QUAD leaders issue joint statement after summit; Australia to host 2023 in-person summit

QUAD leaders-- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden, & Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese - issued a joint statement after convening the second in-person QUAD Summit in Tokyo on Tuesday. The leaders renewed their steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in connection with certain issues like-- Peace and stability, Climate Change, Maritime Domain Awareness, COVID-19, Cybersecurity etc. They also informed that the leaders have agreed to hold the next in-person summit in 2023 which will be hosted by Australia.

The leaders strongly supported 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, all of which are essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and to the world. They reaffirmed their resolve to uphold the international rules-based order where countries are free from all forms of military, economic and political coercion.

1. Peace & Stability

The leaders discussed their respective responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing tragic humanitarian crisis and assessed its implications for the Indo-Pacific. Quad Leaders reiterated their strong resolve to maintain the peace and stability in the region. "We underscored unequivocally that the centrepiece of the international order is international law, including the UN Charter, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. We also emphasized that all countries must seek peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law".

"The Quad is committed to cooperation with partners in the region who share the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. We reaffirm our unwavering support for ASEAN unity and centrality and for the practical implementation of ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.  We welcome the EU's Joint Communication on the EIJ Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific which was announced in September 2021 and increased European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. We strongly oppose any coercive, provocative or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo and increase tensions in the area, such as the militarization of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia, and efforts to disrupt other countries' offshore resource exploitation activities".

The leaders also expressed their concern over the Myanmar crisis, North Korea's destabilizing ballistic missile development and condemned terrorism & violent extremism in all forms 

2. COVID-19

The Quad countries have led and will continue to lead global efforts for COVID-19 response, with a view to building better health security and strengthening health systems. "We commit to adapting our collective approaches to get ahead of the virus with a focus on preparing for new variants, and getting vaccines, tests, treatments, and other medical products to those at highest risk. To date, the Quad partners have collectively pledged approximately USD $ 5.2 billion to the COVAX AMC, approximately 40% of the total contributions from government donors. We are proud to have delivered over 670 million doses, including at least 265 million doses to Indo-Pacific. Noting significant expansion in the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines, we will continue to share safe, effective, affordable and quality-assured COVID-19 vaccines where and when they are needed." 

3. Climate

The leaders recognised the urgent need to address climate change as emphasized in the latest IPCC reports. They 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 countries input
• clean energy cooperation in clean hydrogen and methane emissions from the natural gas sector
• strengthening clean energy supply chains, welcoming the contribution of the Sydney Energy Forum
• climate information services for developing an engagement strategy with Pacific island countries
• disaster risk reduction, including disaster and climate-resilient infrastructure such as the efforts through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)_ Its coverage includes new cooperation in clean fuel ammonia, CClJS/Carbon Recycling, 
• cooperation and capacity building support to advance high integrity carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, climate-smart agriculture, knowledge sharing on subnational climate actions, and ecosystem-based adaptation. 

"To make Q-CHAMP tangible, we are committed to expanding our programs, in support of climate actions between our four countries as well as in the Indo-Pacific region. We recognize the immense challenges posed by climate change to the island nations of the Pacific. We welcome the new Australian Government's commitment to stronger action on climate change, including passing legislation to achieve net-zero by 2050 and lodging a new, ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution".

4. Maritime Domain Awareness and HADR

The QUAD leaders welcomed a new maritime domain awareness initiative, the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), designed to work with regional partners to respond to humanitarian and natural disasters, and combat illegal fishing. IPMDA will support and work in consultation with Indo-Pacific nations and regional information fusion centres in the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands by providing technology and training to support enhanced, shared maritime domain awareness to promote stability and prosperity in our seas and oceans.

Delivering the commitment following March 2022 virtual meet, the leaders announced the establishment of the "Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific". This Partnership will further strengthen our collaboration to effectively respond to disasters in the region.

5. Cybersecurity

In an increasingly digital world with sophisticated cyber threats, the QUAD leaders recognized an urgent need to take a collective approach to enhance cybersecurity.

"To deliver on the Quad Leaders' vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, we commit to improving the defense of our nation's critical infrastructure by sharing threat information, identifying and evaluating potential risks in supply chains for digitally enabled products and services, and aligning baseline software security standards for government procurement, leveraging our collective purchasing power to improve the broader software development ecosystem so that all users can benefit. The Quad partners will coordinate capacity building programs in the Indo-Pacific region under the Quad Cybersecurity Partnership, and will initiate the first-ever Quad Cybersecurity Day to help individual internet users across our nations, the Indo-Pacific region, and beyond to better protect themselves from cyber threats".

6. Critical & Emerging Technologies

"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, we will advance interoperability and security through the signature of a new Memorandum of Cooperation on 5G Supplier Diversification and Open RAN. We are also deepening our engagement with the industry, including through Open RAN Track 1.5 events, and explore ways to collaborate on the deployment of open and secure telecommunications technologies in the region".

"Our cooperation in the international standardization organizations, such as the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union, has made great progress, and we expect to strengthen such cooperation through the new International Standards Cooperation Network (ISCN). This cooperation will help ensure technology development in the region is guided by our shared democratic values. We will continue to strengthen our horizon scanning cooperation following our deepened
discussions in biotechnology through our efforts on mapping and a corresponding Track and a future focus on Quantum Technologies. We will convene a business and investment forum for networking with industry partners to expand capital for critical and emerging technologies," as per the statement.

7. QUAD Fellowship

The leaders welcomed the official launch of the QUAD Fellowship, which is now open for application and recognized that people to people ties are the bedrock of the QUAD. "The QUAD Fellowship will bring 100 students from our countries to the United States each year to pursue graduate degrees in STEM fields and is administered by Schmidt Futures. The first class of Quad Fellows will begin their studies in the third quarter of 2023, and we look forward to building together a talented cohort of next-generation STEM minds who will lead our countries in cutting-edge research and innovation".

8. Space

"Each QUAD partner will endeavour to improve public access to Earth observation satellite data and applications. We will work together to create an Earth observation-based monitoring and sustainable development framework. We will endeavour to share space-based civil Earth observation data, along with providing a "Quad Satellite Data Portal" that aggregates links to our respective national satellite data resources. We will also consult on rules, norms, guidelines and principles for the sustainable use of space, and extend support to countries in the region through joint workshops including in relation to the LIN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPIJOS) Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities," read the statement

The leaders concluded the Summit and said "We once again emphasise the importance of fundamental values and principles and commit to working tirelessly to deliver tangible results to the region. In doing so, we will regularize the QUAD activities, including regular meetings by the Leaders and Foreign Ministers".