Statement of the South & Southeast Asian University Network on Joining Efforts in Fighting against COVID-19

Add: Room 317, Mingyuan Building

Chenggong Campus, Yunnan University

Kunming, 650500, China 

Tel: +86-871-65033814

Email: heting@ynu.edu.cn

Contact Person: Ms. He Ting

We, members of the South & Southeast Asian University Network (S&SE ASIAN UN) deeply concerned about the global spread of COVID-19, express our heartfelt sympathy for people from every country suffering from the pandemic and feel sorry for the disruption of normal university/college teaching and research due to the pandemic.

We support the series of necessary measures taken by governments across the world in response to the pandemic and encourage countries to strengthen cooperation and fight the pandemic together.

We are grateful for the efforts and sacrifices made by our medical staff, including those from our member universities/colleges and affiliated hospitals, as well as other workers, to combat the outbreak.

We recognize that universities and colleges as important actors in the region have an important role to play in the fight against COVID-19. To this end, we propose to:

1. Support the anti-pandemic efforts by governments of all countries as well as the active participation by universities and colleges in these efforts;

2. Support the WHO, ASEAN, and other global and regional international organizations in their bid to play a greater role in fighting the pandemic;

3. Give full play to the scientific and academic strengths of universities and colleges in their effort to provide treatment for affected populations and engage in the development of vaccines and other related activities;

4. Encourage cooperation among universities and colleges to strengthen research on COVID-19, vaccine development, and collaboration in relation to research and development of anti-COVID-19 equipment and supplies;

5. Suspend classes but not teaching, learning, or research;

6. Encourage universities and colleges to share experiences in and support for distance teaching, telemedicine, and collaborative scientific research online;

7. Encourage all universities and colleges to support each other within their capacity, to provide mutual assistance including pandemic prevention supplies, and to share their experience in fighting against the pandemic;

8. Encourage universities and colleges to fulfill their social responsibilities in educating the public and popularizing knowledge and skills in COVID-19 prevention;

9. Encourage universities and colleges to continue their existing international scientific research cooperation, to continuously strengthen and introduce new cooperation, and to commit to opposing pursuit of benefits at the expense of others and politicization of the pandemic; 

10. Encourage universities and colleges to enhance research on post-pandemic countries, and to provide intellectual support for regional and global economic recovery.

Member of S&SE ASIAN UN:

Represented by:

Date: