NewzIntel.com

Category: Pandemic

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Accelerating Health Innovation, Union Health Minister Shri JP Nadda announces successful implementation of 100 Days Initiatives by the Department of Health Research

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Accelerating Health Innovation, Union Health Minister Shri JP Nadda announces successful implementation of 100 Days Initiatives by the Department of Health Research

    India has taken Transformative Steps for Healthcare Innovations, Pandemic Preparedness and Development of Indigenous Medical Technologies on the path to Viksit Bharat 2047: Shri J P Nadda

    Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 1:16PM by PIB Delhi

    In a significant milestone in realizing the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, Union Health Minister Shri J. P.  Nadda announced the successful implementation of 100 Days Program of Union Health Ministry’s Department of Health Research (DHR). He said “these initiatives represent transformative steps in healthcare innovation, pandemic preparedness, and the development of indigenous medical solutions, contributing to a healthier, more resilient and Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

    The following are some of the key achievements and initiatives undertaken by the Department of Health Research in the last 100 days:

    1. Med-Tech Mitra: It is a joint initiative by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). Over 250 innovators, start-ups, and industry partners have been engaged through this platform helping them overcome challenges in the process of developing regulation compliant products, their clinical validation, and scaling-up.
    2. National One Health Mission (NOHM) for Pandemic Preparedness: The NOHM is an integrated approach to tackling diseases at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. This mission is a crucial step toward building India’s capacity to manage zoonotic diseases and pandemics. This initiative is instrumental in India’s long-term health security by creating a safe and healthy environment for all. Different activities have been undertaken with the ‘one health’ approach under this mission in first 100 days of Government, that are enlisted below:
      1. National Network of BSL-3 Laboratories has been established wherein over 20 labs across different ministries have networked.
      2. Trainings were conducted in National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune and ICAR-National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal.
      3. Strengthening the nation’s preparedness for future pandemics, a mock drill of H5N1 “Vishanu Yudh Abhyas” was successfully conducted with multiple stakeholders from 27th to 31st August in Ajmer District of Rajasthan.
      4. A national joint outbreak response team has been notified by Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW). This will strengthen detection of the emerging hotspots of infections and conduct timely investigation for prevention and control.
      5. Waste water surveillance tools were developed by ICMR and a surveillance model is also built for slaughterhouses.
      6. Avian flu, Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) and MPox Vaccines development initiated with engagement of private sector and industry partners. NIPAH monoclonal antibodies are also under development.
      7. Executive and Scientific Steering Committees of the Mission held their meetings reviewing pandemic preparedness of the country and suggesting further course of action.
      8. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) guidelines for establishment & certification of Bio-Safety Level (BSL-3) labs have been consolidated into one national document.

     

    1. Integrated Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (IRDLs): Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) across the country have been taken up for strengthening through funding support. Six of these VRDLs are being converted into Integrated Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (IRDLs) covering larger domain of infectious diseases. Construction of Zonal laboratories of National Institute of Virology (NIV) has also been initiated.
    2. Program for Development of Indigenous Drugs for Rare Diseases: As part of India’s drive towards becoming a global leader in affordable healthcare, DHR is set to launch a program developing 12 indigenous drugs for 8 rare diseases. This initiative will aim to drastically reduce the cost of treatment for conditions like Muscular Dystrophy and Gaucher’s Disease, making life saving therapies accessible and affordable for the masses.
    3. “First in the World” Challenge: Inspired by India’s landmark Chandrayaan-3 mission, the “First in the World” challenge will fund 50 high-risk, high-reward innovations in biomedical research. This initiative epitomizes India’s spirit of innovation and excellence, accelerating its march toward becoming a leader in global healthcare solutions.
    4. Centre for Evidence-Based Guidelines: The Centre for Evidence for Guidelines, ready for inauguration, will help standardize medical practices nationwide, ensuring the highest standards of care. The Centre will be helpful in developing world-class evidence based national health guidelines. It will be supported by Systematic Review centres in different parts of the Country.
    5. Research to Action Vertical: The establishment of the “Research to Action” vertical in DHR will ensure that cutting-edge health research is seamlessly integrated into policy and practice. It will help in converting research findings into actionable policies across different states, leading to tangible improvements in public health.
    6. Research Capacity Building: A total of 93 fellows have been enrolled till now for PhD in Medical research in different ICMR Institutes in the first batch of Faculty of Medical Research (FMR). Further, 63 young medical college faculty members have been provided fellowships for undertaking PhD programme. This is a big step towards strengthening physician scientist base in the country. In addition, 58 women scientists have been provided fellowships for undertaking health research.

    The above initiatives are slated for launch in October 2024 by the Union Health Minister. Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, DHR and DG, ICMR said the efforts and recent achievements demonstrate Government’s commitment to advancing healthcare through innovation and research. He exuded confidence that these steps will play critical role in transforming the nation’s healthcare system and making it future-challenge ready.

    ***

    MV

    HFW/ DHR 100 Days Initiatives /23rd September 2024/1

    (Release ID: 2057779) Visitor Counter : 33

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Acting Secretary Su visits Nevada to recognize 1st Venetian Resort-Culinary Workers Union contract; reaffirm Biden-Harris administration’s union support

    Source: US Department of Labor

    LAS VEGAS – Acting Secretary Su traveled to Las Vegas Sept. 19, 2024, to commemorate The Venetian Resort’s historic first contract with the Culinary Workers Union, congratulate workers for their hard work in reaching the agreement, and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to supporting workers and union jobs.

    The Acting Secretary joined Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas President and CEO Patrick Nichols in offering remarks for the occasion.

    “This is not just a landmark moment in the history of Las Vegas – it’s a victory for workers and a victory for the Venetian, because this first contract will provide stability and a guaranteed quality workforce – this is what can be achieved when workers and management come together to find common ground,” Acting Secretary Su said.

    Media coverage highlighted Acting Secretary Su’s announcement as follows:

    U.S. labor secretary helps celebrate contract at Las Vegas’ Venetian 

    By Kyle Chouinard | Sept. 19, 2024

    “I’ve never known workers that are trying to organize a union because they don’t want to work with their employer,” Su said Thursday at a contract celebration. “They want the employer to do well, and that shared success is the … future of the romance that you all solidified here today.”

    Culinary Union celebrates the end of their longest campaign

    By Steve Sebelius | Sept. 19, 2024

    “It says that unions make America strong,” [Acting Secretary Su] said. “You hear President Biden say it all the time, the middle-class built America and unions built the middle class. And now the workers here in the Venetian are going to be able to enjoy the benefits of having a real voice on the job, of being able to negotiate for their wages and health benefits, for how technology will be implemented in the workplace, to just really feel valued.”

    For 14-year Venetian employee Carmen Vargas, who served on the negotiating committee that hammered out the new contract, it’s not just better wages and good healthcare, but also the ability to buy a home.

    U.S. Secretary of Labor celebrates all-union Las Vegas Strip with Culinary

    By Dana Gentry | Sept. 19, 2024

    “By supporting the right to organize, we’re seeing workers gain more power in the workplace,” she said, and that in turn is helping to drive “a record recovery from the pandemic and it’s creating more prosperity all around.” 

    While billions of dollars pour into communities via the Biden administration’s Investing in America agenda, Su says she’s focused on “opportunity infrastructure” and connecting people from all walks of life with good jobs by eliminating obstacles such as lack of transportation or childcare.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African leaders meet on Mpox

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    President Cyril Ramaphosa says as the continent tackles Mpox, Africa needs to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “We need to ensure equitable distribution of medical countermeasures based on transparent criteria and readiness to initiate vaccination. We ask Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to lead the consultation with member states to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines and other medical countermeasures,” said the President.

    He was delivering South Africa’s statement at the African Union Heads of State virtual meeting on Mpox on Sunday.

    “We need a finance plan that is evidence-based, with sound forecasting of needs. The Africa CDC mandate on data sharing is the bedrock of global health security. This will help to ensure that public health threats are detected and shared across borders and with other continental and global stakeholders,” said the President.

    He said countries would only be able to effectively mobilise and direct funds if supported by reliable data.

    “We call on all African countries to make use of this instrumental system that has been created by our own institution. We call for the urgent operationalisation of the Africa Epidemic Fund as the primary vehicle for epidemic response financial management.”

    He said as with COVID-19, Africa is still struggling to get the Mpox vaccine and treatment.

    The President said the continent needs to manufacture Mpox vaccines in Africa to reduce costs and improve access.

    “We must co-develop these medical countermeasures, share intellectual property and ensure technology transfer. In this regard, we welcome the agreement between Africa CDC and Bavarian Nordic to transfer the Mpox vaccine technology to African manufacturers,” he said.

    With the financial support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, Afreximbank, the European Union and other partners, President Ramaphosa said the continent should be able to start vaccine manufacturing by 2025.

    “In the meantime, we appreciate the support from a number of countries to get vaccines in Africa.

    “The COVID-19 experience taught us that we need predictable demand and off-take guarantees for the vaccines, medicines and diagnostics manufactured in Africa. African countries should therefore buy vaccines and other health products manufactured in Africa to ensure sustainable manufacturing on our continent.”

    He said this could be achieved through the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism.

    Surveillance systems must be enhanced and healthcare delivery and infrastructure strengthened.

    “We must ensure that frontline health workers have the necessary diagnostic tools, vaccines and antiviral treatments. We need tested public health messages that promote awareness and prevention.

    “Beyond the targeted vaccination responses to outbreaks, we should explore the feasibility of continuing vaccinations in high-risk populations. This dual approach will help create a buffer against future outbreaks and protect our most vulnerable communities,” he said.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Mpox  as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

    The President commended the fact that Africa CDC had partnered with the WHO, UNICEF and other partners to develop the Mpox continental preparedness and response plan and to build, for the first time in Africa, one Continental Incident Management Team.

    The total number of positive cases recorded in South Africa since the outbreak in May this year stands at 25 cases, including three deaths. Twelve of these were reported in Gauteng, 11 reported in KwaZulu-Natal and two in the Western Cape.

    Africa CDC has signed a partnership agreement with the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and Bavarian Nordic to provide over 215 000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine.

    Africa CDC will oversee the equitable distribution of these vaccines, prioritising local needs across the affected member states. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California continues streak of slashing climate pollution while growing economy

    Source: US State of California 2

    Sep 20, 2024

    What you need to know: A new report shows California greenhouse gas emissions declined across most sectors in 2022 – and declined a whopping 20% since 2000. The decrease in emissions took place even as the state’s economic dominance continued.

    SACRAMENTO – Greenhouse gas emissions in California dropped yet again in 2022, continuing a big drop that has now totaled 20% since 2000. This is the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in recent history, aside from the pandemic-caused dip in 2020.

    A report released today for 2022 greenhouse gas emissions shows a 2.4% drop from 2021 to 2022 that is the equivalent of removing more than 2.2 million gasoline-powered cars off California’s roads for one year.

    California is proving that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth. We’ve slashed carbon pollution by a whopping 20% since the turn of the century all while building the world’s fifth largest economy. Cleaner air, more good jobs – that’s the California way.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The biggest drop came from transportation, due largely to the increased use of renewable fuels in addition to the growing strength of the zero-emission vehicle market. The electricity sector had its lowest carbon intensity since 2000. Five out of seven sectors tracked had drops which reduced total emissions by 9.3 million metric tons.

