Quad Ministers hold talks on rules-based order, UN reform
Context
The Foreign Ministers of the Quad (India, Australia, Japan, and the U.S.) met early on Friday morning on the fringes of the 78thsession of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). They reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region where disputes are resolved in accordance with international law.
What is the QUAD Grouping?
- The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), sometimes known as the Quad, consists of four nations. The nations are Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. The Indo-Pacific region’s economic cooperation and regional security are the core objectives of the Quad.
- The Quad nations collaborate through sporadically scheduled summits, conversations, intelligence sharing, and military drills. The Quad’s goals consist of:
- assisting nations in the Indo-Pacific to lessen the effects of climate change
- building up climate resilience
- promoting an Indo-Pacific area that is free, open, economic, and inclusive
- The Abe government created the Quad to bring together countries that share similar principles. In 2020, Australia joined the trilateral India, US, and Japan Malabar naval exercises, creating the first formal Quad grouping.
- The third actual Quad Leaders’ Summit took place on May 20, 2023, in Hiroshima, Japan. President Joseph Biden of the United States of America, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi all took part in the summit.
What were the key points discussed in the Quad Grouping?
- Free and Open Indo-Pacific: The Quad reaffirmed its dedication to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region. This dedication underlines how crucial it is to keep a space where conflicts are settled following international law.
- UN Charter and Reform: The Quad members reaffirmed their dedication to the tenets of the UN Charter and their support for UN reform initiatives. This most certainly includes discussions about expanding both permanent and non-permanent representation in the UN Security Council.
- Counterterrorism: The Quad addressed the findings of the Consequence Management Exercise conducted by the Quad Counterterrorism Working Group. The goal of this exercise was to determine how the Quad could help the nations in the area that have recently suffered terrorist strikes. They stressed their dedication to tackling challenges like financing terrorism, the migration of terrorists across borders, and the application of new technology for terrorism.
- Ukraine: The Quad called for a “comprehensive, just, and lasting peace” in Ukraine under international law and the tenets of the UN Charter and expressed its great worry about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. It did not, however, specifically identify Russia as the aggressor.
- Black Sea Grain Initiative: The UN’s efforts to relaunch the BSGI, an agreement that guarantees the sale of grain from Russia and Ukraine, were supported by the Quad. There were appeals for the continuation of this program after it had expired, including during the G-20 summit in New Delhi.
- UN Reform: The Quad stressed the necessity of thorough UN reform, which most likely include negotiations about increasing representation on the UN Security Council. In addition, they emphasized the significance of combating efforts to undermine the international order, perhaps about Russia’s use of the veto in the Security Council concerning the situation in Ukraine.
- Initiatives in the Indo-Pacific: The Quad reaffirmed its dedication to actionable projects in the Indo-Pacific area. These programs, which all aim to improve regional cooperation and security, include the Quad Infrastructure Fellowship Programme, pandemic preparedness drills, and the creation of a “trusted and secure” telecommunications network.
Conclusion
Overall, the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting at the UNGA concentrated on a wide variety of regional and global concerns, demonstrating their dedication to addressing diverse difficulties and fostering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific area.
