Press Releases
Working Level Online Meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD)
On November 13, Japan co-hosted with Palestine a Working-level Online Meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD). The objective of the meeting is to follow up on the fourth ministerial meeting of CEAPAD which was held in July this year.
The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. IWAMOTO Keiichi, Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H.E. Dr. Estephan SALAMEH, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Palestine. This round of the meeting was held with participation of Japan (host), Palestine (co-host), Brunei Darussalam, Kingdom of Cambodia, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Singapore, Kingdom of Thailand, The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
- At the outset, Director-General IWAMOTO welcomed the agreement reached on Gaza, and stated that Japan would proactively engage in efforts such as the dispatch of personnel to a transitional governance mechanism and assistance with its focus on state-building for Palestine.
- Minister Salameh briefed the participants on the assistance needs in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the importance of coordination between the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s efforts for the early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza and other regional and international initiatives, and the progress of PA reforms.
- Participants shared updates on their own efforts aligning with the CEAPAD IV Kuala Lumpur Action Plan, adopted at the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of CEAPAD held in July this year. They accordingly concurred on the following points:
a) While addressing the urgent need for humanitarian assistance to Gaza, they will continue to collaborate and cooperate to make use of their own areas of strength for supporting Gaza’s early recovery and reconstruction, Palestine’s economic development, and state-building and reforms as mid- to long-term priorities.
b) They will actively engage in regional and international initiatives concerning the implementation of a two-state solution through the CEAPAD framework. - Furthermore, participants welcomed the enlarged CEAPAD membership following the Philippines’ participation as a new formal member.
(Reference) The Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD)
CEAPAD is a regional conference framework initiated by Japan in 2013 to support the Palestinian state-building efforts by drawing on resources, knowledge, and experiences of economic development of the East Asian countries. Previous Ministerial Meetings:
- February 2013: 1st Ministerial Meeting (Tokyo)
- March 2014: 2nd Ministerial Meeting (Jakarta)
- June 2018: 3rd Ministerial Meeting (Bangkok)
- July 2025: 4th Ministerial Meeting (Kuala Lumpur)