions to the Pandemic Fund. And by saying in the name of God, I am launching the Pandemic Fund today," he said.

The Indonesian president has praised the G20 as well as non-G20 countries for their commitment to the Pandemic Fund, which will be used to create the vaccine framework.

So far, $1.4 billion has been raised from 15 countries and three philanthropic institutions. Australia, France, and Saudi Arabia have all expressed their commitments to the fund.

The funds raised, however, are not enough for the Indonesian president, citing a WHO study that said they would need $31 billion annually to "prevent future pandemics."

"I thank donors from G20 and non-G20 member countries, as well as from philanthropic institutions which have contributed. However, the funds raised are still insufficient. I expect for even greater support for this Pandemic Fund," he said.

Tempo reports that "He compelled everyone to support some initiatives, such as the establishment of a health emergency response coordination platform in the form of an international economic fund to support pathogen monitoring, the global development of digital networks, vaccine certification to facilitate international travel, and the establishment of fair and just research and manufacturing centers."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced just yesterday that $750 million would go towards financing infrastructure, green initiatives, and COVID-19 vaccine initiatives. $80 million will go to the World Bank project to help countries "prevent pandemics and respond to them," reports CTV News.