Quad Pledges $20 Mn Relief for Quake-Hit Myanmar

Quad members Australia, India, Japan, and the United States on Friday collectively committed over $20 million in humanitarian assistance to support the relief efforts for earthquake-devastated Myanmar.

With its funding and bilateral efforts, the Quad grouping is facilitating the delivery of relief supplies, deploying emergency medical teams and supporting humanitarian partners working in Myanmar to provide care for those affected by the earthquake.

In a joint statement issued by Quad partners on the Myanmar earthquake response, the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States extended their deepest sympathies and condolences to the peoples of Myanmar and Thailand following the massive earthquake, which caused significant loss of life, injuries, and widespread destruction of infrastructure.

The grouping also welcomed recent commitments to temporary, partial ceasefires and called on all parties to implement, extend, and broaden these measures, to provide a safe and conducive environment to facilitate a timely delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance throughout Myanmar.

“We welcome the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' statements of March 29 and 30, and the support provided by ASEAN and countries in the region to the communities affected,” the statement added.

With humanitarian assistance and bilateral efforts, the group is delivering relief supplies, deploying emergency medical teams and supporting humanitarian partners working in Myanmar to provide care for those affected by the earthquake, the statement said.

Ensuring swift response and efficient distribution of assistance to meet the needs of the communities affected, Quad member states said their humanitarian assistance and disaster relief partnership has established a coordination group that is collaborating closely with other partners, including the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management.

The Quad members also reaffirmed their commitment to working together in response to natural disasters and broader challenges to regional stability and security, as part of “our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

Since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the Quad grouping has been providing practical and effective humanitarian assistance and disaster relief across the Indo-Pacific.

At least 2,056 people lost their lives in the earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28.

—IANS