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Leaders of the Quad group of countries met at their sixth summit-level meeting at Archmere Academy, Delaware, USA
Quad strongly condemned aggression in the East and South China Sea and expressed alarm over the war in Ukraine, noting that all four leaders had visited the country.
Meeting announced a broad range of outcomes: new coast guard exercise, a logistics network, expansion of maritime surveillance, and a project to combat cervical cancer.
The ‘Quad Cancer Moonshot’ will involve contributions from all four countries to combat cervical cancer
India will commit $10 million towards screening for the disease.
Vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India and Gavi will provide up to 40 million vaccines for the region, “subject to approvals”
A logistics network pilot project was also launched, which will involve Quad countries sharing airlift capacity to support disaster response.
Maritime initiatives
The countries announced the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025 to improve interoperability and maritime safety.
Future coast guard missions are planned for after 2025.
A Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) to train Quad partners “to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behaviour” was also announced.
India will host the first MAITRI workshop in 2025
A maritime legal dialogue has been launched to support actions to uphold the rules-based order
STEM Education initiative
To promote STEM education (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the Quad fellowship, has been expanded to include 50 scholarships worth $5,00,000 for students from the region to study at government-funded technical institutions in India.
Applicants must:
Be at least 18 years of age at the time of application
Be citizens or legal permanent residents of one of the Quad countries - Australia, India, Japan, or the United States
Have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in a STEM field by August 2024
Have a demonstrated record of superior academic achievement at the undergraduate level
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