Thread by @ACLatAm

#ACFrontPage LIVE—President @IvanDuque: Colombia’s COVID-19 response and strategies moving forward pscp.tv/w/cWS8ljFZTEVK…

Live Now: @AtlanticCouncil President and CEO @FredKempe and @ACLatAm founder @adriennearsht open the inaugural event in the #ACFrontPage series introducing Colombia's President @IvanDuque, who is speaking from "the house of all Colombians." #ACColombia

"When we started seeing what was going on, we were one of the first countries in Latin America to establish migration protocols in our airports," said H.E. President @IvanDuque of Colombia, citing the @WHO's call for pandemic preparedness plans. #ACFrontPage #ACColombia

H.E. President @IvanDuque of Colombia cited key early priorities: "First, to contain the exponential spread of the virus. Second, to prevent cases from overwhelming our health system and taking steps to #FlattenTheCurve." #ACFrontPage #ACColombia

"The major challenge we face as developing countries is that we are fighting for the same elements that rich countries need to fight #COVID19. We need to be smart about the limited resources we have," said H.E. President @IvanDuque of Colombia. #ACFrontPage #ACColombia

"It is an absurd dilemma, talking about people's lives and about the economy. You can't have a functioning economy without public health, and at the same time, you need a vibrant economy to improve public health." - H.E. President @IvanDuque of Colombia #ACFrontPage #ACColombia

H.E. President @IvanDuque of Colombia describes key measures taken to preserve jobs and protect the vulnerable, including ensuring informal workers don't fall through the cracks, so that "70-80% of the population will have access to some kind of relief." #ACFrontPage #ACColombia

On the impact of #COVID19 on the Venezuelan refugee crisis, President @IvanDuque calls for support: "International donors have not stepped up for Venezuelan refugees, with $200 in donations per person," a fraction of the resources available for comparable crisis. #ACFrontPage

H.E. President @IvanDuque announces Colombian researchers have conducted a successful pre-clinic test of ventilators. "If we can develop locally ventilators that can meet our needs we will be able to strengthen our resilience and our capacity to fight this pandemic." #ACFrontPage

H.E. President @IvanDuque concludes with a message for hope: "This is an opportunity for the world not to become normal again, but to be better." #ACFrontPage #ACColombia