    “The numbers are clear: our world-leading regulations are reducing emissions, spurring innovation, and bringing us closer to achieving our climate goals,” said California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph. “A future with clean air and a vibrant economy is possible and California is leading the way.”

    The latest data underscores a continued trend of steady emissions decline even as the economy continues to grow. Between 2000 to 2022, emissions fell by 20% while California’s gross domestic product increased by 78%, pointing to the effectiveness of the state’s climate action. California has decreased the carbon intensity of its economy by 55% in the last 20 years.

    Press Releases, Recent News

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: 20/09/2024 Moody’s reports on the closing of the credit rating agreement in Poland

    MIL ASI Translation. Region: Polish/Europe –

    Fuente: Gobierno de Polonia en poleco.

    Moody’s informa sobre el cierre del acuerdo de calificación crediticia en Polonia20/09/2024

    On September 20, 2024, Moody’s published a press release announcing the completion of the periodic review of the rating. The Polish classification is at A2/P1 for long- and short-term liabilities, respectively. The rating outlook is stable. In the press release, Moody’s, as a justification for Poland’s rating, points to the strong dynamics of the Polish economy and improving relations with the European Union. The agency forecasts GDP growth at 3% in 2024 and an increase in dynamics to 3.5% in subsequent periods and indicates the lower complexity of the Polish economy compared to countries with a similar rating and a strong institutional framework. According to the agency, although the budget deficit is likely to remain above 5% of GDP due to higher defense spending and will contribute to a gradual increase in debt to 57% of GDP in 2025, both the debt burden and its servicing costs will be offset by solid economic growth prospects. In addition, Poland’s heightened vulnerability to geopolitical risk is mitigated by OTAN’s security guarantees. The rating takes into account Poland’s demographic challenges in the medium and long term.Calificación outlookThe rating could be upgraded in the event of improved relations between the President and the coalition government, which would allow for the rapid restoration of full judicial independence, as well as support the implementation of other CAP initiatives. Also, if the expected weakening of Poland’s debt ratios turns out to be less pronounced and intensified fiscal consolidation efforts lead to the debt level stabilizing well below 60% of GDP, ultimately restoring the public sector balance sheet to its pre-pandemic level, it would be a positive factor for an upgrade. Downward pressure on the rating would appear in a scenario of a significantly faster deterioration of debt ratios. The rating would be adversely affected by a renewed deterioration in the rule of law, negatively affecting doing business in Poland.

    MILES AXIS

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates Streamlines Course Offerings, Boosts Enrollment, and Enhances School Partnerships

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The Neag School of Education’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) has implemented significant changes over the past year aimed at better accommodating the needs of students and school district partners. The main shift was the program’s length, which decreased from 11 months to 10 months beginning with the summer 2024 cohort.

    The decision to start the full-time program in mid-June proved beneficial in multiple ways. Under the previous structure, students who already worked in schools and wanted to pursue teacher certification had to leave their jobs before the end of the school year, which posed a challenge for them and their districts.

    “This new timeline was chosen after a careful review of district calendars across the state,” says Tracy Sinclair, director of TCPCG. “By delaying the start, candidates working as paraprofessionals or long-term substitutes no longer had to quit their jobs early, helping school districts retain essential staff during the critical end-of-school period in June.”

    Sinclair notes this change has also led to a demographic shift in the program’s enrollment. While there are still non-traditional students making mid-career transitions into teaching, many program participants are now recent college graduates.

    “The 10-month program design allows these graduates a brief break between completing their undergraduate studies and starting the intensive graduate program,” she says. “Previously, students had only a few days between their undergraduate graduation and the start of TCPCG, which left little room for adjustment.”

    Instead of offering two six-week summer semesters, the new program structure consolidates coursework into one 10-week summer semester. This allows students to spend more time on fewer courses, enabling a deeper understanding of critical pedagogical concepts. Sinclair explains that this shift from “a mile wide and an inch deep” to more focused, longer courses has improved the overall quality of the education students receive.

    This condensed timeline allows me to balance family responsibilities while pursuing my teaching career and minimizing time away from my children. &#8212 Kamie Merithew, current student

    Despite these changes, Sinclair acknowledges that the program remains rigorous. Students still take five graduate courses over 10 weeks in the summer, which can be challenging. However, the new structure includes shorter class days and built-in time for school-based clinical experiences, giving students more flexibility.

    Ultimately, the shift to a 10-month program has positively impacted enrollment. Sinclair reports a 57% increase in enrollment across all four regional campuses that offer the program, which she attributes to a combination of effective marketing and the appeal of the redesigned structure. This growth is a promising sign for the program’s future as it continues to adapt to meet the needs of aspiring teachers and the Neag School’s partner schools.

    “This condensed timeline allows me to balance family responsibilities while pursuing my teaching career and minimizing time away from my children,” says Kamie Merithew, a current TCPCG student. “As an adult transitioning careers later in life, I can quickly leverage my valuable life experiences and transferable skills in the classroom. The shorter program also reduces tuition costs and living expenses and enables me to gain practical experience to start teaching sooner.”

    Joseph Macary ’94 (CLAS), ’05 ELP, ’16 Ed.D., Vernon Public Schools’ superintendent, is an enthusiastic supporter of TCPCG’s new residency program. (Defining Studios)

    Another change to TCPCG, initially launched in 2021 with just a handful of districts, is its residency program offering students a half-year paid experience in participating school districts. These residencies allow students to spend two days in their specific content area and three days as a building substitute, providing them with valuable hands-on experience. At first, the program was small, but as demand grew the number of participating schools expanded rapidly. Now, TCPCG has partnered with over 20 schools across Connecticut.

    In 2022-2023, a significant milestone was achieved when a district offered a full-year residency.

    “Now, all of UConn’s regional campuses have at least one district offering a full-year residency, giving students a unique opportunity to gain sustained experience while alleviating some of the financial pressures associated with a graduate education,” Sinclair says.

    One of the main benefits of this program is that it allows students to gain professional experience while also earning a salary. Sinclair emphasizes that “this blend of earning while learning helps ease the financial burden while still preparing students for a career in teaching.”

    “From the perspective of school districts, the benefits are twofold,” she says. “Not only do they receive an additional staff member in the form of a building substitute during critical times, such as the lead-up to the holiday season, but they also gain the advantage of having a potential future employee immersed in their school environment for an entire year.

    “This full-year engagement serves as a yearlong interview, allowing schools to evaluate the residents in real-world scenarios,” Sinclair says. “For students, this integration into a school community can foster deeper connections and increase their chances of securing employment post-graduation.”

    “I think it’s great that the TCPCG program has a residency program in various school districts,” says Thomas Murray, a current student. “I know a lot of students in my cohort were ecstatic to hear that they will be getting paid for classroom observations. It gives us the opportunity to be at our placement every day and become more comfortable with the students and building.”

    Will Kampfman ’24 MA, who recognizes the benefits of the revamped TCPCG program, spoke during a Teacher Education Appreciation event this summer at UConn Hartford. (Shawn Kornegay/Neag School)

    A recent TCPCG alumnus agrees.

    “In addition to the financial benefits of being able to work while attending school, I was able to both work in the education field and at the school – and with the classes – where I would ultimately be doing my student teaching,” says Will Kampfman ’24 MA, a Hartford Public Schools social studies teacher. “My experience through the residency program was invaluable in preparing me for my student teaching experience in the spring, as it allowed me to start working with my cooperating teacher, to gain experience at my placement school, and to begin building positive rapport with my students.”

    Vernon Public Schools is enthusiastic about partnering with TCPCG, specifically developing future teachers through the residency model.

    “This collaboration builds on a longstanding relationship between Vernon schools and UConn, with many of the district’s most successful teachers being UConn graduates,” Superintendent Joseph Macary ’94 (CLAS), ’05 ELP, ’16 Ed.D. says. “Vernon has actively recruited UConn graduates for over a decade, and we have found great success in retaining these teachers, with very few leaving unless for personal reasons like moving.

    “The new residency program is particularly promising. Currently, seven aspiring teachers are placed across Vernon schools, where they are already making an impact,” Macary says. “One principal expressed interest in hiring these residents next year due to their impressive performance. The program allows the district to evaluate whether these residents truly want to pursue teaching before fully committing to the profession.”

    The district views the program as a solution to a national problem: the shortage of teachers. Fewer people were entering the profession even before the pandemic, and COVID-19 worsened the situation. Vernon has struggled to maintain a full staff of teachers, so building a pipeline through TCPCG’s residency program is crucial. Macary hopes many of these future educators will choose to stay in Vernon.

    These program changes – the new residency component that benefits both TCPCG students and the program’s partner districts, and the shortened program length – ensure that UConn’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates continues to be an integral part of Connecticut’s educational landscape. The program prioritizes meeting the needs of the state’s public schools and those of future educators.

    To learn more about the Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates, visit s.uconn.edu/teach.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Confronting the Problem of Suicide

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    In 2022, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide, making it the 11th leading cause of death in the country – and the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 and 25-34. September is National Suicide Prevention month, when health care providers, advocates, survivors, educators and others work to change public perception on the topic and offer hope for people struggling with suicidal thoughts. Dr. Neha Jain, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UConn Health, recently spoke with UConn Today about common misconceptions on suicide, what warning signs to look out for, and how to find help.

     

    Q: What has been the effect, if any, of the pandemic on what we’ve seen in terms of the problem of suicide?

    As mental health providers, we were all very concerned that the pandemic would lead to an increase in rates of suicide. But what we found, interestingly, is that, during the initial period of the pandemic, suicide actually decreased. And this was attributed to people coming together during a moment of crisis: a lot of people moved back home; there were a lot of campaigns about mental health awareness; there was a push to increase access to mental health services. People were spending more time with their families, so there was less social isolation. We did not see an increase in suicide. If anything, the rates reduced a little bit, though I will say that reduction was driven mostly by white persons and less so amongst populations of color. But by 2022 the rates increased again, and reverted back to the trend we had been observing before the pandemic.


     Q: In general, what kind of factors might make the risk of suicide higher for someone?

    I think of suicide risk factors as falling into two broad categories: first, factors that we cannot change, and then factors that are modifiable, that we can change. For example, male gender has always been a  risk factor for suicide. People who are single,divorced or widowed, certain age groups like adolescents and young adults, and  adults over the age of 65, are  at high risk. In our profession, we tend to focus more on modifiable factors; things like a history of suicide attempts, a history of mental illness or substance use, social isolation, loneliness, limited economic means or economic insecurity, chronic pain and physical illness. Those are all risk factors for suicide that can be modified or treated.


     Q: One thing we hear from students is they want to know what warning signs are. They want to know when it’s appropriate to intervene. But there seems to be a lot of, especially on social media, a lot of contrasting information about that, or misinformation, as it might be. So, what are some warning signs that people should look for?

