Through the Quad Infrastructure Coordination Group, launched during the Quad Leaders' Summit in September 2021, Quad partners regularly share assessments of regional infrastructure needs and coordinate their technical assistance and capacity-building efforts to deliver transparent, demand-driven, quality, sustainable, and climate-resilient infrastructure. The Group builds upon the substantial contributions that Quad partners make in the region, amplifying their impact and acting as a catalyst for increased private-sector investment in the Indo-Pacific region.
Debt sustainability
The Quad has been advocating for open, fair, and transparent lending practices, and emphasises the importance of adhering to international rules and standards applicable to major creditor
countries, with a particular emphasis on principles related to debt sustainability, accountability, and transparency, such as the G20 Quality Infrastructure Investment Principles. The Quad countries are working within the G20 Common Framework to provide support and enhance the resilience of countries facing significant debt-related challenges.
Quad Infrastructure Fellowships
During the 2023 Quad Leaders' Summit, the 'Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Program' was announced to enhance infrastructure expertise across the Indo-Pacific through university scholarships, mid-career professional exchange programs, placements, senior government executive programs, and in-country training positions. This program, designed to empower over 1,800 infrastructure practitioners in the region, seeks to impart the skills needed for the design, construction, and management of quality infrastructure.
Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience
The same year, at the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit, the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience was announced to strengthen cable systems in the Indo-Pacific, drawing on the Quad partners’ world-class expertise in manufacturing, delivering, and maintaining cable infrastructure. The Partnership reflects the collective commitment of Quad to undersea cables as a priority for regional infrastructure. Quad partners are regularly consulting regional partners and are discussing with the private sector about these overarching priorities. Australia has established a Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre to provide technical assistance in the Indo-Pacific, commission research and share best-practice policy frameworks.
Capacity building
Quad countries are delivering training programmes to the region to help build capacity in debt management and infrastructure development. Quad partners are actively collaborating with finance authorities through initiatives such as the ‘Quad Debt Management Resource Portal’, announced at the 2022 Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo, to strengthen the capacities of countries grappling with debt problems.
Workshops have also been organized by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in January 2023 focused on disaster preparedness for energy infrastructure in small island developing states and by the US to address the attraction of quality investment in smart and secure ports. These have witnessed a wide range of participation from countries across the Indo-Pacific.
Cooperation among Export Credit Agencies
Quad partners are actively intensifying cooperation among their respective export credit agencies, including through a Memorandum of Cooperation between ECGC Limited of India, Export Finance Australia (EFA), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) of Japan, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (USEXIM), to enhance supply chain resilience and support regional trade and investment support and market diversification efforts.
