Middle East

• Time and date: July 22 (Wednesday) from 5:00 p.m. (local time) for approximately 60 minutes.
• Participants: Representatives of 13 countries and regions, and 1 international organization (including 8 ministers participated).
• Participating countries, regions and organizations: Japan, the Philippines, Palestine, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

　
1. Secretary Lazaro explained the Philippines' position and recent efforts on peace in the Middle East and support for Palestine, and expressed high appreciation for CEAPAD's initiatives.
　
2. Minister MOTEGI pointed out that Japan has been working to expand the network of assistance through CEAPAD as part of its initiatives to achieve peace in the Middle East through a two-state solution, and that expectations are growing in the Middle East region as well as in the broader international community for CEAPAD's approach of contributing to Palestinian state-building efforts through medium- to long-term human resource development and other means, leveraging the resources and development expertise of East Asian countries.
   He then introduced the compilation of the CEAPAD Project List on this occasion to visualize the track record of cooperation through CEAPAD, and explained the strong points of CEAPAD as revealed through the List, stating that the spirit of CEAPAD is being further materialized through actual assistance.
   Minister MOTEGI also stated that the "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity," one of Japan's initiatives toward economic viability of CEAPAD, will mark its 20th anniversary next year, and that Japan will further advance the development of the "Jericho Agro-Industrial Park (JAIP)," the flagship project of the initiative. He further expressed Japan's intention to strengthen coordination with other international frameworks.
　
3. Minister Hamad provided an overview of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, the financial crisis facing the Palestinian Authority (PA), and the PA's efforts to address these challenges. She also expressed high appreciation and further expectations for CEAPAD's concrete efforts in supporting Palestinian state-building efforts over the medium to long term, and shared the needs and priorities of Palestine in light of the current situation.
　
4. In addition, the participating countries and organizations referred to the following points:
   • A. Expressed gratitude to Japan, the leading country of CEAPAD, and the Philippines, the host country of this meeting, for convening the ministerial-level meeting in a timely manner.
   • B. Expressed positive appreciation for the ceasefire in Gaza achieved in October 2025 and the international efforts toward subsequent reconstruction, while also expressing concern over the continued dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the deteriorating situation in the West Bank following the ceasefire.
   • C. Reaffirmed the importance of continuing to support Palestinian state-building efforts toward the realization of a two-state solution, even amid the unstable situation in the Middle East region.
   • D. Expressed concrete efforts to provide assistance that responds to Palestinian needs by leveraging the strengths of each country, based on the "Kuala Lumpur Action Plan."
   • E. Reaffirmed commitment to enhancing coordination and promoting cooperation through CEAPAD.
   • F. Expressed expectations for synergistic effects through strengthening coordination with other regional and international frameworks for Palestinian support.
   • G. Expressed expectations for UNRWA's future activities, taking into account the importance of the role UNRWA has played in supporting Palestinian refugees.

As the deliverable of this meeting, a list was compiled to visualize CEAPAD's overall initiatives based on the "Kuala Lumpur Action Plan" adopted at last year's ministerial meeting, summarizing recent assistance projects (from October 2023 onwards, including projects planned for future implementation) by CEAPAD partner countries. The List includes a total of 47 bilateral or trilateral cooperation projects registered by 9 countries, including Japan, among the CEAPAD partner countries. The trilateral cooperation projects include not only cooperation projects among CEAPAD partner countries, but also cooperation projects with third countries outside of CEAPAD partner countries.

The List features a diverse range of projects leveraging the expertise of each partner country, centered on human resource development and capacity building assistance, and demonstrates CEAPAD's strengths in areas such as maintaining healthcare and education systems, private sector development, and creating synergistic effects through trilateral cooperation.