“India has become an alternative investment source or destination for many Western companies” he said.

Kale, who worked for the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) joins the roster of more than 200 Indians who have died in the service of the UN.

While most of the attention to keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open has been focused on strategic issues, Venkataraman emphasized the critical role of the IPEF in boosting regional economic ties. 

More than 24,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza, from where Hamas launched the attack in which about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 were kidnapped.

“We advocate for the strengthening of policies that promote free, independent, and pluralistic media, thereby fostering a vibrant and robust public sphere, a pillar of peaceful, just, inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous societies”, they said.

Bangladesh is taking a bold step in joining the mission after the catastrophic end to the previous UN mission with military peacekeepers ended in 2017 amid accusations that Nepali troops introduced a strain of cholera from South Asia.

The report released on Tuesday said that in contrast to large swathes of the developing countries, “investment in South Asia, particularly in India, remains strong”.

The unanimity at the UN underscores the fears over AI’s potential to disrupt politics and society through deep fakes and spreading misinformation, and its more sinister capabilities in warfare, development of weapons and disrupting economies.

The Pakistani representative also introduced a strange element into the discussion, attacking the Council’s designation of international terrorists, claiming that the Council’s actions against terrorists are “arbitrary”.

China has repeatedly blocked the listing of Pakistan-linked terrorists as international terrorists subject to UN sanctions.