Day: December 21, 2022

By Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Director of Research Strategy and Innovation: India inherited the Group of Twenty (G20) presidency from Indonesia on 1 December 2022 and will convene the 18th G20 summit on 9–10 September 2023 in New Delhi.  It assumes the rotating presidency of the G20, the economic steering committee for the world with a slew of issues that could alter the course of international interactions.  Coincidentally, India assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council and will chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the world’s largest regional forum, till September 2023.  In May 2022, the Economist ran a cover story about India where it concluded that the country is now an outstanding economic reformer. In November 2022, multinational investment management and financial services company Morgan Stanley predicted that India’s economy would account for one-fifth of global growth over the next decade. Suddenly, it feels like India’s moment has come to bring its statesmanship and craft a global agenda for economic transformation.

 

Since 2008, the G20, which comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the UK, the US, and the European Union, has emerged as the world’s premier intergovernmental forum, comprising developed and developing countries. The bloc represents economies that account for more than 80% of global GDP, about 75% of its commerce, and 60% of the population.  The previous presidencies of G20 delivered significant results in global economic governance, ensuring macroeconomic stability, rationalising international taxation, relieving debt burden, and strongly recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst many other outcomes.

 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for international cooperation to deal with global issues, outlining the country’s approach to the G20. He said that the challenges of ‘climate change, terrorism, and pandemics can be solved not by fighting each other, but only by acting together’. He underlined the need to ‘depoliticise the global supply of food, fertilisers, energy, and medical products so that geopolitical tensions do not lead to humanitarian crises’.

 

The theme for India’s G20 presidency—One Earth, One Family, One Future—highlights the importance of an approach that unites the world in tackling the future and of meeting expectations of developing countries.  About 200 global meetings in 56 locations across India are to be organised, primarily under the Finance track, consisting of eight work streams, and the Sherpa Track, consisting of 13 working groups. Fifteen high-level ministerial meetings will be held, including 1 of foreign and finance ministers. Twelve engagement groups will be organised for non-governmental entities such as think tanks, businesses, science institutions, youth, women, start-ups, and so on to provide advisory services through seminars, workshops, and conferences.

 

Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, stated that India’s presidency has to be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action oriented.  This is a tall order given the multiple crises that characterise global governance systems and the current polarisation of international cooperation efforts. India has a tough task ahead to bring together an ambitious action-oriented comprehensive G20 agenda.  In 2023, the task for India is crucial, given the lasting effects of the Russia–Ukraine conflict, western sanctions on energy trade, economic downturns, pandemic worries, and climate change issues that are testing the basic foundations of globalisation and an international cooperation architecture.

 

Given the prominence of the G20 president and the opportunity to shape global narratives, India may find that with great power comes great responsibility to translate its spirit of  idealism, such as Lifestyle for Environment, which shows how individual and national environmentally sustainable and responsible choices can lead to more informed and transformative actions globally and contribute to a cleaner and greener global future.

 

How can India use the G20 mantle to establish a successful global architecture that looks beyond 2023?  India could consider three action clusters for blending the philosophical idealism with pragmatic discourse.

 

First, the G20 is often criticised as a talk shop without a permanent secretariat or continuity in its policy mandate, often leading to disjointed outcomes and no concrete action with a compliance mechanism. India will have to maintain policy continuity from Indonesia if it wants to leave an imprint on the G20 discourse. Indonesia’s priorities for 2022 were the global health architecture, digital transformation, and green energy transition. India has indicated that it will continue prioritising digitisation to transform lives. Other stated priority issues for India include health financing and digitisation of service delivery; digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development; climate and disaster resilience; fight against economic crime; reforming the multilateral organisations and trade regimes; leveraging the circular blue economy; green financing, energy security, and the green hydrogen mission; accelerated pace of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation; and women’s empowerment.  This is the stage that India inherits, not just as a promoter of continuity but as a country with a unique footprint of pragmatism and universal solidarity and that can act as an honest broker of domestic solutions for global challenges.

