Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan, Palestine and Malaysia co-hosted a working-level online meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) on Monday, with Palestine explaining the current situation in Gaza and the West Bank, Japan’s Foreign Ministry reported.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Foreign Ministry’s ANDO Toshihide, Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, along with Dr. Samah Hamad, Acting Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Palestine, and Devrin Jeck, Undersecretary of the International Cooperation and Development Division of Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to Japan, Palestine and Malaysia, the meeting also included Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, South Korea, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the World Bank, UNRWA and the Islamic Development Bank.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss assistance to the Palestinians from Asian countries and Palestine outlined its future assistance needs. The Japanese and Malaysian representatives then explained preparations for the 4th Ministerial Meeting, CEAPAD IV.

The participants supported the initiative of Japan, Palestine, and Malaysia to co-host the 4th Ministerial Meeting on July 11 in Kuala Lumpur.

CEAPAD is a regional conference framework initiated by Japan in 2013 to support Palestinian state-building efforts by drawing on the resources, knowledge and experiences of East Asian countries.