    Dr. Neha Jain is a psychiatrist at UConn Health. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    For students, I would say really any marked change in behavior is a potential warning sign. It can be a big change in eating or sleeping patterns. It can be somebody just talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless, feeling more depressed, talking about feeling shame or guilt, talking about being a burden to others. It can be completely withdrawing and not interacting with people anymore. Also, an increase in anxiety, increase in anger or agitation can be a clue. If a person is describing a lot of emotional or physical pain that they cannot bear, that can be a warning sign. And then there are things that you might notice in terms of behavior, for example, if somebody is doing anything that could be considered research about methods of suicide or making preparations for death. Some of those preparations might include giving away important things, writing “goodbye” letters, doing dangerous things like driving fast, drinking heavily, or substance use. All of those can be warning signs. That being said, sometimes suicides can happen with no warning signs at all. So, it is also important to realize that a person may look and act just fine, but they may be feeling something that is not visible on the outside.

    Q: Younger people seem more willing in general to talk about their mental wellness, certainly more so than people of my generation. But is there still a stigma around the topic of suicide? Are people still reluctant to discuss it, for fear they might upset or even trigger someone?

    Absolutely. I think there are lots of different things that play into that, in addition to the stigma in general around suicide. Some people are just too worried to ask – you know, “What if I ask if this person is thinking about suicide, and they say yes. What am I going to do then?” There is also this concern that somehow asking about suicide may actually make a person more likely to commit suicide, and I want to emphasize that isn’t true. So, you should not feel afraid to ask about suicide if you’re worried about it.


     Q: Can you talk about what “suicide contagion” is and how it can be prevented?

    Suicide contagion is exactly what it sounds like, where the suicidal behavior or suicide of one person then influences others to commit or attempt suicide. That effect does seem to be stronger in adolescents and young people, and there have been a lot of well-publicized clusters, particularly if there is a celebrity who commits suicide or attempts suicide. It will often lead to a contagion cluster, and not necessarily in the same geographical area, obviously, because the news can be read anywhere. It’s important to realize that people will talk about suicide if there is a suicide. It will be reported in the media. It doesn’t help to brush away or hide a suicide, but suicide contagion is real, and it’s not so much the actual suicide as how it is portrayed that can affect the contagion behavior. So, if a suicide is presented in a sensationalistic way, there can be a kind of excitement around it. In a 24-hour non-stop news cycle, there will be a lot of description, a lot of drama and, and it may  be presented as  a strategy: “This person was so unhappy, this was their only way out.” Sensational reports can downplay the person’s struggles, downplay the stress or the substance abuse, or other negative experiences they were dealing with. Suicide can and should be reported on, but doing it in a fact-based manner, understanding that it is often a lot more complicated picture than it seems on the surface, is the responsible way to do it.


     Q: What are some common misconceptions people have about suicide?

    The big one that I see is, again, the idea that talking about it or asking somebody about it will make them more likely to attempt suicide. I do not think that is true. I think there is also this idea that, “Oh, this person looks just fine. How could they end their life?” But a person may be able to hide a lot of depression, a lot of conflict, a lot of stress. If you’re worried about your friend, asking them about it and talking about it can be very helpful, so we shouldn’t hesitate.

    Q: That segues perfectly into what might be the most important question: if someone is concerned that a family member, friend, or loved one might be contemplating suicide, what should they do?

    Don’t hesitate to talk, even if you’re not completely sure about what they are planning or contemplating. You can always offer them the crisis lifeline information. The phone number for the suicide crisis Lifeline is 988. They can call that number to talk to a crisis worker. They can also contact the crisis text line, which is often preferable to people, and for that you text TALK to 741741. Don’t hesitate to offer this information to anybody that you think is struggling. Don’t be afraid to put this information out there where everybody can access it. If you feel that there is a life-threatening situation, you can always call either 911 or 211, which is the mental health helpline in Connecticut. The CT suicide advisory board has some useful resources at https://www.preventsuicidect.org/  Finally, I think it is always better to reach out and offer help, or ask for help.

    If you are struggling with severe depression or suicidal thoughts, UConn Health and its psychiatry experts urge you to alert your psychiatric provider immediately. If you do not have a provider, get help by calling:  9-1-1, 2-1-1, or the national Suicide & Crisis Hotline 988, or visit your nearest Emergency Department where health care providers are always standing by to help you stay safe.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: World’s top 1% own more wealth than 95% of humanity, as “the shadow of global oligarchy hangs over UN General Assembly,” says Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam –

    • Over a third of world’s biggest 50 corporations —worth $13.3 trillion— now run by a billionaire or has a billionaire as a principal shareholder.
    • Global South countries own just 31 percent of global wealth, despite being home to 79 percent of global population.
    • Oxfam urges multilateral action to advance new global framework on tax, cancel debts and rewrite intellectual property rules for pandemics.

    The richest 1 percent have more wealth than the bottom 95 percent of the world’s population put together, new Oxfam analysis of UBS data reveals today ahead of the annual UN High-Level General Debate.

    Billionaires are exerting new levels of control over economies, with a billionaire either running or the principal shareholder of more than a third of the world’s top 50 corporations. The combined market capitalization of these corporations is $13.3 trillion.

    Oxfam’s briefing paper “Multilateralism in an Era of Global Oligarchy” warns that multilateral efforts to respond to critical global challenges, including the climate crisis and persistent poverty and inequality, are being undermined by the ultra-wealthy and mega-corporations fueling inequality within and between countries.

    Despite being home to 79 percent of the world’s population, Global South countries own just 31 percent of global wealth.

    “The shadow of global oligarchy hangs over this year’s UN General Assembly. The ultra-wealthy and the mega-corporations they control are shaping global rules to serve their interests at the expense of people everywhere. The iconic UN podium is increasingly feeling diminished in a world in which billionaires are calling the shots,” said Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International’s Executive Director.

    The paper describes a “movement toward a global oligarchy,” where the ultra-rich, often through their increasingly monopolistic corporations, shape global political decision-making and rules to enrich themselves while thwarting vital global progress.

    The top 1 percent own 43 percent of all global financial assets. Just two corporations control 40 percent of the global seed market. The “big three” US-based asset managers —BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard— hold $20 trillion in assets, close to one-fifth of all investable assets in the world.

    “While we often hear about great power rivalries undermining multilateralism —it is clear that extreme inequality is playing a massive role. In recent years the ultra-wealthy and powerful corporations have used their vast influence to undermine efforts to solve major global problems such as tackling tax dodging, making Covid-19 vaccines available to the world and canceling the albatross of sovereign debt,” said Behar.

    Oxfam details three recent examples of extreme inequality eroding multilateral efforts —and where civil society and Global South leaders have offered inequality-busting solutions:

    • Powerful corporations undermining tax cooperation. The OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) fell short of realizing its potential, with new rules for profit allocation that will deliver only tiny extra revenues for lower-income countries of as little as 0.026 percent of their GDP. The exclusion of financial services from OECD rules is a carve-out attributed to lobbying from countries with large banking and financial sectors. Global South countries, led by African countries, are instead advancing negotiations for a fairer tax convention at the UN that, along with Brazil’s leadership at the G20, offer a pathway for fairly taxing the super-rich and mega-corporations.
       
    • Big Pharma resisting efforts to break up their monopolies over Covid-19 vaccine technologies to unlock supply. Monopoly control over vaccine production was highly profitable during the pandemic. In 2021 alone, the seven largest manufacturers generated an estimated $50 billion in net profit from the sale of Covid-19 vaccines, resulting in huge payouts to rich shareholders and the emergence of new vaccine billionaires. The CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla described the call to share Covid-19 vaccine technologies as “dangerous nonsense.” The failure to equitably share vaccines contributed to as many as 1.3 million excess deaths worldwide. A new pandemic treaty with strong provisions to suspend patents and allow for easier transfers of technology offers promise.
       
    • Private creditors exacerbating the global debt crisis. Low-income countries spend nearly 40 percent of their annual budgets on debt service, over 60 percent more than they spend on education, health, and social protection combined. Over half of low- and middle-income countries’ external debt is owed to private lenders like banks and hedge funds. Some of these creditors are “vulture funds,” which purchase distressed debt on the cheap and exploit legal mechanisms to be repaid in full, reaping outsized profits.

    “Only a solidarity-based multilateralism can reverse the movement toward global oligarchy. Some world leaders are showing they recognize this and are stepping up to fight inequality —but we need many more to demonstrate this courage,” said Behar.

    “Ultimately, a fairer world and international order —where corporations pay their fair share, global public health is prioritized, and where all countries can invest in their own people— benefits us all. This is not new, and it’s long what leaders especially from the Global South have called for.”  
     

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: A water secure Africa in the spotlight at UN General Assembly

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, and a delegation of water sector stakeholders will attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA from 24 to 26 September 2024.

    The Minister will join other global leaders in interrogating and mobilising commitments for a water-secure Africa.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending the UN General Debate and High-Level Week (UNGA79) in New York from 21-24 September 2024.

    This annual gathering of world leaders is the most important event on the UN calendar, with Heads of State and Government and Heads of International Organisations discussing global challenges and how to address these challenges in the best interest of humanity. 

    Majodina is expected to participate in panel discussions to review the progress in mobilising investments for the AU High Level Panel Investment Action Plan and outline a road map towards the coming AU Africa Water Investment Summit and UN Water Conference in 2026, with South Africa leading the G20 Presidency next year.

    As part of the AU High-Level Panel, Majodina said South Africa will participate in discussions and the review of previous UN recommendations on how to accelerate progress to achieve access and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, as well as the achievement of other multiple SDGs.

    “The deliberations will focus on understanding, valuing, and managing water to provide a foundation for broader integrated water management and building partnerships and international collaboration at the global level,” Majodina said.

    The Minister is also expected to participate in panel discussions on Climate Change and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), to explore wider methods and opportunities to advance their agendas.

    READ | President Ramaphosa in New York for UN General Assembly

    President Ramaphosa is expected to address the General Assembly on the opening day, Tuesday, 24 September 2024.

    This year, the African Group presides over the General Assembly, with Philemon Yang, former Prime Minister of Cameroon, elected as President of the 79th Session.

    The theme identified by the President of UNGA79 is: “Unity in diversity, for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for everyone everywhere.”

    Among the issues on which President Ramaphosa will focus on during his engagements in New York include the necessity for the maintenance of international peace and security; the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda; climate change and the upcoming COP29 in Baku; financing for development, and health and pandemic preparedness. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Marine Corps crushes fiscal year 2024 end strength with historic retention, recruiting success

    Source: United States Marine Corps

    QUANTICO, Va. —

    The Marine Corps achieved historic first-term reenlistment numbers and exceeded its retention goal for Fiscal Year 2024 in a competitive and challenging environment.  Engaged leaders across the Marine Corps retained the most qualified Marines at levels not seen in over a decade. Additionally, these efforts contributed to the Marine Corps exceeding its authorized end strength requirement, which is a summation of recruiting and retention efforts.
     
    “This is a historic year for retention,” said Lieutenant General Michael J. Borgschulte, Deputy Commandant for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps.  “We continue to maintain our high standards and exceeded our end strength requirement through successful retention and recruiting efforts. Our retention success increased the health of our delayed entry program for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
     
    This year was historic for the Marine Corps because the Fiscal Year 2024 first-term reenlistment goal was the largest the service has seen in more than a decade. The Marine Corps not only attained 114% of its mission for first-term enlisted Marines but reenlisted over 5,700 subsequent-term Marines.
     