 

Second, India should seek policy synergy by championing certain issues of priority for the global South within G20 and that of Group of Seven (G7), the de facto custodian of global order. In 2023, with Japan as the chair, G7 wants to make united efforts to address major global economic, environmental, and social development challenges inclusively to benefit all countries.  At the G20, India is prepared to steer discussions on reforming multilateral trade initiatives, counter-terrorism cooperation, and climate change actions.  These issues have previously featured in sub-regional forums, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; the African Union; India, Brazil, and South Africa alliance; the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation; and others. The four consecutive G20 presidencies by Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa are a first in the history of the G20 and must be leveraged to get buy-in from a larger group of advanced G7 countries and emerging economies that the developing global South wishes to advance on the world stage. The presidencies could mean that greater attention is placed on countries falling behind on achieving the SDGs, fostering a global enabling environment for digital transformation, advancing the provision of global public goods, and fostering international cooperation to support developing countries in advancing their developmental ambitions in a common but differentiated way.

 

Third, geopolitical tensions arising from Europe, Asia, and Africa could derail the G20 discourse in 2023. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the G20 Italy to take on a more diplomatic role akin to that of the United Nations and obscured discussions regarding the G20’s financial mandate. Indonesia held the G20 presidency in a world gripped by geopolitical events in Russia and Ukraine.  Until the end, all major leaders were uncertain if they would agree to a joint statement, which was eventually forged in Bali. It is hard to predict several new issues that could unfold from now to September 2023.  The post-pandemic scenario is still tipping towards a global recession next year. A universal sense prevails that 2023–2030 will be critical for sustaining the planet. More than 70 countries have crippling debts, which could result in another global crisis and may hijack the Delhi G20 summit agenda.  As Indonesia’s President did, India’s Prime Minister or his special emissaries will have to travel to national capitals to ensure that India’s long-awaited moment to lead and spearhead new idealism has arrived and that it can be transformed into pragmatic action at negotiating tables. For now, India is reasonably confident that it can rise to the occasion with its enhanced intellectual, administrative, and social capital, and upgraded bureaucracy with a carefully crafted consultation process.

 

 

Source: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

PHNOM PENH, Dec 21 (NNN-AKP) – The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are contributors to regional and global post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, academics said here yesterday.

 

Entering into force earlier this year, RCEP comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries, including ASEAN and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

 

Speaking at the 17th annual international conference on “New World Order: Competition, Integration and Multipolarity,” senior economist, Ky Sereyvath, director-general of the Institute of China Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said, the RCEP has provided larger market access for all participating countries, with preferential tariffs.

 

He said, the RCEP has promoted greater regional cooperation in trade and investment, and eased cross-border movements.

 

“This regional trade deal keeps markets open, strengthens regional economic integration, supports an open, free, fair, inclusive trading system, and ultimately, contributes to global post-pandemic recovery efforts,” he said.

 

According to the World Bank, the RCEP covers 2.3 billion people or 30 percent of the world’s population, contributes 25.8 trillion U.S. dollars, about 30 percent of global GDP, and accounts for 12.7 trillion dollars, over a quarter of global trade in goods and services.

 

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said, the world’s biggest trading bloc has provided mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation for all participating countries.

 

“The RCEP has not only promoted greater regional economic integration, but also underscored the unwavering commitment of all member countries to free trade and multilateralism,” he said.

 

“It is unlike the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which is a group to undermine regional economic development and to create conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region.”

 

During the conference, analysts also touched on the importance of the BRI. Matthews said, the BRI has played a crucial role in helping countries cushion economic fallout during the pandemic and the trend will continue in the post-pandemic era.

 

“The BRI will become the new engine of global economic growth in the post-pandemic era,” he said. “It will continue to boost regional and global cooperation in terms of hard and soft infrastructures, economy, trade, investment opportunities, cultural exchange, and people-to-people connectivity.”

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

KUALA LUMPUR– When former journalist Ali Imran Mohd Noordin got COVID-19 in July this year, it was a bad one. He had trouble breathing. He had to be hospitalised for four days. Doctors put him on Paxlovid.

 

This was his second time dealing with the coronavirus, the first time being in August last year prior to vaccination. The father-of-five described the first time as “mild” and a “wake-up call” to take care of his health as he did not escape unscathed.

 

“I went for a full medical check-up in January this year. That was when I found something in my lungs … I couldn’t do the lung test properly,” he told Bernama via Zoom.

