Singapore (VNA) – ASEAN has to ensure an equitable, steady and affordablesupply of COVID-19 vaccines for its people once they are available, said Singapore’s Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong at the ongoing 37th ASEAN Summit chaired by Vietnam on November 12.

He made the callfor "vaccine multilateralism" as he stressed the importance ofregional cooperation to mitigate the pandemic's long-term impact at the meetingheld virtually this year.

He added thatSingapore supports global vaccine initiatives such as the COVID-19 VaccineGlobal Access (Covax) Facility, whose members include many ASEAN states as wellas the country's external partners.

Many leadingvaccine candidates are being developed by Singapore’s external partners, aswell as ASEAN member states, PM Lee said, adding that ASEAN should work withthese partners to facilitate the production and distribution of vaccines tomeet the needs of the region.

Singapore willcontribute 100,000 USD to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, which helps memberstates procure the medical supplies and equipment needed to combat the coronavirus.

On the economicfront, leaders should redouble efforts to enhance ASEAN's competitiveness inthe post-pandemic world, he added. He noted that there are existing frameworksthat can be built on, such as the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 andthe ASEAN Smart Cities Network. In addition, the recently launched ASEAN CustomsTransit System helps facilitate the cross-border flow of goods.

These initiativescan catalyse the regional recovery, and allow ASEAN to make full use oftechnology as the region adjusts to new ways of living and doing business in the post-pandemic world, hesaid.

The PM noted thatASEAN has made progress in various areas, including the mid-term reviews of theASEAN Community Blueprints. It has started developing the ASEAN Community'spost-2025 vision, and is expected to sign the Regional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership (RCEP) deal on November 15 following years of negotiations./.