PM Modi’s US Visit and First Quad Leaders Live Summit
Prime Minister Meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris and Industry leaders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted his seventh visit to the United States, from 22 to 25 September 2021. On the second day of his tour, the Prime Minister met Vice President Kamala Harris, besides meeting with CEOs of leading companies like Blackstone, Qualcomm, Adobe, First Solar and General Atomics. He also held a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
A joint statement made by PM Modi and VP Kamala Harris they highlighted need to uphold democratic values, enhance trade and create supply chains. They also discussed threats emanating from unstable Afghanistan dispensation.
First Quad Leaders Physical Summit
On September 24, President Biden hosted Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan at the White House for the first-ever in-person Leaders’ Summit of the Quad. Important decisions / announcements made are as under:
1. COVID and Global Health
Quad leaders launched the Quad Vaccine Partnership in March 2021, to help enhance equitable access to safe and effective vaccines in the Indo-Pacific and the world. It was decided to help Vaccinate the World. Quad countries pledged to donate more than 1.2 billion vaccine doses globally, in addition to the doses already financed through COVAX. The Quad welcomed India’s announcement to resume exports of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, including to COVAX, beginning in October 2021. Japan, through Japan Bank for International Cooperation, will work with India to enhance key investments of approximately $100 million in the healthcare sector related to COVID-19, including vaccine and treatment drugs.
2. Infrastructure
Building on the G7’s announcement of Build Back Better World (B3W)—an infrastructure partnership focused on digital connectivity, climate, health and health security, and gender equality infrastructure—the Quad will rally expertise, capacity, and influence to strengthen ongoing infrastructure initiatives in the region and identify new opportunities to meet the needs there.
3. Climate Change
Quad countries share serious concern with the August Intergovernmental Panel Report on Climate Change, which has significant implications for climate action. Quad countries will focus their efforts on the themes of climate ambition, including working on 2030 targets for national emissions and renewable energy, clean-energy innovation and deployment, as well as adaptation, resilience, and preparedness. Quad countries commit to pursue enhanced actions in the 2020s to meet anticipated energy demand and decarbonize at pace and scale to keep the climate goals within reach in the Indo-Pacific.
People-to-People Exchange and Education To build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists, Quad partners announced the Quad Fellowship: a first-of-its-kind scholarship program, operated and administered by a philanthropic initiative and in consultation with a non-governmental task force comprised of leaders from each Quad country. This program will bring together exceptional American, Japanese, Australian, and Indian masters and doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to study in the United States. The program will build a foundational understanding among Quad Scholars of one another’s societies and cultures through cohort-wide trips to each Quad country and robust programming with each country’s top scientists, technologists, and politicians.
Critical and Emerging Technologies
Quad leaders committed to working together to foster an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem. Since establishing a new critical and emerging technologies working group in March, the work has been organized around four efforts:
Technical standards.
5G diversification and deployment.
Horizon-scanning.
Technology supply chains
The Quad leaders launched a statement of principles on technology, along with new efforts that together will advance critical and emerging technologies shaped by shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights.
Cyber Security
Building on longstanding collaboration among the four countries on cyber security, the Quad will launch new efforts to bolster critical-infrastructure resilience against cyber threats by bringing together the expertise of our nations to drive domestic and international best practices.
Space
The Quad leaders decided to begin space cooperation for the first time with a new working group. In particular, the partnership will exchange satellite data, focused on monitoring and adapting to climate change, disaster preparedness, and responding to challenges in shared domains.
PM Modi's UNGA address - 25 September 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached New York on Saturday to address the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Salient points of his address are¨as under:
1) On India and democracy: While addressing the UNGA, Prime Narendra Modi said: "For the last one and a half years, the whole world is facing the biggest epidemic in 100 years," said PM Modi. He further said, "I represent the mother of democracy, where there are dozens of languages, hundreds of dialects, and different lifestyles and cuisines. This is a shining example of a vibrant democracy."
2) Taking a swipe at Pakistan, PM Modi Narendra Modi at UNGA said: "...Countries with regressive thinking that are using terrorism as a political tool need to understand that terrorism is an equally big threat for them. It has to be ensured that Afghanistan isn't used to spread terrorism or launch terror attacks.
3) PM on Covid-19 and vaccine manufacturing in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed the UNGA that India has developed the world's first DNA vaccine and added that the vaccine can be administered to anyone above the age of 12. "An mRNA vaccine is in the final stages of development. Indian scientists are also developing a nasal vaccine against.
4) PM Modi further said that the Covid-19 pandemic has taught the world that the global economy be further diversified, adding that this is why the expansion of global value chains is very important. PM Modi said that the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan is "inspited by this sentiment".
5) PM Modi, at the UNGA, extended an invitation to vaccine manufacturers from across the world to make vaccines in India. PM Modi also highlighted that India has resumed vaccine export. "While understanding the responsibility towards humanity, India has yet again started giving vaccines to those who need it,
6) PM Modi on using ocean resources: PM Modi also spoke about the correct use of ocean resources. "Our oceans are also the lifeline of international trade. We must protect them from the race for expansion. The international community must speak in one voice to strengthen a rule-based world order," PM Modi said at UNGA.
