Wilmington, Delaware: For President Joe Biden, battling cancer is personal. His son, Beau, died from it, and the cancer moonshot is a flagship initiative of his administration. For Biden, Quad is personal too, reflected in his decision to host the summit not just in his hometown of Wilmington but also his old school complex.
And so there was perhaps nothing more special for him that combined the personal with the geopolitical than announcing the Quad cancer moonshot with three leaders that he has called “my friends” and “friends of our nation”, and who clearly share his view of Quad as a force for public good — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida.
At a special event after the main proceedings ended, Quad’s four leaders announced the group’s Cancer Moonshot, with a particular focus on battling cervical cancer initially.
“Building on the Quad’s successful partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, our collective investments to address cancer in the region, our scientific and medical capabilities, and contributions from our private and non-profit sectors, we will collaborate with partner nations to reduce the burden of cancer in the region,” the declaration stated.
India committed to providing HPV sampling kits, detection kits, and cervical cancer vaccines worth $7.5 million to the Indo-Pacific region. “India, through its $10 million commitment to the WHO’s Global Initiative on Digital Health, will offer technical assistance to interested countries in the Indo-Pacific region for the adoption and deployment of its Digital Public Infrastructure that helps in cancer screening and care”, the declaration said.
The US will support this through its Navy medical trainings and professional exchanges around cervical cancer prevention in the region starting in 2025, and through Development Finance Corporation (DFC) financing of “eligible private sector-driven projects to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, including cervical cancer”. Australia announced the expansion of the Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer Program (EPICC), to cover 11 countries in the Indo-Pacific. And Japan, the declaration said, will provide medical equipment, and other assistance worth approximately $27 million, including in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste.
“We welcome a number of new, ambitious commitments from non-governmental institutions, including the Serum Institute of India, in partnership with Gavi, which will support orders of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses, subject to necessary approvals, for the Indo-Pacific region, and which may be increased consistent with demand. We also welcome a new $100 million commitment from Women’s Health and Empowerment Network to address cervical cancer in Southeast Asia.”
