According to the statement made by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, G20 Digital Economy Ministers held an extraordinary meeting via video conference to discuss the more effective use of digital economy policies in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.
At the meeting, issues such as increasing internet access, ensuring data security, developing digital R&D projects in the healthcare sector, using digital technologies in the production of medical equipment, as well as increasing the resilience of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in global supply chains were discussed.
In his speech at the meeting, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank stated that the global economy may experience the worst year since the Great Depression and drew attention to the necessity of global cooperation in this unprecedented and difficult period.
Pointing out the importance of working together to bring the world back to normal, Varank said:
“In order to get out of this crisis, we must present a constructive and result-oriented road map. During this period, we must create an international accountability mechanism for countries that are irresponsible or non-transparent. Covid-19 reminded us that the global order can only be maintained if countries think and act with the awareness of common responsibility.”
“Türkiye has one of the best health systems in the world”
Referring to the work carried out in Turkey within the scope of the fight against Covid-19, Varank said:
“Turkey, a strong supporter of global solidarity, has delivered medical supplies to 55 countries. We will continue to help friendly countries and our allies in the best way possible. Turkey’s ability to achieve this was made possible by the visionary leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Over the last 18 years “We have taken significant steps to strengthen our infrastructure, especially in the health and industrial sectors. Turkey has one of the best health systems in the world. In this way, we were able to take action early when the crisis arose.”
Reminding that many countries restricted the export of medical products to meet their own needs during the epidemic period, Varank stated that Turkey started a national mobilization and produced respirators with its own resources in a short period of 2 weeks, and thanks to this effort, respirators could be allocated to almost every intensive care bed in the country. .
Digital technology applications
Varank underlined that digital technologies are used effectively in the fight against Covid-19 and made the following assessment:
“We have a pandemic tracking application. With this application, individuals can follow the situation of their families, access social services and evaluate their own situation with detailed questions. We have taken decisive steps in distance education issues. We use the internet and TV broadcasts at the same time to continue the education of our children. Education Information Network’ “We have allocated free internet packages for access.”
Emphasizing that they launched the “Covid-19 Technology Platform” to coordinate R&D projects for the discovery of new drugs and vaccines, Varank stated that the platform hosted 16 projects.
Varank also stated that they are aware that SMEs play important roles in terms of the stability of global supply chains and said, “We also support SMEs in Turkey to benefit from digital technologies.” he said.