    This reflects the Marine Corps’ shift from its legacy, high turnover “recruit and replace” personnel model towards one characterized by a greater emphasis on “invest and retain” the most capable Marines. Recruiters continue to be responsible for recruiting the Nation’s best and brightest, while leaders across the Fleet Marine Force are charged with retaining the talented Marines already serving across the total force.
     
    “Retention directly enhances our service’s lethality,” said Borgschulte. “This year’s historic success in retaining the most highly qualified Marines is a ‘spike the football’ moment and is a testament to our engaged, people-focused leaders across the Marine Corps. Our continued success is evidence that our Marine Corps brand continues to resonate with the American public, that holding high standards matters, and that Marines want to stay on the winning team – The Marine Corps team!”
     
    Additional initiatives created more opportunities for Marines to ‘Stay Marine’ this year – from the Commandant’s Retention Program to lateral move opportunities in addition to selective retention bonuses for certain military occupational specialties. The Marine Corps doubled the number of Marines transitioning into the reserve component via the Direct Affiliation Program and tripled the number of prior-service Marines reentering the service. The various ways to ‘Stay Marine’ enhance the service’s readiness and warfighting capabilities.
     
    “Although this is a huge accomplishment, we have more work to do and cannot rest on our past successes. We must maintain the momentum into Fiscal Year 2025 and continue to prioritize our Marine Corps’ most valuable and lethal asset—its people,” said Borgschulte.

    For Fiscal Year 2025, the Marine Corps is already on track to exceed its Fiscal Year 2024 mission. This is largely due to the implementation of multi-year retention cohorts. Multi-year retention cohorts afford Marines the opportunity to reenlist prior to their end of contract fiscal year. These cohorts not only increase overall retention but give Marines and their families more predictability – which fuels the retention of talent.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Gun violence in Philadelphia plummeted in 2024 − researchers aren’t sure why, but here are 3 factors at play

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Carla Lewandowski, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Rowan University

    Philadelphia had 563 homicides in 2021 — the deadliest year on record. Alex Potemkin/E+ Collection via Getty Images

    Philadelphia experienced a surge in shootings and homicides during the COVID-19 years that disproportionately affected young Black and Latino men in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods with drug markets.

    In 2020, Philadelphia had 499 homicides – nearly 150 more than the previous year. Gun violence worsened in 2021 – with 562 homicides that year – and then dropped slightly in 2022.

    Fortunately, recent data shows a notable decline in these crimes over the past two years. As of late September 2024, homicides are down 40% for the year to date compared with 2023. And the number of shooting victims has decreased similarly – from 1,236 in the first eight months of 2023 to 758 for the same period in 2024.

    As professors of criminal justice who live in Greater Philadelphia, we know that there is no single explanation for the drop in gun violence. Rather, many factors at both the local and national levels could be playing a role.

    Police and justice system return to (sort of) normalcy

    A shortage of police – driven by pandemic-era resignations, retirements and injuries – significantly affected cities like Philadelphia.

    Additionally, the Philadelphia Police Department’s number of traffic and pedestrian stops dropped drastically. This was due to both the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic and a widespread reluctance among officers to engage with citizens after massive protests in response to the murder of George Floyd. In fact, the number of documented stops plummeted by 83% from 2019 to 2020 alone.

    Philadelphia police staffing remains nearly 20% lower than before the pandemic.
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images News via Getty Images

    As the year progressed, the department struggled with officers’ abuse of the Pennsylvania Heart and Lung Act. This statewide disability program allows police and firefighters injured on the job to collect their full salaries.

    By September 2021, 14% of Philadelphia patrol officers were out of work on “no duty” disability leave, according to investigations by both The Philadelphia Inquirer and the city controller.

    Though up-to-date data is unavailable, there was a 31% drop in injury claims by December 2022, 10 months after the Inquirer investigation was published.

    More recently, the Philadelphia Police Department has attempted to increase its ranks through intensified recruitment efforts. It also lowered physical requirements and eliminated certain residency restrictions.

    Despite these efforts, staffing remains nearly 20% lower than in 2019. This places considerable strain on the existing workforce.

    Of course, the COVID-19 years considerably affected the entire criminal justice system and beyond in Philadelphia. Courts operated in a limited capacity, cases backlogged, probation and parole officers were less able to supervise individuals in the community, and the jail population was reduced. The city’s array of community- and hospital-based violence intervention programs were also disrupted.

    The post-pandemic resumption of court operations, improved violence intervention programs, police recruitment efforts and reduced disability claims may help explain the recent drop in shootings.

    New leadership and crime-fighting strategies

    Reducing gun violence was a top campaign issue during Philadelphia’s 2023 mayoral race.

    Mayor Cherelle Parker, elected on a law-and-order platform, declared a public safety emergency on her first day in office.

    She also appointed Kevin Bethel as police commissioner in charge of the more than 6,000-member force. Bethel, second in command under former Commissioner Charles Ramsey, quickly released a 100-day plan that focused on crime reduction in high-crime districts, shutting down open-air drug markets in Kensington and reinforcing federal partnerships to tackle violent crime.

    Philadelphia has also adopted new policing strategies and technologies.

    In early 2022, before Parker and Bethel’s tenure, the Philadelphia Police Department under former Commissioner Danielle Outlaw designated a new unit to investigate nonfatal shootings. In 2021, only 17% of nonfatal shootings led to arrests, a failure that can fuel retaliatory violence, legal cynicism – which refers to a drop in trust of the legal system – and communities resorting to self-policing.

    While it’s not yet clear what effect the new unit has had in Philadelphia, research shows such units that prioritize resources to solving nonfatal shootings in places such as Boston and Denver have reduced gun violence.

    More recently, the city began deploying mobile surge teams on weekends to flood high-crime areas with officers to deter potential criminal activity.

    Meanwhile, Temple University attributes the reduction in crime within its patrol areas to the implementation of safety measures, including new equipment for officers such as firearms and radios, upgraded security cameras and advanced technology such as license plate readers, which help identify stolen vehicles or those linked to criminal behavior.

    Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel has prioritized reducing gun violence in high-crime neighborhoods.
    Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images

    National crime trends

    While local initiatives have likely contributed to Philadelphia’s drop in violent crime, these improvements also fit into national crime trends as cities across the U.S. experienced similar declines.

    Economics and public safety expert John Roman, for example, attributes both the rise and fall of violence to pandemic-related losses in government staffing and functionality, which he argues returned to prepandemic levels in late 2023.

    Roman shows how 1.3 million government jobs were lost nationally at the outset of COVID-19, with 75% of the losses coming at the local level. These local government employees, such as social and outreach workers, often connect people in marginalized communities that bear the brunt of gun violence to crucial services such as trauma counseling, victim advocacy and legal assistance.

    In Philadelphia, approximately 3,000 local government jobs were lost between 2019 and 2022. The reopening of social services and increase in those jobs and community-based interventions post-pandemic may have helped stabilize Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.

    Crime trends tend to ebb and flow. This current drop appears to align with a national de-escalation in violent crime. These factors, alongside the statistical phenomenon of regression to the mean – where crime rates normalize after extreme spikes – apply to both national and local crime rates.

    Some researchers, including Roman, have also considered the possibility that the recent 2020-2022 homicide peak killed a portion of the most violent offenders who drive shootings in their neighborhood. It’s based on the concept of the victim-offender overlap that those at the highest risk of violence are often offenders themselves.

    But crediting Philadelphia’s decline in homicides and violent crime to any single cause oversimplifies a much more intricate picture. While the exact causes of these shifts are complex, understanding the interplay of local and national forces is essential to sustaining this positive trajectory.

    John A. Shjarback receives funding from: the South Jersey Institute for Population Health; the NJ Gun Violence Research Center; and a few local/county governments including Cumberland County, NJ, Atlantic City, NJ, and Suffolk County, NY.

    Carla Lewandowski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Gun violence in Philadelphia plummeted in 2024 − researchers aren’t sure why, but here are 3 factors at play – https://theconversation.com/gun-violence-in-philadelphia-plummeted-in-2024-researchers-arent-sure-why-but-here-are-3-factors-at-play-235485

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: GAO Makes Appointments to PCORI Governing Board

    Source: US Government Accountability Office

    WASHINGTON, DC (September 23, 2024) — Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the reappointment of seven members and one new member to the Governing Board of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).  

    “The professional credentials and extensive knowledge of today’s appointees will bring strong leadership to the PCORI Governing Board,” Dodaro said. “Their invaluable experiences and diverse backgrounds will help drive the PCORI mission forward in maintaining clinical research that continues to be patient centered.”

    Dodaro reappointed the following members to a second term through September 2030: Kara Ayers, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati and Associate Director of the University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Kate Berry, Senior Vice President of Clinical Innovation with America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP); Jennifer (Jen) DeVoe (Vice Chairperson), M.D., MPhil, MCR, DPhil, FAAFP, John & Sherrie Saultz Professor and Chair of the Oregon Health & Science University Department of Family Medicine; Christopher Friese, Ph.D., RN, AOCN, FAAN, Director of the Center for Improving Patient and Population Health and Professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing; Michael Herndon, D.O., Chief Medical Officer at Health Alliance for the Uninsured and former Chief Medical Officer for the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority (retired); James Schuster, M.D., MBA, Chief Medical Officer at the UPMC Insurance Services Division; and Christopher L. White, Esq., General Counsel and Chief Policy Officer of AdvaMed.

    The newly appointed member will fulfill the statutory requirement to appoint at least one individual representing a federal health program or agency. Hilary Marston, M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is appointed for a six-year term through September 2030 and may be reappointed for one subsequent six-year term. A brief biography follows:

    As FDA’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Marston serves as the primary clinical advisor to the Commissioner and oversees a range of issues important to the patient community. Dr. Marston leads programs and cross-cutting initiatives that support making effective, safe, and innovative medical products available to the American people, including combination products, pediatric therapeutics and orphan products for rare diseases. Her portfolio also includes planning for and responding to public health emergencies, including medical product supply chain coordination, and cross-cutting clinical trial oversight-related issues, including evidence generation and informed consent. In close collaboration with FDA’s medical product centers, she supports patient engagement activities to foster awareness and collaboration with patients, their advocates, stakeholders, and the FDA. Dr. Marston previously served on the White House COVID-19 Response Team and the National Security Council. Prior to these roles, she was Policy Advisor for Pandemic Preparedness at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Marston trained in Internal Medicine and Global Health Equity at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. She completed her M.P.H. at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

    For more information, contact Ray Sendejas on GAO’s Health Care team at (202) 512-7113, or Sarah Kaczmarek in GAO’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800, or visit the GAO Health Care Advisory Committees web page at www.gao.gov/about/hcac.

