Prioritizing Vaccines for Minorities and Vulnerable Communities in Southeast Asia: Is It Already Enough to Help Them?
Author: Rizka Khairunissa Herdiani, Research Staff on ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community of UGM ASEAN Society
Editor(s): M. Zaki Nandana Hawasi, Research Coordinator of UGM ASEAN Society, and Berliana Azka Afina, Research Lead on ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community of UGM ASEAN Society
In November 2019, the leaders of the ASEAN Member States (AMS) gathered around at the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok and adopted a Declaration, along with many other documents, known as ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on ASEAN Vaccine Security and Self-Reliance (AVSSR). The declaration was to reaffirm ASEAN’s commitment to strengthening the health system and access to healthcare in the Southeast Asia region. According to the declaration, it also noted the concerns of a vaccine shortage that “would require a collective determination to address.”
However, unbeknownst to all, the summit would be the last time the leaders can congregate in person, as the People’s Republic of China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) two months later about an unknown pneumonia-like disease that would later be known as the COVID-19. The virus spread around the world and caused the death of millions in its wake. The Southeast Asian region was not spared by it, as there have been a total of 1,842,383confirmed cases as of January 21, 2021 according to the Southeast Asia COVID-19 Tracker generated by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (2020).
No country was ready for the incoming series of unprecedented social and economic disruptions caused by the disease. Fortunately enough, the emergence of vaccines became a beacon of hope for a broader recovery. As various manufacturers from both Eastern and Western countries rolled out the COVID-19 vaccines, countries around the globe are racing to get their hands on the remedy that could hinder the spread of the virus. On the other hand, as a neutral bloc in the midst of the growing tension between the archrivals the U.S. and China, ASEAN countries have negotiated supply deals with vaccine manufacturers from both countries.
While AMS are securing vaccine stockpiles, some states are already distributing them among their respective citizens. Nonetheless, the current situation poses one remaining question: Would inoculations provide the necessary cushioning for vulnerable communities, which consists of migrant workers, refugees, and gender and sexuality minorities, in facing the post-pandemic world?
Before further addressing the elephant in the room, one must understand the previous efforts that have been taken into action by ASEAN along with the AMSs. In response to the social and economic effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities, the member states have adopted the regional framework of the social protection system based on the ASEAN Declaration of Strengthening Social Protection as a mitigative measure to provide social insurance and protection for the vulnerable communities amid the pandemic. Another recent effort by ASEAN is the adoption of the Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) during a virtual summit on April 14, 2020, which highlighted from the significance of strengthening cooperation in public health measures, the establishment of the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, to the continuation of open trade for essential goods such as food and medical supplies.
Although these responses sound promising enough, some are considered as insufficient due to it mostly leaning upon each respective AMS’ national interests instead of the collective, especially regarding human rights. For instance, the broad Regional Framework on Social Protection system merely emphasizes national implementation, which means that there are various levels of maturity of social protection systems across AMSs. What this means is that these efforts merely enforces laws that rely on national interests, which in turn can put less emphasis on bestowing safeguards that are oriented towards human rights for the vulnerable and minority communities (Virgil and Lie, 2020). As a matter of fact, the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Right of Migrant Workers states that the rights of migrant workers should not undermine the laws and regulations of the countries.
In reality, the statement hits close to home as news of not only migrant workers, but also refugees and individuals from the LGTBQI community, in harrowing, inhumane conditions circulating around the mass media. In Singapore, the government has only been distributing free masks and hand sanitizers for citizens, while migrant workers can only depend on independent civic groups and provisions. Moreover, the living and working sites of migrant workers — cramped dormitories and construction work sites — are also incapable of implementing safety measures such as social distancing, which are at risk of high risk for local transmission (Chia, and Poh, 2020). In Thailand and Malaysia, hundreds of Rohingya were being denied entry due to COVID-19 restrictions in June 2020, which caused them to be left stranded at sea for four months (Gordyn, 2020). In Indonesia, trans women, especially those who worked in informal industries ranging from beauty and arts to sex work, had to succumb to a life without earning and desperation to fulfill their daily needs whilst facing discrimination from both the public and the government (Hanung, 2020).
In retrospect, while giving out vaccines to the vulnerable communities and minorities seems like the answer to suppress the pandemic, lingering issues across the region shows that the problem of undermining them is still deeply rooted in every nation of SEA. With the lack of access to daily necessities and basic healthcare along with being discriminated against and abandoned, minorities and vulnerable communities are being forced to a corner. Furthermore, the lack of collective responsibility and citizen-oriented policies can further push away the hopes of providing vaccines for the most vulnerable and marginalized, especially with the limited stocks and emerging disparities. Therefore, excluding the conditions of both minorities and vulnerable communities in the narrative equates to that of downplaying the pandemic. Not only is it an infringement on human rights as a whole, but also an act of debilitating the ongoing efforts of halting the pandemic.
As a community that commits to “improving the life of its people’” and “ensuring the safety of its people”, ASEAN should refocus its efforts on combating the pandemic by incorporating the lenses of human rights. In terms of COVID-19-related policies, AMSs should begin to adopt the ones that are all-encompassing to all individuals, whether they are citizens or noncitizens from a range of different backgrounds.
