Quad members sign guidelines to fight natural calamities

As part of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, Quad foreign ministers on Thursday signed guidelines on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the region which will augment the synergy to undertake humanitarian operations, especially in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.The Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan and United States met in New York on Thursday on the sidelines of UN General Assembly and signed into operation the Guidelines for the ‘Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific’.This partnership was announced by Quad Leaders in Tokyo on 24 May 2022, as part of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.The signing of these Guidelines marks a significant moment in Quad cooperation, which traces its origin from the 2004 ad hoc Tsunami Core Group which catalyzed international response efforts in the aftermath of the tsunami that devastated many countries in the region, said a Quad joint statement.The Partnership has been designed to respond to the vulnerabilities of the Indo-Pacific region and will serve as a dedicated framework for Quad partners to coordinate their disaster response operations in the region. The mechanism will augment their capacity and capability, interoperability and operational synergy to undertake HADR operations.