    #####

    The Government Accountability Office, known as the investigative arm of Congress, is an independent, nonpartisan agency that exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities. GAO also works to improve the performance of the federal government and ensure its accountability to the American people. The agency examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO provides Congress with timely information that is objective, fact-based, nonideological, fair, and balanced. GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Rural Counties Emphasize the Dangers of Republican Scheme to Funnel Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private School Vouchers

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: ICYMI: Rural Counties Emphasize the Dangers of Republican Scheme to Funnel Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private School Vouchers

    ICYMI: Rural Counties Emphasize the Dangers of Republican Scheme to Funnel Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private School Vouchers
    mseets

    Legislative Republicans’ plan to spend $625 million this year on taxpayer funded private school vouchers instead of public schools will hurt rural communities the most. And school boards and leaders in rural North Carolina are speaking out. Voucher expansion would disproportionately impact rural North Carolina counties, where access to private education is limited and public schools serve as the backbone of communities. Recently, local papers have highlighted this attack on public education in North Carolina.

    Read how communities will be affected below:

    N&O: Private school voucher expansion is looming in NC. Why Wake schools say that’s bad

    T. Keung Hui, September 18, 2024

    Wake County school leaders charge that North Carolina’s historic expansion of private school voucher funding will leave public schools underfunded.

    State lawmakers have passed a bill that provides an additional $463 million for private school vouchers but less than half of the $200 million requested for public school enrollment growth. During Tuesday’s review of House Bill 10, most Wake school board members said the legislation should be rejected.

    Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to veto the bill. But Republicans have a large enough legislative majority to override Cooper to pass the bill into law.

    “Not only is it bad for us here in Wake County, It’s bad statewide,” said school board chair Chris Heagarty. “It’s bad because so many of our small school districts don’t even have private school options yet the public schools which are there to serve in those communities are underfunded.”

    Read the article here.

    Martin County Enterprise: Governor: Voucher program hurts MCS

    John Foley, September 18, 2024

    Martin County public schools, already suffering from tight budget restraints, could lose substantial funding if the N.C. General Assembly’s move to direct substantial tax dollars towards private school vouchers is successful.

    That’s the message from N.C. Governor Roy Cooper.

    The action would extend the program to 55,000 students.

    “If the General Assembly’s private school voucher plan moves forward, Martin County could lose more than $65,000 in public education funding in just the first year of the expanded program,” Gov. Cooper told The Enterprise last week. “Statewide, the General Assembly could spend nearly $625 million in new funding of taxpayer money for private school vouchers just this year.”

    Gov. Cooper was referring to the GOP-controlled Legislature’s vote to approve the increased voucher funding.

    “They’re coming back to take hundreds of millions of taxpayer money out of the public schools to give it to private school vouchers for the wealthiest North Carolinians,” the Governor said. “This is devastating for education across the board and we have evidence from other states to prove it.”

    Public schools are funded based on how many students are enrolled. For each enrolled student, public schools receive an average of $7,500 in state funding to cover various expenses, such as teacher salaries, instructional materials or transportation, explained Cooper.

    Under the voucher program, if a public-school student uses a voucher to attend a private school, the public schools lose that funding. If the General Assembly fully expands the taxpayer-funded private school voucher program, private schools could siphon nearly $100 million in state funding from public schools.

    The program will cost the state more than $270 million just in the first year, according to statistics provided by Gov. Cooper.

    “Despite the lack of funding, our public schools continue to shine. More than 84 percent of North Carolina’s school-aged children still attend public schools and parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with that choice,” noted Gov. Cooper. “And for good reason. Our public schools are doing amazing things.

    “Last year, public school students earned 325,000 workforce credentials, and our public schools have more nationally board certified teachers than any other state in the country,” he continued. “The success of our families and our workforce relies on strong public schools. Private school vouchers will destroy that goal.”

    Studies show private school vouchers do not improve student performance. North Carolina private schools also operate under a less regulated educational umbrella. Private schools are not required to hire licensed teachers, they are not required to report on how students are performing, nor are they required to teach a curriculum based on the state’s academic standards or provide services for students with disabilities.

    “Vouchers directly undermine strong public education. They take scarce funding from public schools, which serve 90 percent of students nationwide — and give it to private schools. These private schools have no accountability to tax payers for their service and are held to no standards for curriculum, student learning, nor ethical practice,” Martin County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle White said. “In addition, private schools choose what students they will accept to educate. Public tax dollars should not be used for chosen students, it should be used for all students.

    “Martin County Schools, like all public schools, proudly serve all children. In addition, public school teachers are severely underpaid and often work multiple jobs to make ends meet,” Dr. White continued. “If our legislators would have taken the $463 million dollars they put in vouchers, and invested it in teacher pay, North Carolina teachers would have seen a 2.6 percent pay increase.”

    Read the article here.

    The Yadkin Ripple: Expanded private school vouchers could hurt local school funding

    Kitsey Burns Harrison, September 18, 2024

    There are no private schools located in Yadkin County, yet an expanded private school voucher program recently passed in the state legislature could lead to lost funding for public education.

    Part of House Bill 10, passed by Republican legislators in the N.C. General Assembly last week, aimed at providing “school choice” for students includes an increase in funds for the next 15 years to the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve. A total of $625 million in new funding would be directed to taxpayer-funded private school vouchers in the first year of this expanded program.

    According to information from Governor Roy Cooper’s office, “Yadkin County could lose more than $106,000 in public education funding in just the first year of the expanded voucher program, despite having zero private schools participating in the Opportunity Scholarship Program.”

    Cooper spoke directly with The Yadkin Ripple to express his concern over how this program could particularly affect public education funding for rural counties such as Yadkin.

    “The Legislature wants to take money out of the public schools and give it to private school vouchers, even to the wealthiest of North Carolinians,” Cooper said. “We’re talking about a total amount of $625 million dollars this year. That will be devastating for education across the board. We have strong evidence from other states to prove it. Studies show that private school vouchers do not improve student performance, it’ll only rob public schools of badly needed funding.”

    Funding locally for public schools continues to be an issue and something that educators are concerned about. Yadkin County Schools Superintendent Anthony Davis said he was concerned about how this expanded voucher program could negatively affect Yadkin County Schools.

    “I understand that the General Assembly has a monumental responsibility to ensure that they are good stewards of taxpayer dollars and that the needs are met across several state-funded agencies and programs. However, I do not agree with utilizing public money to fund private schools,” Davis said. “There are so many needs we have in the public school system that go unrealized due to lack of funding. It has become increasingly difficult to hire quality staff with salary being a major mitigating factor. Chronic absenteeism, mental health support, and behavior concerns continue to be a post-pandemic issue that requires the attention of additional specialized staff like school social workers, school counselors, nurses, and behavior support staff.”

    “Our Exceptional Children’s program is only funded at 13% of our population when our actual service numbers well exceed that,” Davis continued. “If the General Assembly would use a fraction of the proposed $825 million they plan to use for vouchers by 2032-2033, all of these programs and staffing needs could be fully funded which would allow us to offer families and staff the support they deserve.”

    Read the article here.

    Rocky Mount Telegram: Cooper intends to veto voucher bill upon arrival

    Eugene L. Tinklepaugh, September 14, 2024

    Gov. Roy Cooper stands ready to veto legislation fully funding a Republican-backed voucher program that currently has a waitlist of about 55,000 students.

    The Opportunity Scholarships are state-funded vouchers available to families with children attending private schools.

    Cooper said Friday in a phone interview with the Telegram that the legislature’s recently approved spending plan will take about $625 million away from the state’s public schools to pay for the program.

    “I’m going to veto this legislation, and it’s important for that veto to be sustained, so that we don’t put these private school vouchers permanently in our system with the very wealthiest getting the money,” Cooper said.

    “This would be devastating to public schools.,” he said.

    The N.C. House voted 67-43 following debate Wednesday to accept the legislation worked out by Republican legislative leaders. The N.C. Senate approved the measure separately Monday during a scheduled session this week.

    In the House, three Democrats joined Republicans in approving the measure. N.C. Rep. Shelly Willingham, D-23rd District, was one of the three Democrats siding with the GOP majority on the bill. Attempts to reach Willingham on Friday were unsuccessful. Willingham represents Bertie, Martin and Edgecombe counties.

    Cooper noted that rural areas would be hurt the most by this bill, which Republicans have touted as clearing the way for a true universal school choice program.

    “Edgecombe County would lose more than $171,000 in public education funding,” Cooper said. He noted that there are no private schools in the county that accept these Opportunity Scholarships.

    Nash County stands to lose even more public education funding if the bill becomes law.

    “Nash County could lose $811,000,” Cooper said. The two-term governor is a Nash County native whose daughters attended Nash County public schools.

    Read the article here.

    The Daily Advance: School voucher expansion ‘devastating’ for public education in NC

    Chris Day, September 13, 2024

    Rural North Carolina’s public schools will suffer because of the state Legislature’s decision this week to spend more tax dollars extending private school vouchers to an additional 55,000 students, Gov. Roy Cooper said this week.

    “The Legislature wants to take hundreds of millions of dollars out of the public schools and give it to private school vouchers, even for the wealthiest North Carolinians,” Cooper said Wednesday during a phone interview with The Daily Advance. “That’s going to be devastating for education across the board.”

    Cooper was referring to the Republican-led General Assembly’s approval this week to add up to $625 million in new funding this year to support Opportunity Scholarships, otherwise known as school vouchers.

    Cooper, who is reaching out to media outlets in rural areas of the state, said he wants residents, particularly those in rural North Carolina, to understand the potential downsides of the state spending even more money for families to send their children to private schools that accept vouchers. That’s because 28 rural North Carolina counties have one or no private school participating in the voucher program.

    “We’ve got evidence from other states that have done this (expand private school vouchers) to prove that studies show that private school vouchers do not improve student performance,” Cooper said. “We also know and we’ve seen it in other states that rural counties will be hurt the most. Most of the private schools getting this taxpayer money are in the urban areas” of the state.

    Read the article here.

    The Taylorsville Times: An interview with Gov. Cooper about School Voucher Expansion legislation

    Angela Farr King, September 18, 2024

    North Carolina House Bill 10, also known as the Private School Voucher Expansion Bill, recently passed in the NC Senate on September 9 and the NC House of Representatives on September 11.

    According to The Opportunity Scholarship Impact Analysis sent to The Taylorsville Times by the Governor’s office and created by the Office of State Budget Management (OSBM), “the Opportunity Scholarship Program (also known as the Private School Voucher Program) was created by the NC General Assembly in 2013. Scholarships are awarded based on a family’s household income and can be used to pay the required tuition and fees to attend an eligible K-12 private school.”

    The OSBM also states that “The 2023 Appropriations Act SL 2023-134 expanded program eligibility and funding leading to nearly 70,000 new applications for the 2024-25 academic year, a more than 100% increase over 2023-24. 15,805 of new eligible applicants were funded, leaving 54,000 on the waitlist. Additional appropriations proposed in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 NC House and Senate budget bills would fund all remaining 2024-25 eligible applicants.”

    According to the Impact Analysis, if the proposed House 10 Bill passes, the current number of new students receiving scholarships to attend private schools of 15,805 will possibly increase by a number of 53,706 for a total of 69,511.

    Read the article here.

    Jacksonville Daily News: Gov. Cooper urging residents in ENC, to speak up against private school voucher funding

    Morgan Starling, September 18, 2024

    North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is urging residents, specifically those in rural counties like Onslow, Craven, and Lenoir, to contact their legislators in opposition to a program that Cooper says could take around $625 million away from public schools in just the first year.

    The General Assembly returned to session last week, passing a supplemental spending bill that approves hundreds of millions more taxpayer dollars for private school vouchers through the Opportunity Scholarship Program.

