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Context

• In the ongoing QUAD summit, the leaders released a joint statement that vowed their steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.
• The statement also reflected on how rapidly the loose partnership has developed. After having largely fallen apart in 2008, the Quad was revived in 2017, and the leaders of the four members met for the first time last year. This is their second in-person summit.

More about the joint statement

• With uncertainties like the COVID-19 Pandemic and conflict in Ukraine that have inflicted human and economic pain around the world, QUAD leaders have committed to helping countries overcome such crises.
• To maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region the group strongly support the principles of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force, any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, and freedom of navigation and overflight.
• The group condemn unequivocally terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterates that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever.
• In the long term, the grouping will strengthen the global health architecture and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) to build better health security, including by enhancing finance and health coordination and bolstering ongoing science and technology cooperation, such as through clinical trials and genomic surveillance.
• They have reaffirmed the shared commitment to deepen cooperation on infrastructure, which is critical to driving productivity and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The grouping has launched the Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP) with "mitigation” and "adaptation” as its two themes.
  • Q-CHAMP includes ongoing activities under the Quad Climate Working Group on green shipping and ports aiming for a shared green corridor framework building on each Quad country’s input; clean energy cooperation in clean hydrogen and methane emissions from the natural gas sector; etc.
• Concerning cybersecurity, QUAD leaders are committed to coordinating capacity building programs in the Indo-Pacific region under the Quad Cybersecurity Partnership and will also initiate the first-ever Quad Cybersecurity Day to help individual internet users across member nations, the Indo-Pacific region, and beyond to better protect themselves from cyber threats.
• The Quad remains focused on harnessing critical and emerging technologies to enhance the prosperity and security of the region.
  • In the area of 5G and beyond 5G, while welcoming the Prague Proposals on Telecommunications Supplier Diversity, the QUAD will advance interoperability and security through the signature of a new Memorandum of Cooperation on 5G Supplier Diversification and Open RAN.
• The leaders recognize that people to people ties are the bedrock of the Quad and welcome the official launch of the Quad Fellowship, which is now open for application.
  • The Quad Fellowship will bring 100 students from the member countries to the United States each year to pursue graduate degrees in STEM fields and is administered by Schmidt Futures.
• In space-related technologies, each Quad partner will endeavor to improve public access to Earth observation satellite data and applications along with providing a Quad Satellite Data Portal that aggregates links to respective national satellite data resources.
• In the maritime domain, the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), is designed to work with regional partners to respond to humanitarian and natural disasters, and combat illegal fishing.
• Also announced the establishment of the Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen collaboration for effective response to disasters in the region.
• The statement concluded with a commitment to regularize the Quad activities, including regular meetings by the Leaders and Foreign Ministers and also agreed to hold the next in-person summit in 2023 hosted by Australia.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1827892

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