 

Then with the second bout, the doctors found a scar on his lung. He had to be admitted and prescribed Paxlovid, the anti-COVID-19 medication from Pfizer. Although he recovered, his pre-pandemic self continues to be out of reach. He said to this day, he is unable to do anything strenuous without taking a break.

 

For the 40-year-old, it is the stuff of nightmares. His father also had a lung problem but he was 65 years old when he first had to deal with poor lung function.

 

It is as if COVID-19 had aged Ali Imran’s organs, accelerating the development of health issues. The kicker is, he is not alone.

 

Three years after COVID-19 came about, millions of former patients in many countries say they are still feeling the effects of the infection, such as difficulty breathing, brain fog and intense fatigue. These lingering symptoms and others – called Long Covid, long-haul Covid, post-Covid or post-acute Covid syndrome – are affecting their ability to work, risking their financial independence.

 

Worse, Long Covid’s impact on the economy and healthcare system stands to worsen over time if countries, including Malaysia, do not take the necessary policy actions to prepare for a future where part of the workforce will likely be sicker at a younger age.

 

POST-COVID-19 ISSUES

 

Ali Imran resigned from his journalism job a few months ago to concentrate on his health and when he could not come to an agreement with his company over work flexibility. Because of COVID-19 and ensuing health issues, he also had to quit his Master’s degree programme.

 

“I feel sad (I caught it) because nobody wants to get COVID. But when I got COVID, I found out later that it affected me longer than I thought it could have. I left (my old company) because I wanted to do something with my health but then I got it again,” he said. He now works as a freelance writer.

 

There is a term for the scores of people like Ali Imran who decide to leave the workforce due to health reasons and it is called ‘The Great Resignation’.

 

An August 2022 Brookings Institution report estimated that up to four million people worldwide are no longer able to work due to post-COVID-19 health issues while another report by the US Department of Health and Human Services estimated as many as 23 million people have Long Covid.

 

While there are no exact statistics dealing with this phenomenon, the Department of Statistics Malaysia recorded the number of inactive unemployed – which includes those who would have looked for work if they had not been ill – increasing by 2,300 to 110,700 in October 2022 from 108,400 in September 2022. Other people in this category include those who did not look for work because they believed no work was available or that they were not qualified for it, as well as those who are waiting for the result of job applications.

 

COVID-19’s impact is not just restricted to the inability to work, it is also tied into people’s inability to work well.

 

Bernama came across several cases that fit this bill. One of them is a 53-year-old oil and gas company executive who has not been able to return to work fully due to Long Covid symptoms.

 

Another case involves a medical professional with a family history of heart disease who has had to undergo angioplasty at age 34 and be on heart medication for life. Prior to his COVID-19 infection, he was a runner and hiker.

 

Like Ali Imran, his family medical history is manifesting sooner than expected.

 

Epidemiologist Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud is not surprised to hear of these cases, saying COVID-19 is one of a few infectious diseases whose effects last long after infection, which may also shorten life expectancy.

 

“The damage caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus does not end with the eradication of the virus from the body. In fact, it seems to set off a chain of events long after apparent recovery from the acute infection,” he said via email.

 

He said studies have shown that former COVID-19 patients are now more likely to develop and possibly die from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disorders and diabetes, compared to those who have never been infected.

 

A recent British Medical Journal study tracked 54,000 people in the United Kingdom for four-and-a-half months and found that those whose COVID-19 infection was mild were still 10 times more likely to die of any cause during the four months.

 

A US Veteran Affairs study, which came out in February 2022 and involved 150,000 subjects, found stroke risk increased by 52 per cent within a year after infection while the risk of heart failure increased by 72 percent. The risk may also be present in children.

 

“Even children are not spared and there is already evidence of increased incidence of rare disorders among children and adolescents post-infection,” Dr Awang Bulgiba added.

 

THE NEED FOR DATA

 

In order to prepare for the incoming burden on the Malaysian healthcare system, economy and household wealth, data is needed – the more detailed the better. Calculating the cost of Long Covid to the economy would require data such as the number of such cases, the severity of the affliction, the number of work days lost due to illness, loss of quality of life and the medical cost of treating the illness, according to Harvard economist David Culter.