    The House voted 67-43, according to reporting by the Associated Press, adopting the plan that Cooper says will see the legislature spend more than $4 billion in taxpayer funding over the next decade.

    “This is devastating for education across the board, and we have evidence from other states to prove it,” Cooper told The Daily News. “Studies show that private school vouchers do not improve student performance. Instead, they rob public schools of badly needed funding. Of course, in North Carolina, we wouldn’t know, because they have provided no accountability for these hundreds of millions of dollars that they’re sending to the private schools.”

    Expanding private school vouchers would especially impact rural North Carolina counties, where access to private education is limited, and public schools serve as the backbone of communities, according to Cooper’s office.

    In fact, 28 of North Carolina’s 100 counties have no, or just one, private school participating in the voucher program.

    Onslow County itself could lose around $1.7 million in public education funding in just the first year of the expanded voucher program, with 12 private schools eligible to participate.

    Craven County could lose around $1.5 million with only nine schools participating, Lenoir could lose more than $553,000 with just five schools participating, and Jones could lose more than $102,000 despite having zero schools participating.

    Read the article here.

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    Sep 19, 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN Special Envoy for Road Safety to launch the UN global road safety campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, is visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 16 to 17 July 2024. During the visit, he will meet with key government officials, representatives of the international community, private, and public sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina to promote road safety initiatives and advocate for enhanced measures. This aligns with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, aiming to halve road fatalities by 2030. This silent pandemic represents a significant social and economic burden, particularly in low and middle-income countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    “In addition to the human tragedy, road crashes trap countries into a vicious circle of poverty. According to the World Bank (WB 2016), the cost of road crashes represents 10% of the GDP on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Another reason to rethink mobility and to invest in road safety. Given their social and economic cost, road crashes are jeopardizing the entire sustainable development agenda,” stressed the Special Envoy Todt.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina has seen a concerning rise in road fatalities, with a mortality rate of 14 per 100,000 people, which is double the EU average.

    “Improving enforcement of traffic laws, enhancement of road infrastructure, and fostering behavioral change are crucial for reducing these alarming statistics and ensuring safer roads for everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Special Envoy Todt’s visit will be instrumental in raising awareness and mobilizing support for enhanced road safety measure, which will benefit the society as a whole, particularly the overburden healthcare system, families, and victims affected by these tragedies,” stated Ingrid Macdonald, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    During the visit, the Special Envoy will launch the UN Global Road Safety Campaign, which aims to raise awareness of life-saving road safety measures. Launched globally in cooperation with JCDecaux Global under the motto #MakeASafetyStatement, it will run through 2025 in over 80 countries in the world, featuring safety statements from 14 global celebrities.                                            

    Support for the campaign has been given by 14 world-renowned personalities, including footballer Didier Drogba, Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc, Oscar-winning actress and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh, tennis player Novak Djokovic, musician Kylie Minogue, motorcycle racer Marc Marquez, supermodel Naomi Campbell, actor Patrick Dempsey, musician and inspirational leader Youssou N’Dour, actress Julie Gayet, actor Michael Fassbender, football icon Ousmane Dembélé, two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, and Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher.                                                                                           

    Media representatives are cordially invited to cover the launch of the campaign at the press conference by Special Envoy Todt, Mayor of Sarajevo Benjamina Karić, and United Nations Resident Coordinator Ingrid Macdonald, on Wednesday, 17 July 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at the City Hall in Sarajevo. On the same day, starting at 8:30 p.m., a digital projection of the campaign will be displayed on the Eternal Flame building, in the presence of Special Envoy Todt, Mayor Karić, and United Nations Resident Coordinator Macdonald. With this event, Sarajevo will join Brussels, New York, and other capitals in the world in promoting this important campaign.

    Note to Editors

    The UN has invested heavily in road safety globally. Following the “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020”, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in August 2020 for “Improving Road Safety”, which reaffirmed its commitment to halve global road deaths and injuries and provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all by 2030. In July 2022, the road safety community met in New York for the first-ever high-level meeting on improving global road safety at the United Nations General Assembly, unanimously adopting a text entitled: “Political declaration of the high-level meeting level on improving global road safety”.

    About the Special Envoy

    The former United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, appointed in 2015 Jean Todt as his Special Envoy for Road Safety. He was reconfirmed in this role by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in 2017 and in 2021. In 2018, together with 14 UN organizations, the Special Envoy launched the UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF). The Special Envoy contributes, among other things, to mobilize sustained political commitment to make road safety a priority; to advocate and raise awareness of UN legal instruments on road safety; to share established good practices in this area; to striving to generate adequate funding through strategic partnerships between the public, private and non-governmental sectors. Special Envoy brochure and Twitter account.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Joint Fact Sheet: The United  States and India Continue to Expand Comprehensive and Global Strategic  Partnership

    Source: The White House

    Today, United States President Joseph R. Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed that the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership, the defining partnership of the 21st century, is decisively delivering on an ambitious agenda that serves the global good.  The Leaders reflected on a historic period that has seen the United States and India reach unprecedented levels of trust and collaboration.  The Leaders affirmed that the U.S.-India partnership must be anchored in upholding democracy, freedom, the rule of law, human rights, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all as our countries strive to become more perfect unions and meet our shared destiny.  The Leaders commended the progress that has made the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership a pillar of global security and peace, highlighting the benefits of increased operational coordination, information-sharing, and defense industrial innovation.  President Biden and Prime Minister Modi expressed unrelenting optimism and the utmost confidence that the tireless efforts of our peoples, our civic and private sectors, and our governments to forge deeper bonds have set the U.S.-India partnership on a path toward even greater heights in the decades ahead.
     
    President Biden expressed his immense appreciation for India’s leadership on the world stage, particularly Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in the G-20 and in the Global South and his commitment to strengthen the Quad to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. India is at the forefront of efforts to seek solutions to the most pressing challenges, from supporting the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic to addressing the devastating consequences of conflicts around the world. President Biden commended Prime Minister Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in decades, and for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine, including its energy sector, and on the importance of international law, including the UN charter.  The Leaders reaffirmed their support for the freedom of navigation and the protection of commerce, including critical maritime routes in the Middle East where India will assume co-lead in 2025 of the Combined Task Force 150 to work with Combined Maritime Forces to secure sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.  President Biden shared with Prime Minister Modi that the United States supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership for India in a reformed U.N. Security Council.  The Leaders voiced their view that a closer U.S.-India partnership is vital to the success of efforts to build a cleaner, inclusive, more secure, and more prosperous future for the planet.   
     
    President Biden and Prime Minister Modi applauded the success of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in deepening and expanding strategic cooperation across key technology sectors, including space, semiconductors, and advanced telecommunications. Both Leaders committed to enhance regular engagements to improve the momentum of collaboration in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy. They highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration with like-minded partners, including through the Quad and a U.S.-India-ROK Trilateral Technology initiative launched earlier this year to build more secure and resilient supply chains for critical industries and ensure we collectively remain at the leading edge of innovation.  The Leaders directed their governments to redouble efforts to address export controls, enhance high technology commerce, and reduce barriers to technology transfer between our two countries, while addressing technology security, including through the India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue.  Leaders also endorsed new mechanisms for deeper cyberspace cooperation through the bilateral cybersecurity dialogue. The Leaders recommitted to expand the manufacturing and deployment of clean energy, including finding opportunities to expand U.S.-India cooperation in solar, wind and nuclear energy and the development of small modular reactor technologies.
     
    Charting a Technology Partnership for the Future
     

    • President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed a watershed arrangement to establish a new semiconductor fabrication plant focused on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics for national security, next generation telecommunications, and green energy applications. The fab, which will be established with the objective of manufacturing infrared, gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductors, will be enabled by support from the India Semiconductor Mission as well as a strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the U.S. Space Force.
    • The Leaders praised combined efforts to facilitate resilient, secure, and sustainable semiconductor supply chains including through GlobalFoundries’ (GF) creation of the GF Kolkata Power Center in Kolkata, India that will enhance mutually beneficial linkages in research and development in chip manufacturing and enable game-changing advances for zero and low emission as well as connected vehicles, internet of things devices, AI, and data centers. They noted GF’s plans to explore longer term, cross-border manufacturing and technology partnerships with India which will deliver high-quality jobs in both of our countries.  They also celebrated the new strategic partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the India Semiconductor Mission, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in connection with the International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund. 
    • The Leaders welcomed steps our industry is taking to build safe, secure, and resilient supply chains for U.S., Indian, and international automotive markets, including through Ford Motor Company’s submission of a Letter of Intent to utilize its Chennai plant to manufacture for export to global markets.  
    • The Leaders welcomed progress toward the first joint effort by NASA and ISRO to conduct scientific research onboard the International Space Station in 2025. They appreciated the initiatives and exchange of ideas under the Civil Space Joint Working Group and expressed hope that its next meeting in early 2025 will open additional avenues of cooperation.  They pledged to pursue opportunities to deepen joint innovation and strategic collaborations, including by exploring new platforms in civil and commercial space domains.  
    • The Leaders also welcomed efforts to enhance collaboration between our research and development ecosystems. The Leaders also welcomed efforts to enhance collaboration between our research and development ecosystems. The Leaders also welcomed efforts to enhance collaboration between our research and development ecosystems.  They plan to mobilize up to $90+ million in U.S. and Indian government funding over the next five years for the U.S.-India Global Challenges Institute to support high-impact R&D partnerships between U.S. and Indian universities and research institutions, including through identifying options to implement the Statement of Intent signed at the June 2024 iCET meeting.  The Leaders also welcomed the launch of a new U.S.-India Advanced Materials R&D Forum to expand collaboration between American and Indian universities, national laboratories, and private sector researchers. The Leaders also welcomed the launch of a new U.S.-India Advanced Materials R&D Forum to expand collaboration between American and Indian universities, national laboratories, and private sector researchers. 
    • The Leaders announced the selection of 11 funding awards between the National Science Foundation and India’s Department of Science and Technology, supported by a combined $5+ million grant to enable joint U.S.-India research projects in areas such as next-generation telecommunications, connected vehicles, machine learning.  The Leaders announced the award of 12 funding awards under the National Science Foundation and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, research collaboration with a combined outlay of nearly $10 million to enable joint U.S.-India basic and applied research in the areas of semiconductors, next generation communication systems, sustainability & green technologies and intelligent transportation systems.  Furthermore, NSF and MeitY are exploring new opportunities for research collaboration to enhance and synergize the basic and applied research ecosystem on both sides.
    • The Leaders celebrated that India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) along with National Science Foundation of the United States announced the first joint call for collaborative research projects in February 2024 to address complex scientific challenges and innovate novel solutions that leverage advances in synthetic and engineering biology, systems and computational biology, and other associated fields that are foundational to developing future biomanufacturing solutions and advance the bioeconomy. Under the first call for proposals, joint research teams responded enthusiastically and results are likely to be announced by the end of 2024.
    • The Leaders also highlighted additional cooperation we are building across artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, and other critical technology areas. They highlighted the second convening of the U.S.-India Quantum Coordination Mechanism in Washington in August and welcomed the announcement of seventeen new awards for binational research and development cooperation on artificial intelligence and quantum via the U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (IUSSTF).  They welcomed new private sector cooperation on emerging technologies, such as through IBM’s recent conclusion of memoranda of understanding with the Government of India, which will enable IBM’s watsonx platform on India’s Airawat supercomputer and drive new AI innovation opportunities, enhance R&D collaboration on advanced semiconductor processors, and increase support for India’s National Quantum Mission. 
    • The Leaders commended ongoing efforts to build more expansive cooperation around 5G deployment and next-generation telecommunications; this includes the U.S. Agency for International Development’s plans to expand the Asia Open RAN Academy with an initial $7 million investment to grow this workforce training initiative worldwide, including in South Asia with Indian institutions.
    • The Leaders welcomed progress since the November 2023 signing of an MOU between the Commerce Department and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to enhance the two countries’ innovation ecosystems under the “Innovation Handshake” agenda.  Since then, the two sides have convened two industry roundtables in the U.S. and India to bring together startups, private equity and venture capital firms, corporate investment departments, and government officials to forge connections and to accelerate investment in innovation.

