United Nations: The US has “elevated” the Quad partnership with India, Australia and Japan to take on challenges ranging from health security, climate to emerging technologies, President Joe Biden said Tuesday as he declared that America is “back at the table” and in the international forum, especially the United Nations.
In his maiden address to world leaders participating in the high-level 76th UN General Assembly, Biden said that over the last eight months of his presidency, he has prioritised rebuilding America’s alliances, revitalising its partnerships and recognising they are essential and central to America’s enduring security and prosperity.
“As the United States turns our focus to the priorities and the regions of the world, like the Indo-Pacific that are most consequential today and tomorrow, we’ll do so with our allies and partners through cooperation of multilateral institutions like the United Nations to amplify our collective strength and speed our progress towards dealing with these global challenges,” Biden said.
“We elevated the Quad partnership among Australia, India, Japan and the United States to take on challenges ranging from health security to climate to emerging technologies,” he said.
Biden will host the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit at the White House on September 24 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The four leaders will review progress made since their first virtual Summit on March 12 this year and discuss regional issues of shared interest.
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Biden said the US is “back at the table and in the international forum, especially the United Nations to focus attention and to spur global action on shared challenges.”
He said the US is “working with our allies toward a new strategic concept that will help our alliance better take on evolving threats of today and tomorrow.”
He said Washington has renewed its engagement with the European Union, “a fundamental partner in tackling a full range of significant issues facing our world today.”
“We are engaging with regional institutions from ASEAN to the African Union” to focus on people’s urgent needs for better health and better economic outcomes.
PTI