 

Unfortunately, health and economic experts say there is not enough data in Malaysia for now, partly due to difficulty in diagnosing whether the symptoms are part of Long Covid or something else.

 

Furthermore, the number of COVID-19 cases recorded is likely an undercount, according to an analysis by the COVID-19 Epidemiological Analysis and Strategies (CEASe) research group. Tracking of infections has dwindled even as more people are getting infected or reinfected.

 

Dr Awang Bulgiba, who is part of the CEASe group, told Bernama the likely figure is at least three times the officially reported figures.

 

“This means that we are probably under-estimating the number of people suffering from Long Covid too,” he said, adding that there needs to be more investment in research into Long Covid to determine how long these effects last and whether there are ways to prevent them from becoming permanent.

 

Currently, there are several studies tracking the health status of former COVID-19 patients and healthcare workers at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), run by health economist Prof Maznah Dahlui.

 

She told Bernama the studies are checking if the subjects have developed Long-Covid symptoms and are experiencing loss of earnings and quality of life.

 

“We’re also looking at (the issue of people returning) to work. We want to see how many of them with a history of admission for COVID-19 had returned to work and if not, why. Whether or not it is because the company is closed or because they’re not able to cope with the previous tasks. Sometimes it’s just that they are no longer working because they were (fired) or they could still be working but in a different type of job,” she said.

 

Dr Maznah said so far, researchers have found a majority of previously healthy people have not developed Long Covid symptoms. She added Long Covid was more common among those who had to be hospitalised and the elderly.

 

Nevertheless, she acknowledged COVID-19 infection may cause some new symptoms or exacerbate health conditions after recovery, saying Malaysia was not prepared for the post-pandemic burden on the healthcare system.

 

“We are having this double disease burden. We are still struggling with communicable diseases like tuberculosis, dengue, malaria and yet we are (getting) more NCDs like diabetes, mostly lifestyle diseases related to obesity,” she said.

 

She added the government needs to increase the healthcare budget from the current two percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and invest more in preventative healthcare.

 

Prior to the 15th general election, all Malaysian major coalitions – Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional – vowed to increase the public healthcare budget to five percent of the GDP.

 

Dr Maznah, also a public health specialist at UMMC, said Malaysia’s healthcare services and delivery system are generally good but financial coverage of healthcare, that is, medication is still lacking.

 

“Right now, even if you don’t have money you can get access to healthcare services – just pay US$0.22 (RM1) – but you need to pay out of pocket for some drugs, especially cancer drugs, and people can get poor by paying for it. It’s a catastrophic healthcare expenditure,” she said.

 

As medical costs will continue to balloon, she said Malaysia should implement a national health insurance or social health insurance scheme to complement healthcare by paying for medication and others.

 

In the meantime, Dr Awang Bulgiba said the best solution is to prevent getting infected or re-infected by the COVID-19 virus by continuing to mask up, especially indoors. He also called on the health authorities to think of a permanent structure for COVID-19 vaccination to provide boosters and new vaccines when necessary.

 

“Right now, the thinking is still ad hoc but the planning for such vaccination should already be made,” he said.

 

On the labour side, many employees with health problems post-COVID-19 will no longer need to choose between their health and work when the Employment Act amendments allowing flexible working arrangements come into effect soon. However, the employees will have to apply to their employer for a flexible working arrangement.

 

As for Ali Imran, he is tired of the medical community dismissing his symptoms. He hopes the medical community will learn more about Long Covid and consider COVID-19 as a contributing factor when assessing health issues.

 

“Usually, they will do a lot of screening and then they say, ‘Oh, this is not because of COVID-19, this is something else.’ Nobody is even sure of the real impact of COVID-19 so don’t act like you know everything,” he said.

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

KUALA LUMPUR— Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday expressed his dream to visit an ‘independent’ Palestine.

 

The wish was shared by Anwar when he was personally invited by Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas via a phone call on Monday, made by the latter to congratulate him on his appointment as the 10th Prime Minister.

 

“Of course, I look forward to. I have never been there, and it is my dream to go there and particularly to an independent Palestine,” he added.

 

A video of their conversation was shared on Anwar’s Facebook.