    Powering a Next Generation Defense Partnership

    • President Biden welcomed the progress towards India concluding procurement of 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment, which will enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of India’s armed forces across all domains. 
    • The Leaders recognized the remarkable progress under the U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, including ongoing collaboration to advance priority co-production arrangements for jet engines, munitions, and ground mobility systems.  They also welcomed efforts to expand defense industrial partnerships, including the teaming of Liquid Robotics and Sagar Defence Engineering for the co-development and co-production of unmanned surface vehicle systems that strengthen undersea and maritime domain awareness. The Leaders applauded the recent conclusion of the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA), enhancing the mutual supply of defense goods and services. Both Leaders committed to advance ongoing discussions on aligning their respective defense procurement systems to further enable the reciprocal supply of defense goods and services.
    • President Biden welcomed India’s decision to set a uniform Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5 percent on the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector, including on all aircraft and aircraft engine parts thereby simplifying the tax structure and paving the way for building a strong ecosystem for MRO services in India. The Leaders also encouraged the industry to foster collaboration and drive innovation to support India’s efforts to become a leading aviation hub.  The Leaders welcomed commitments from U.S. industry to further increase India’s MRO capabilities, including for the repair of aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
    • The Leaders hailed the teaming agreement on the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft recently signed between Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, the two companies that co-chair the U.S.-India CEO Forum.  Building on longstanding industry cooperation, this agreement will establish a new Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India to support the readiness of the Indian fleet and global partners who operate the C-130 Super Hercules aircraft.  This marks a significant step in U.S.-India defense and aerospace cooperation and reflects the two sides’ deepening strategic and technology partnership ties.
    • The Leaders lauded the growing defense innovation collaboration between our governments, businesses, and academic institutions fostered by the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) initiative launched in 2023, and noted progress achieved during the third INDUS-X Summit in Silicon Valley earlier this month. They welcomed the enhanced collaboration between the Indian Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and US Department of Defence’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) through the Memorandum of Understanding signed at the Silicon Valley Summit. The efforts via the INDUSWERX consortium to facilitate pathways for defense and dual-use companies in the INDUS-X network to access premier testing ranges in both countries, were appreciated.
    • The Leaders also recognized the clear fulfillment of the shared goal to build a defense innovation bridge under INDUS-X through the launch of “joint challenges” designed by the U.S. DoD’S DIU and the Indian MoD’s Defence Innovation Organization (DIO).  In 2024, our governments have separately awarded $1+ million to U.S. and Indian companies that developed technologies focused on undersea communications and maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).  Building on this success, a new challenge was announced at the most recent INDUS-X Summit that focused on Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO).  
    • The Leaders welcomed ongoing efforts to deepen our military partnership and interoperability to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, noting that India hosted our most complex, largest bilateral, tri-service exercise to date during the March 2024 TIGER TRIUMPH exercise.  They also welcomed the inclusion of new technologies and capabilities, including a first-ever demonstration of the Javelin and Stryker systems in India, on the margins of the ongoing bilateral Army YUDH ABHYAS exercise. 
    • The Leaders welcomed the conclusion of the Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers, and the commencement of deployment process of the first Liaison Officer from India in US Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
    • The Leaders commended work to advance cooperation in advanced domains, including space and cyber, and looked forward towards the November 2024 bilateral cyber engagement to enhance the U.S.-India cyber cooperation framework. Areas of new cooperation will include threat information sharing, cybersecurity training, and collaboration on vulnerability mitigation in energy and telecommunications networks. The Leaders also noted the second U.S.-India Advanced Domains Defense Dialogue in May 2024, which included the first-ever bilateral defense space table-top exercise. 

    Catalyzing the Clean Energy Transition

    • President Biden and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the U.S.-India Roadmap to Build Safe and Secure Global Clean Energy Supply Chains, which launched a new initiative to accelerate the expansion of safe and secure clean energy supply chains through U.S. and Indian manufacturing of clean energy technologies and components.  In its initial phase, the U.S. and India would work together to unlock $1 billion of multilateral financing to support projects across the clean energy value chain for renewable energy, energy storage, power grid and transmission technologies, high efficiency cooling systems, zero emission vehicles, and other emerging clean technologies.
    • The Leaders also highlighted the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)’s partnership with India’s private sector to expand clean energy manufacturing and diversify supply chains.  To date, DFC has extended a $250 million loan to Tata Power Solar to construct a solar cell manufacturing facility and a $500 million loan to First Solar to construct and operate a solar module manufacturing facility in India.
    • The Leaders lauded the strong collaboration under the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP), most recently convened on September 16, 2024 in Washington DC to strengthen energy security, create opportunities for clean energy innovation, address climate change and create employment generation opportunities, including through capacity building, and collaboration between industry and R&D.
    • The Leaders welcomed collaboration on a new National Center for Hydrogen Safety in India and affirmed their intent to utilize the new Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) to enhance collaboration on clean energy manufacturing and global supply chains, including through public-private task forces on hydrogen and energy storage.
    • The Leaders also announced a new Memorandum of Cooperation between the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Solar Alliance aimed at promoting more responsive and sustainable power systems that leverage diverse renewable energy sources. 
    • The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to accelerate the development of diverse and sustainable supply chains for critical minerals under the Minerals Security Partnership targeting strategic projects along the value chain.  The Leaders looked forward to the signing of the Critical Minerals Memorandum of Understanding at the forthcoming U.S.-India Commercial Dialogue and pledged to hasten bilateral collaboration to secure resilient critical minerals supply chains through enhanced technical assistance and greater commercial cooperation.
    • The Leaders welcomed the progress made on joint efforts since 2023 for India to work toward IEA membership in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement on an International Energy Program.
    • The two Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the manufacturing and deployment of renewable energy, battery storage and emerging clean technology in India. They welcomed the ongoing progress between India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to provide up to $500 million each to anchor the Green Transition Fund as well as encourage private sector investors to match these efforts. Both sides look forward to the expeditious operationalization of the Green Transition Fund.

    Empowering Future Generations and Promoting Global Health and Development

    • The Leaders welcomed India’s signature and ratification of the Agreements under Pillar III, Pillar IV and the overarching Agreement on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The Leaders underscored that IPEF seeks to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness of the economies of its signatories. They noted the economic diversity of the 14 IPEF partners that represents 40 percent of global GDP and 28 percent of global goods and services trade.
    • President Biden and Prime Minister Modi celebrated the new U.S.-India Drug Policy Framework for the 21st Century and its accompanying Memorandum of Understanding, which will deepen collaboration to disrupt the illicit production and international trafficking of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals, and deepen a holistic public health partnership. 
    • The two Leaders signaled their commitment to the objectives of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs Threats and work towards combatting the threat of synthetic drugs and their precursors through mutually agreed initiatives to promote public health through coordinated actions.
    • The Leaders applauded the first-ever U.S.-India Cancer Dialogue held in August 2024, which brought together experts from both countries to increase research and development to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer.  The Leaders applauded the recently launched Bio5 partnership between the United States, India, ROK, Japan, and the EU, driving closer cooperation on pharmaceutical supply chains.  The Leaders applauded the Development Finance Corporation’s $50 million loan to Indian company Panacea Biotech to manufacture hexavalent (six-in-one) vaccines for children, reaffirming our joint commitment to advance shared global health priorities, including bolstering support for primary healthcare.
    • The leaders welcomed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Small Business Administration for promoting cooperation between U.S. and Indian small and medium-size enterprises by improving their participation in the global market place through capacity building workshops in areas such as trade and export finance, technology and digital trade, green economy and trade facilitation. The MoU also provides for the joint conduct of programs for women entrepreneurs to empower them and facilitate trade partnership between women-owned small businesses of the two countries.  The Leaders celebrated that, since the June 2023 State visit, the Development Finance Corporation has invested $177 million across eight projects to support Indian small businesses and drive economic growth.
    • The Leaders welcomed enhanced cooperation on agriculture between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, agriculture productivity growth, agriculture innovation, and sharing best practices related to crop risk protection and agriculture credit. The two sides will also enhance cooperation with the private sector through discussions on regulatory issues and innovation to enhance bilateral trade.
    • The Leaders welcomed the formal launch of the new U.S.-India Global Digital Development Partnership, which aims to bring together U.S. and Indian private sector companies, technology and resources to deploy the responsible use of emerging digital technologies in Asia and Africa.
    • The Leaders welcomed strengthened trilateral cooperation with Tanzania through the Triangular Development Partnership, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development and India’s Development Partnership Administration to jointly address global development challenges and foster prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The partnership focuses on advancing renewable energy projects, including solar energy, to enhance energy infrastructure and access in Tanzania, thereby bolstering energy cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.  They also desired to explore the expansion of the triangular development partnership in areas of health cooperation, particularly for critical technical areas of mutual interest including digital health and capacity building of nurses and other frontline health workers.
    • The Leaders acknowledged the July 2024 signing of a bilateral Cultural Property Agreement that will facilitate implementation of the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.  The agreement marked the culmination of years of diligent work by experts from both countries and fulfills President Biden’s and Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to enhance cooperation to protect cultural heritage highlighted in the joint statement when they met in June 2023. In this context, the leaders welcomed the repatriation of 297 Indian antiquities from the U.S. to India in 2024.
    • The Leaders look forward to building on India’s ambitious G20 presidency to deliver on shared priorities for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, including: bigger, better, and more effective MDBs, including by following through on Leaders’ pledges in New Delhi to boost the World Bank’s capacity to help developing countries address global challenges, while recognizing the imperative of achieving the sustainable development goals; a more predictable, orderly, timely and coordinated sovereign debt restructuring process; and a pathway to growth for high-ambition developing countries that are facing financing challenges amid mounting debt burdens by increasing access to finance and unlocking fiscal space taking into account country specific circumstances.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill  Biden at the First-Ever Back-to-School Night at the White  House

    Source: The White House

    The South Lawn

    Welcome to the White House!

    “Back to School” means different things, depending on who you ask.

    For students, it’s about reuniting with friends after a summer apart, learning new subjects, and trying out for sports teams.

    For teachers like me, it means re-imagining our classrooms, and showing students all that they can do.

    For parents, it’s a huge sigh of relief—right?

