Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The fourth ministerial meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) took place in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. The meeting called for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza to ensure the swift, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid across the region, in full compliance with international law.

The meeting was co-chaired by IWAYA Takeshi, the Japanese Foreign Minister; Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, the Malaysian Foreign Minister; and Estephan Salameh, the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Palestine.

Iwaya explained Japan’s efforts to help Palestine, sharing that Japan has provided $230 million to assist Palestine since October 2023. 

He also discussed the current status of the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park (JAIP), a significant initiative operated by Japan in the West Bank under the ‘Corridor for Peace and Prosperity’ initiative. The JAIP aims to promote economic development and self-sustainability in Palestine.

Additionally, he shared that Japan is committed to bringing peace to the Middle East through a two-state solution and emphasized the active role that Japan plays in providing humanitarian aid and helping with reconstruction.

The Japanese minister also stated that Japan calls for the realization of a ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible.

“Palestine is facing major challenges,” Minister Iwaya stated. “The situation in Gaza continues to be severe, leading to urgent humanitarian needs and demands for early recovery and reconstruction. We believe today’s meeting of East Asian partners will encourage Palestine. CEAPAD’s strength lies in uniting East Asian nations with diverse experiences to provide solutions for the reconstruction efforts in Palestine.”

Minister Salameh expressed his gratitude for Japan’s leadership and support for Palestine, particularly through the CEAPAD initiative.

He underscored the importance of the CEAPAD initiative and the significant contributions made by East Asian countries to Palestine’s state-building efforts.

Moreover, Palestine’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa shared via a video message the challenges Palestine is facing in Gaza and the West Bank, adding that the issues in Palestine require collective efforts by the international community. 

Various countries and organizations participated in the CEAPAD meeting, including Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore, as well as the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).  

The participating countries and organizations expressed their intentions to support Palestine in the future based on their strengths as well as their appreciation towards Japan for its efforts towards Palestine. 

Ministers and representatives adopted the Kuala Lumpur Action Plan to guide CEAPAD members in assisting Palestine in humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and state-building through capacity-building and technical cooperation.

“The Palestinian people require immediate and mid-to-long-term aid for humanitarian response, early recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza, economic development, state-building, and reforms,” they stated.

According to the plan, CEAPAD partners will dedicate their efforts to assisting Palestine in various fields where they can leverage their resources, knowledge, and expertise. These fields include socio-economic development in health; water, sanitation, and hygiene; housing; social protection; solid waste management and disposal; debris management; unexploded ordnance management; security; policing; law enforcement; governance; education; construction; agriculture; industrial development; private sector development; technology and artificial intelligence; business-to-business cooperation; and youth development.