Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Prime Ministers Kishida Fumio of Japan and Anthony Albanese of Australia met for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday. In a joint statement, they said the four-member Quad is “a force for good” and is more “strategically aligned” than ever before.
The joint statement of the Wilmington Declaration said, “Four years after elevating the Quad to a leader-level format, the Quad is more strategically aligned than ever and is a force for good that has real, positive, and lasting impact for the Indo-Pacific. We celebrate the fact that in just four years, the Quad countries have built a vital and enduring regional grouping that will strengthen the Indo-Pacific for decades to come.”
Key takeaways from the Quad Summit:
Quad Cancer Moonshot
The four leaders have launched the Quad Cancer Moonshot to reduce the number of deaths due to cancer in the Indo-Pacific region, with an initial focus on cervical cancer.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the Quad leaders summit
According to the statement, the Quad Cancer Moonshot is expected to save millions of lives in the coming decades.
Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission
He also announced the first-ever “Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission” in 2025, which he said would improve interoperability between the Indian Coast Guard and its US, Japanese and Australian counterparts and enhance maritime security.
Indo-Pacific Logistics Network
A Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project was also launched today to more rapidly and efficiently support civilian response to natural disasters in the Indo-Pacific region.
Quad Ports
The “Future Quad Ports Partnership” was also announced to support the development of sustainable and resilient port infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region.
PM Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese and Fumio Kishida meet at Quad Leaders Summit at Archmere Academy in Claremont
Photo Credit: PTI
Through this new partnership, Quad partners seek to coordinate, exchange information, share best practices with partners in the region, and leverage resources to mobilize public and private sector investment in quality port infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region.
Semiconductors
The Quad leaders also announced the finalisation of a Memorandum of Cooperation for a Semiconductor Supply Chain Contingency Network to facilitate cooperation in addressing semiconductor supply chain risks.
Reform of the United Nations Security Council
The four leaders also agreed on reform of the United Nations Security Council, recognising the urgent need to make it “more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable”, including through expansion of the permanent and non-permanent categories of UN Security Council membership.
In the bilateral meeting, Joe Biden also told Prime Minister Modi that the US “supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership for India on the UN Security Council.”
PM Narendra Modi delivered a speech at the Quad Leaders Summit in presence of US President Joe Biden
Photo Credit: PTI
Friendship of Quad
The Quad partners also agreed to launch the “Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific” (MAITRI) to monitor and protect their waters, enforce their laws, and prevent “unlawful behaviour”. India will host the inaugural MAITRI workshop during its Quad presidency in 2025
Quad Scholarship
India announced a new initiative to offer fifty Quad Scholarships worth $500,000 each to students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue a 4-year undergraduate engineering programme at an Indian Government-funded technical institution.