1st batch of Quad-supported vaccines to be delivered in first half of 2022

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines under the Quad initiative will be delivered in the first half of 2022, the foreign ministers of the grouping said, expressing satisfaction over rapid progress in expansion of the production at a facility in India.

After attending the fourth Quad foreign ministers meeting in Melbourne, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that it was agreed to expedite the delivery of safe and affordable vaccines, support capacity building and augment infrastructure for last-mile delivery.

"Together, we have pledged to donate more than 1.3 billion vaccine doses globally. We are pleased with the Quad Vaccine Partnership's rapid progress in expanding vaccine production at the Biological E Ltd facility in India, which aims to deliver at least 1 billion vaccines by the end of 2022," a joint statement said.

Besides Jaishankar, the meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia's Marise Payne.

The statement said that the Quad partners have collectively provided more than 500 million vaccine doses.

"We look forward to the delivery of the first batch of Quad-supported vaccines in the first half of this year. We are assisting to train healthcare workers, combat vaccine hesitancy and augment infrastructure, especially cold chain systems, for 'last mile' vaccine delivery," the statement said.

It said the Quad is working to identify and address vaccine gaps and barriers exacerbated by gender, disability and social inequities, and ensure safe, effective, affordable and quality-assured vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach areas.

"We welcome the timely initiative for coordinating the response to combat the Covid pandemic under a Global Action Plan for enhanced engagement," the joint statement said.

At a joint media briefing with his counterparts, Jaishankar said India will work together with the Quad partners to give shape and substance to the grouping's positive agenda to make it a force for global good as articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Quad's discussions and efforts to build resilient supply chains, enhance the availability of trusted critical technologies, counter disinformation and uphold rules-based multilateral trading system will contribute to fostering global economic resilience," Jaishankar said.

In his remarks at the Quad foreign ministers' meeting, Jaishankar said the geopolitical and geo-economic global scenario has become more complex since they met in February last year.

"As leading democracies, we pursue our shared vision of upholding a rules-based international order, free from coercion -- one based on respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

The external affairs minister said that India's engagement under the Quad framework has been very useful.

"We have adopted an ambitious and a constructive agenda which addresses many of the significant contemporary challenges of our times, especially in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

Jaishankar also talked about the collective efforts undertaken to address global health security.

The external affairs minister said that the Quad vaccine initiative and the collective vaccine delivery have been very crucial in the Indo-Pacific for countries to meet the challenges arising out of the pandemic.

"We are taking forward initiatives and efforts aimed at resilient supply chains and trusted critical technologies, climate action, educational linkages," he said.

"There is ample scope to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), and to work together to address global issues such as terrorism, cyber security, maritime security, and disinformation," he added.

Jaishankar said India continued to pursue an agile and multidimensional strategy towards the Indo-Pacific through bilateral frameworks, but also cooperation with regional organisations such as the ASEAN whose centrality in the region is recognised.

The Quad joint statement welcomed progress on the practical cooperation to address regional challenges, including humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), maritime security, counter-terrorism and countering disinformation.

"We are strengthening HADR cooperation in the region. Since 2004, when we collaborated in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, Quad partners have continued to respond quickly and effectively to natural disasters in the Indo-Pacific," it said.

"We recognise that recent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the need to build and maintain resilience against such events, and are proud to be supporting our Tongan partners in their response and recovery efforts following the January 2022 volcano eruption and tsunami," it said.