Going back to the mention of the distribution of vaccines, it is at the utmost importance to prioritize not only frontline laborers such as healthcare workers, but also migrant workers and informal workers. Southeast Asia is home to 9.9 million international migrant workers along with 6.9 million that have moved in between the region (Abdurahman, 2020). With the vaccines coming in limited quantities, it can cause a global economic inequality, which will devastate developing parts of the world. Moreover, the effects will cause both social inequality and economic turmoil (Goodman, 2020). To minimize its effects, ASEAN should start assembling a regional vaccine security, as declared in the 2019 summit. Such action can be done through a system-based development approach that focuses on vaccine security, human resources, pricing policy, and coordination and communication on vaccine distribution (Septiari, 2020). The facilitation of vaccination to frontline workers, especially those who are coming from vulnerable populations, can help with minimizing the rising social and economic inequalities caused by the pandemic.
In addition, vaccination should also cover refugees that are residing in the SEA region. As of 2019, there are more than 280,000 refugees and asylum seekers currently living in three SEA countries: Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia (European Commission, 2019). To further accommodate with producing and distributing the vaccination among refugees, ASEAN through its Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) should form an alliance with the United Nations on High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) along with its partner COVAX Facility, a global initiative that brings governments and suppliers together to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are accessible to those greatest in need. A successful example of this cooperation is Jordan, who became one of the world’s first countries to start COVID-19 vaccinations for refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR, 2021). If ASEAN were to take this path, not only would it strengthen its relationship with the UN, but also bolster its legitimacy in genuinely tackling the pandemic.
Since most individuals from the vulnerable and marginalized communities are also contributing to the economy, it is essential to build the cooperation of the member states to develop a strong framework that facilitates aspects such as social and financial security, job security and insurance, healthcare, and housing. By handling a critical situation such as the pandemic with a humanitarian manner, not only it will empower social development, but contribute to economic development as well. As stated in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, every human being of ASEAN is entitled to their rights to benefit social and economic development, especially of those who are coming from vulnerable and marginalized communities.
All things considered, the pandemic has expanded disparities across all facets of life. Regardless of each human being’s backgrounds, citizenships, and the places they called home, the pandemic will always strike at anyone mercilessly. However, for those who are coming from vulnerable and marginalized communities, the effects stung more. Thus, it is essential to not add more salt to the crisis and start putting more empathy in solving the twentieth first century humanity crisis together.
References
Abdurahman, Muhammad Fakhri. 2020. “Southeast Asia Migrant Workers in the Pandemic.” ASEAN Studies Center Universitas Gadjah Mada. May 15. https://asc.fisipol.ugm.ac.id/2020/05/15/southeast-asian-migrant-workers-in-the-pandemic/ #:~:text=Southeast%20Asia%20is%20home%20to,livelihoods%2C%20healthcare%2C%2 0and%20jobs.
The ASEAN Secretariat. 2020. “ASEAN Rapid Assessment: The Impact of COVID-19 on Livelihoods across ASEAN.” Jakarta: ASEAN.
Center for Strategic and International Studies. 2021. “Southeast Asia Covid-19 Tracker.” CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies. January 7. https://www.csis.org/programs/southeast-asia-program/southeast-asia-covid-19-tracker-0.
Chia, Jasmine, and Yong Han Poh. 2020. “Amid COVID-19 Crisis, Southeast Asia’s Migrant Workers Fall Through the Cracks.” The Diplomat. March 31. https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/amid-covid-19-crisis-southeast-asias-migrant-workers-fall -through-the-cracks/.
European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. 2019. “Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.” Brussels: European Commission.
Goodman, Peter S. 2020. “One Vaccine Side Effect: Global Economic Inequality.” The New York Times. The New York Times. December 31. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/25/business/coronavirus-vaccines-global-economy.html.
Gordyn, Carly. 2020. “Refugees Left Stranded by Southeast Asia amid COVID-19.” East Asia Forum. November 9. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/11/09/refugees-left-stranded-by-southeast-asia-amid-covid-19/.
Hanung, Cornelius. 2020. “How COVID-19 Might Disproportionately Affect the LGBTIQ Community in ASEAN.” SHAPE — SEA. April 3. https://shapesea.com/op-ed/how-covid-19-might-disproportionately-affect-the-lgbtiq-com munity-in-asean/.
Mercado, Lan. 2020. “To Tackle COVID-19, a United ASEAN Must Deliver Urgently.” The Jakarta Post. April 9. https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2020/04/09/to-tackle-covid-19-a-united-asean-m ust-deliver-urgently.html.
Septiari, Dian. 2021. “[OUTLOOK] ASEAN Vaccine Solidarity in Focus as Virus Persists.” The Jakarta Post. January 9. https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2021/01/08/outlook-asean-vaccine-solidarity-in-foc us-as-virus-persists.html.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 2021. “Refugees Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations in Jordan.” UNHCR. January 14. https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2021/1/5ffffe614/refugees-receive-covid-19-vaccination s-jordan.html.
Virgil, Dominique, and Roberto Lie. 2020. “ASEAN’s Covid-19 Response: Why Minorities and the Most Vulnerable Matter.” Global Asia 15 (2): 111–15. https://www.globalasia.org/data/file/articles/e70b9a03a2c9326d742426c89a3dc27b.pdf.
