This workshop is a part of the Southeast Asia Initiative to Combat SARS-CoV-2 Variants (SEACOVARIANTS) project, led by Associate Professor Le Van Tan. This multidisciplinary project brings together experts from different fields to develop collaborative frameworks to rapidly understand new SARS-CoV-2 variants, which helps local governments make informed decisions about public health measures. Furthermore, the project also focuses on strengthening regional scientific capacity for rapid deployment in response to future outbreaks.
Organised by OUCRU and MORU, this workshop was a platform for experts to share findings and experiences related to ethics, engagement, and communication during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A central component of the workshop involved discussions and feedback on country-specific SEACOVARIANTS engagement frameworks. These frameworks, initially developed based on community findings from Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, were further refined thanks to participant contributions. The workshop also highlighted the role of citizen-led and youth-led initiatives in pandemic preparedness, underscoring the importance of community engagement and multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing future pandemic uncertainties.
Dr Iqbal Elyazar, OUCRU Indonesia, shared during the panel discussion: “This is a great opportunity to document our collective memory—how we collaborated, how we coped, and what we have learned from the previous pandemic.”
The workshop was supported by the SEACOVARIANTS grant, funded by Wellcome, and represents a contribution to the ongoing efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness in Southeast Asia.