Quad grouping ‘coordinating efforts’ for relief to Myanmar after earthquake

File picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with U.S. President Donald Trump. India and the U.S. are two of the four countries in the Quad grouping
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Quad grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the U.S. said in a joint statement on Thursday (April 3, 2025) that it was ‘coordinating efforts’ to provide assistance to earthquake-hit Myanmar. The group noted that the “significant loss of life, injuries and widespread destruction of infrastructure worsens an already-dire humanitarian situation”.

“The Quad’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Partnership (HADR) has established a coordination group that is collaborating closely with other partners, including the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management,” the joint statement dated April 3, said.

“We affirm the Quad’s 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,” the grouping asserted.

The statement is significant for a grouping that was formed to deliver HADR assistance in the Indian Ocean Region in the aftermath of the 2004 tusnami that devastated the region and was subsequently disbanded in the the of protests from China that saw it as an alliance to counter it.

Buddhist monks rest next to a damaged building inside a compound of a temple following a strong earthquake near its epicenter, in Sagaing, Myanmar, on April 2, 2025
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

The statement noted that the Quad partners have so far committed humanitarian assistance estimated at a combined value of over $20 million. Through our funding and bilateral efforts, we are delivering relief supplies and deploying emergency medical teams and supporting humanitarian partners working in Myanmar to provide care for those affected by the earthquake, it stated.

The grouping also welcomed the 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 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,” it stated.

Tracking its origins, the statement noted that it goes back to their response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and added that since then they have provided “practical and effective” HADR in moments of need across the Indo-Pacific.

While the issues of cooperation under the Quad has expanded significantly in the last ew years, HADR and maritime domain awareness and maritime security, climate change remain among the top focus areas.