 

In the conversation, Mahmoud, who invited Anwar to visit Palestine at any time, said Palestine would be honoured to receive Anwar in their land.

 

During the over-six-minute conversation, Mahmoud also expressed his appreciation for Anwar’s support for the Palestinians.

 

“I am grateful to your position towards the Palestinian issues and your support for Palestine everywhere, especially in the international community, and the fact that we (Palestine) admire your help…,” said Mahmoud.

 

Anwar said his administration would continue supporting the just cause for Palestinians and condemn all sorts of harassment and attempt to dispose of the rights of the Palestinians.

 

“We (Malaysia) will remain steadfast and consistent in support of the Palestinians’ struggle for peace and dignity,” the Prime Minister added.

 

Thanking Anwar for the support, Mahmoud said Palestine wanted to open all its doors for trade and cooperation as well as economic relations between Palestine and Malaysia.

 

Anwar replied that he would inform the Cabinet of such kind remarks and Mahmoud’s intention to enhance bilateral cooperation, investment, trade, culture and education.

 

Anwar said generally Malaysians are in full support and follow the developments in Palestine, and it was made a part of Malaysians’ struggle and he himself had been following issues in Palestine since 1973.

 

Anwar told Mahmoud that he felt very sad looking at media reports on continuous killings and the refusal of the offending party to engage in proper negotiations.

 

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Anwar gave an assurance that Malaysia would remain firm in its struggle to end the long-drawn-out suffering of the Palestinians and restore peace, freedom and indepedence to Palestine.

 

He said this would be Malaysia’s commitment to Palestine throughout his tenure.

 

The prime minister said during the conversation he and Mahmoud reiterated their readiness to strengthen bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Palestine in various fields, including in trade, people-to-people ties and education.

 

“I also expressed my sympathy for the fate that befell Palestinians and emphasised Malaysia’s continuing commitment and solidarity for the Palestinian people’s struggle to free Palestine from the grip of the Israeli Zionists,” he added.

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

AMMAN, Dec 21 (NNN-PETRA) – Participants attending the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, yesterday called for stronger support for Iraq, to help it maintain security and stability, and achieve comprehensive development.

 

The conference, which was held in the Jordanian town of Sweimeh, by the Dead Sea shore, was attended by Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, and French President, Emmanuel Macron, as well as, leaders and officials from the Arab states, the United Nations, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and European Union.

 

In the conference’s final declaration, participants stressed the need for more support for Iraq, in the fields of energy, water, electrical connectivity, food and health security, transportation, infrastructure projects and climate protection.

 

Reiterating their condemnation of extremism and terrorism in all forms, the participants also renewed their support for Iraq’s efforts, to combat terrorism and achieve comprehensive development and economic integration in various sectors.

 

At the conference’s opening yesterday, King Abdullah II of Jordan called for increased cooperation with Iraq, to help the country continue its advance towards security, stability and prosperity.

 

The king called for increased regional cooperation with Iraq, to ensure a continued supply of energy and commodities, while stressing the need to address the climate change impacts, at the regional level, said a statement by the Jordanian Royal Hashemite Court.

 

In his speech, Sudani expressed the hope to enhance relations with neighbouring and friendly countries, in various fields, to help enhance stability and development in the region.

 

Sudani said, the Iraqi government has adopted an “open approach” to building regional and international partnerships, based on joint interests, including the establishment of comprehensive strategic projects, connecting Iraq with its neighbours.

 

He said that, the Iraqi government is working hard to improve the country’s investment environment, in terms of legislation, procedures and guarantees, in order to enable investors to access Iraqi markets and take advantage of the “significant” opportunities it offers.

 

Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, noted that, the conference comes at a time of a “remarkable” improvement in conditions in Iraq, while praising the sacrifices and efforts of the Iraqi people in fighting terrorism. He also voiced Egypt’s utter rejection of interference in Iraq’s domestic affairs.

 

Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said that, Saudi Arabia supports Iraq’s efforts to face challenges, while unveiling the Saudi plans to activate an electricity connection project with Iraq.

 

Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said that, dialogue and cooperation among countries in the region is not an option, but rather a dire need, adding that, Iran’s fixed policy is to avoid war and exert efforts to restore security and stability.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK