Quad leaders discuss health, clean energy; touch upon Ukraine, Gaza wars

Leaders from Quad — India, the US, Japan and Australia — on Saturday (local time) discussed health and clean energy and expressed concerns over rising global tensions while making a reference to the Ukraine and Gaza wars.
In a joint statement released following the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, the home town of US President Joe Biden, the leaders expressed concerns over rising tensions in the East and South China Seas. They also expressed concern over the war in Ukraine that has been going on for two years.
The Quad members also condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile tests and urged adherence to international laws. Coming to the war in Gaza, the leaders urged the release of hostages by Hamas, reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution and called for much-needed humanitarian assistance in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi even mentioned the rising number of global conflicts in his opening remarks, highlighting why Quad’s working together on the basis of shared democratic values was very important for entire humanity.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, nations are planning to better prepare for the worst scenario. Quad Health Security Partnership has been established to provide better access to mpox vaccines and pandemic preparedness training.
As part of the Cancer Moonshot initiative, Quad nations have committed to collaborate and combat cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific, with pledges of $29.6 million from Australia and $7.5 million in HPV vaccine contributions from India. The US plans to offer medical training and financial support for cancer prevention projects.
The leaders are urging transitioning to clean energy. The Quad will be looking to align policies and investment of funds to create a clean energy supply chain for the Indo-Pacific region. Australia is offering AUD 50 million for solar, hydrogen, and battery projects, while India will invest $2 million in solar projects in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar and Seychelles, and Japan has pledged $122 million in renewable energy support.
The Institute of International Education, which leads the implementation of the Quad Fellowship, will be welcoming its second cohort of fellows and has extended the programme to include students from countries that are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In addition to that, India has announced awarding fifty Quad scholarships, worth $500,000, to students from the Indo-Pacific region to pursue a four-year undergraduate engineering program at a government institution.
“Each of our governments has committed to working through our respective budgetary processes to secure robust funding for Quad priorities in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure an enduring impact. We intend to work with our legislatures to deepen inter-parliamentary exchanges, and encourage other stakeholders to deepen engagement with Quad counterparts,” the statement read.
The statement noted that the next summit in 2025 will be held in India and the words “The Quad is here to stay,” marked the end of the Wilmington Declaration.