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The Quad Summit 2024 saw significant commitments, including the launch of the Quad Cancer Moonshot and India's announcement of scholarships for students from the Indo-Pacific region.
The Quad Summit 2024 saw significant commitments, including the launch of the Quad Cancer Moonshot and India’s announcement of scholarships for students from the Indo-Pacific region.
Hosted by US President Joe Biden in Delaware, the meeting brought together PM Narendra Modi, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, and Japanese PM Kishida Fumio to establish a united charter addressing challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
Quad Leaders Summit 2024: Key Announcements
A. Quad Cancer Moonshot: The Quad launched the groundbreaking Cancer Moonshot initiative, initially targeting cervical cancer. India pledged $7.5 million in HPV sampling kits, detection tools, and vaccines for the Indo-Pacific region, while the US committed at least $1.58 billion over five years.
B. Mpox and Pandemic Preparedness: To address the Mpox outbreak, the Quad will ensure low-cost vaccines are accessible in the Indo-Pacific. India plans to release a white paper on emergency public health responses, and Australia is expanding its pool of public health specialists.
C. Solar Projects: India committed approximately $2 million (around ₹16.48 crore) to new solar initiatives in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar, and Seychelles. Meanwhile, the United States announced a $250 million loan to Tata Power Solar for a solar cell manufacturing facility and a $500 million loan to First Solar for building and operating a solar module manufacturing facility in India.
D. Climate and Clean Energy: Japan pledged $122 million in grants and loans for public and private renewable energy projects in the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, Australia announced it will open applications for the Quad Clean Energy Supply Chains Diversification Program in November, offering AUD 50 million to support projects aimed at developing and diversifying solar panel, hydrogen electrolyzer, and battery supply chains.
E. People-Based Initiatives: India unveiled a new initiative to grant 50 Quad scholarships, totaling ₹4 crore, for students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue a four-year undergraduate engineering program at Government of India-funded technical institutions.
F. Maritime Security and Logistics Network: The Quad introduced a regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) to empower partners in monitoring and securing their waters, enforcing laws, and deterring unlawful activities.
G. Navigating AI and Technology: The United States is set to invest over $7 million to aid the global expansion of the Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA) by collaborating with Indian institutions on training initiatives. Quad partners will also work with the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation to prepare for nationwide 5G deployment.
Additionally, the Quad launched two Track 1.5 dialogues on AI and Advanced Communications Technologies to foster international standardization cooperation, including AI conformity assessment frameworks. They also anticipate launching the BioExplore Initiative, a collaborative project with an initial $2 million in funding aimed at using AI to study biological ecosystems across the four nations.
H. Ports and Infrastructure: The Quad’s Ports of the Future Partnership project aims to leverage its expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development throughout the Indo-Pacific by working with regional partners.
