Quad Summit: The Quad nations affirmed support to the reform of the United Nations Security Council through the expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, a joint declaration issued after the meeting of the grouping's leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has said. Hosted by President Joe Biden, the Quad Leaders' Summit took place on Saturday in his hometown Wilmington, Delaware. It was attended by Prime Minister Modi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan.
What does the Joint Statement say?
Members of the group – India, Australia, Japan and the United States – in the 'Wilmington Declaration', stressed on the urgent need to make UNSC more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic, and accountable. They advocated for the representation of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean in the expanded version of the UNSC.
"Together, with our global and regional partners, we continue to support international institutions and initiatives that underpin global peace, prosperity and sustainable development. We reiterate our unwavering support for the UN Charter and the three pillars of the UN system," said the Wilmington Declaration issued after the fourth in-person Quad Summit.
The declaration affirmed that in consultation with partners, the Quad nations will collectively work to address attempts to unilaterally undermine the integrity of the UN, its charter and its agencies.
"We will reform the UN Security Council, recognizing the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council. This expansion of permanent seats should include representation for Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean in a reformed Security Council," the declaration added.
Quad is force for good: Joint Statement
The four-member Quad is a force for good and is more strategically aligned than ever before, the joint declaration said.
“Four years since elevating the Quad to a leader-level format, the Quad is more strategically aligned than ever before and is a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact for the Indo-Pacific," the declaration said.
"We celebrate the fact that over just four years, Quad countries have built a vital and enduring regional grouping that will buttress the Indo-Pacific for decades to come. As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity,” the declaration said.
China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. It claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
“We condemn recent illicit missile launches in the region that violate UN Security Council resolutions. We express serious concern over recent dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain. We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated—one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures,” the declaration said.
Quad Summit
The Quad Leaders' Summit this year was earlier supposed to be held in India, but President Biden was keen to hold the event in his hometown.
The US, Japan, India, and Australia had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the "Quad" or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region. The four-member Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, advocates upholding a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. China claims that the grouping aims to contain its rise.
(With inputs from agencies)
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