    I’ve also been thinking about what “Back to School” meant four years ago.

    The pandemic was still raging. And our schools were silent. Teachers had to reach out to students through Zoom squares. Bus drivers dropped off Wifi hot-spots to neighborhoods with no connection. Counselors took call after call from parents in tears, just trying to juggle it all.

    Our educators came to the rescue.

    Thank you for being the heroes we needed.

    As President, Joe has had your back and been your champion.

    His Administration helped reopen our schools safely, made historic investments in public schools, fixed student loan relief for public servants. And Joe is fighting to make sure educators are paid what you’re worth.

    Since he took office, 30 states and Washington, D.C. have increased teacher pay.

    For my last “Back to School” season here at the White House, I wanted to celebrate all of that progress.

    Thank you to the President’s Own Marine Band for providing the soundtrack for today’s festivities. I’m so grateful to you and your families for your service to our nation—and so is your Commander-in-Chief.

    We also have several Teachers of the Year with us. I got to meet so many of you at the first-ever State Dinner for Teachers of the Year a few months ago. I am amazed by the love and care you pour into your students and classrooms.

    And it’s great to have Secretary Cardona here, along with his wife, Marissa, who is also an educator. Secretary Cardona—Miguel—you spend every day thinking about how to best support students, and lifting up teachers and schools. Joe and I are grateful for your commitment to our nation’s learners.

    With each new school year, we stand on the precipice of possibility.

    Teachers will broaden horizons from their classrooms, parents will see how much their kids can grow and learn, students will let their imaginations soar. And Joe and I will be cheering you on. 

    But tonight, everybody remember: it’s not a school night.

    So please have fun on the best lawn in America.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Wilmington Declaration Joint Statement from the Leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the United  States

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Today, we—Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States—met for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit, hosted by President Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.
    Four years since elevating the Quad to a leader-level format, the Quad is more strategically aligned than ever before and is a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact for the Indo-Pacific. We celebrate the fact that over just four years, Quad countries have built a vital and enduring regional grouping that will buttress the Indo-Pacific for decades to come.
    Anchored by shared values, we seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law. Together we represent nearly two billion people and over one-third of global gross domestic product. We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Through our cooperation, the Quad is harnessing all of our collective strengths and resources, from governments to the private sector to people-to-people relationships, to support the region’s sustainable development, stability, and prosperity by delivering tangible benefits to the people of the Indo-Pacific.
    As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity. We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We condemn recent illicit missile launches in the region that violate UN Security Council resolutions. We express serious concern over recent dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain. We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated—one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures. We are united in our commitment to upholding a stable and open international system, with its strong support for human rights, the principle of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition on the threat or use of force in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter.
    Reflecting the Vision Statement issued by Leaders at the 2023 Quad Summit, we are and will continue to be transparent in what we do. Respect for the leadership of regional institutions, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), is and will remain at the center of the Quad’s efforts.
    A Global Force for Good
    Health Security
    The COVID-19 pandemic reminded the world how important health security is to our societies, our economies, and the stability of our region. In 2021 and 2022, the Quad came together to deliver more than 400 million safe and effective COVID-19 doses to Indo-Pacific countries and almost 800 million vaccines globally, and provided $5.6 billion to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment for vaccine supply to low and middle-income countries. In 2023, we announced the Quad Health Security Partnership, through which the Quad continues to deliver for partners across the region, including through the delivery of pandemic preparedness training.
    In response to the current clade I mpox outbreak, as well as the ongoing clade II mpox outbreak, we plan to coordinate our efforts to promote equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured mpox vaccines, including where appropriate expanding vaccine manufacturing in low and middle-income countries.
    Today we are proud to announce the Quad Cancer Moonshot, a groundbreaking partnership to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region. Building on the Quad’s successful partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, our collective investments to address cancer in the region, our scientific and medical capabilities, and contributions from our private and non-profit sectors, we will collaborate with partner nations to reduce the burden of cancer in the region.
    The Quad Cancer Moonshot will focus initially on combatting cervical cancer—a preventable cancer that continues to claim too many lives—in the Indo-Pacific region, while laying the groundwork to address other forms of cancer as well. The United States intends to support this initiative, including through U.S. Navy medical trainings and professional exchanges around cervical cancer prevention in the region starting in 2025, and through U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) openness to finance eligible private sector-driven projects to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, including cervical cancer. Australia is announcing the expansion of the Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer Program (EPICC) with support of the Australian Government and the Minderoo Foundation to AUD 29.6 million, to cover up to eleven countries in the Indo-Pacific in helping advance the elimination of cervical cancer and support complementary initiatives focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. India commits to providing HPV sampling kits, detection kits, and cervical cancer vaccines worth $7.5 million to the Indo-Pacific region.  India, through its $10 million commitment to the WHO’s Global Initiative on Digital Health, will offer technical assistance to interested countries in the Indo-Pacific region for the adoption and deployment of its Digital Public Infrastructure that helps in cancer screening and care. Japan is providing medical equipment, including CT and MRI scanners, and other assistance worth approximately $27 million, including in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste, and is contributing to international organizations such as the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. Quad partners also intend to work, within respective national contexts, to collaborate in advancing research and development in the area of cancer and to increase private sector and non-governmental sector activities in support of reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the region. We welcome a number of new, ambitious commitments from non-governmental institutions, including the Serum Institute of India, in partnership with Gavi, which will support orders of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses, subject to necessary approvals, for the Indo-Pacific region, and which may be increased consistent with demand. We also welcome a new $100 million commitment from Women’s Health and Empowerment Network to address cervical cancer in Southeast Asia.
    Altogether, our scientific experts assess that the Quad Cancer Moonshot will save hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming decades.
    Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
    Twenty years since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, when the Quad first came together to surge humanitarian assistance, we continue to respond to the vulnerabilities caused by natural disasters in the Indo-Pacific. In 2022, the Quad established the “Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in the Indo-Pacific” and signed Guidelines for the Quad Partnership on HADR in the Indo-Pacific, which enable Quad countries to rapidly coordinate in the face of natural disasters. We welcome Quad governments working to ensure readiness to rapidly respond, including through pre-positioning of essential relief supplies, in the event of a natural disaster; this effort extends from the Indian Ocean region, to Southeast Asia, to the Pacific.
    In May 2024, following a tragic landslide in Papua New Guinea, Quad partners collectively contributed over $5 million in humanitarian assistance. Quad partners are working together to provide over $4 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Vietnam in light of the devastating consequences of Typhoon Yagi. The Quad continues to support partners in the region in their longer-term resiliency efforts.
    Maritime Security
    In 2022, we announced the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) to offer near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness information to partners in the region. Since then, in consultation with partners, we have successfully scaled the program across the Indo-Pacific region—through the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, with partners in Southeast Asia, to the Information Fusion Center—Indian Ocean Region, Gurugram. In doing so, the Quad has helped well over two dozen countries access dark vessel maritime domain awareness data, so they can better monitor the activities in their exclusive economic zones—including unlawful activity. Australia commits to boosting its cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency to enhance regional maritime domain awareness in the Pacific through satellite data, training, and capacity building.
    Today we are announcing a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI), to enable our partners in the region to maximize tools provided through IPMDA and other Quad partner initiatives, to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior. We look forward to India hosting the inaugural MAITRI workshop in 2025. Furthermore, we welcome the launch of a Quad maritime legal dialogue to support efforts to uphold the rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, Quad partners intend to layer new technology and data into IPMDA over the coming year, to continue to deliver cutting edge capability and information to the region.
    We are also announcing today that the U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard, plan to launch a first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025, to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety, and continuing with further missions in future years across the Indo-Pacific.  
    We also announce today the launch of a Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, to pursue shared airlift capacity among our nations and leverage our collective logistics strengths, in order to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region.
    Quality Infrastructure
    The Quad remains committed to improving the region’s connectivity through the development of quality, resilient infrastructure.
    We are pleased to announce the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, which will harness the Quad’s expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, in collaboration with regional partners. In 2025, we intend to hold a Quad Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, hosted by India in Mumbai. Through this new partnership, Quad partners intend to coordinate, exchange information, share best practices with partners in the region, and leverage resources to mobilize government and private sector investments in quality port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region.
    We applaud the expansion of the Quad Infrastructure Fellowships to more than 2,200 experts, and note that Quad partners have already provided well over 1,300 fellowships since the initiative was announced at last year’s Summit. We also appreciate the workshop organized by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in India, working to empower partners across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen power sector resilience.
    Through the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, we continue to support and strengthen quality undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific, the capacity, durability, and reliability of which are inextricably linked to the security and prosperity of the region and the world. In support of these efforts, Australia launched the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre in July, which is delivering workshops and policy and regulatory assistance in response to requests from across the region. Japan will extend technical cooperation to improve public ICT infrastructure management capacity for an undersea cable in Nauru and Kiribati. The United States has conducted over 1,300 capacity building trainings for telecommunication officials and executives from 25 countries in the Indo-Pacific; today the U.S. announces its intent, working with Congress, to invest an additional $3.4 million to extend and expand this training program.
    Investments in cable projects by Quad partners will help support all Pacific island countries in achieving primary telecommunication cable connectivity by the end of 2025. Since the last Quad Leaders’ Summit, Quad partners have committed over $140 million to undersea cable builds in the Pacific, alongside contributions from other likeminded partners. Complementing these investments in new undersea cables, India has commissioned a feasibility study to examine expansion of undersea cable maintenance and repair capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.
    We reaffirm our support for the Pacific Quality Infrastructure Principles, which are an expression of Pacific voices on infrastructure.
    We underscore our commitment to an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe, reliable and secure digital future to advance our shared prosperity and sustainable development across the Indo-Pacific. In this context, we welcome the Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure.
    Critical and Emerging Technologies
    Today, we are proud to announce an ambitious expansion of our partnership to deliver trusted technology solutions to the broader Indo-Pacific region.
    Last year, Quad partners launched a landmark initiative to deploy the first Open Radio Access Network (RAN) in the Pacific, in Palau, to support a secure, resilient, and interconnected telecommunications ecosystem. Since then, the Quad has pledged approximately $20 million to this effort.
    Quad partners also welcome the opportunity to explore additional Open RAN projects in Southeast Asia. We plan to expand support for ongoing Open RAN field trials and the Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA) in the Philippines, building on the initial $8 million in support that the United States and Japan pledged earlier this year. The United States also plans to invest over $7 million to support the global expansion of AORA, including through establishing a first-of-its-kind Open RAN workforce training initiative at scale in South Asia, in partnership with Indian institutions.
    Quad partners will also explore collaborating with the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation to ensure the country’s readiness for nationwide 5G deployment.
    We remain committed to advancing our cooperation on semiconductors through better leveraging of our complementary strengths to realize a diversified and competitive market and enhance resilience of Quad’s semiconductor supply chains. We welcome a Memorandum of Cooperation between Quad countries for the Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network.
    Through the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative announced at last year’s Summit, our governments are deepening leading-edge collaborative research to harness artificial intelligence, robotics, and sensing to transform agricultural approaches and empower farmers across the Indo-Pacific. We are pleased to announce an inaugural $7.5+ million in funding opportunities for joint research, and welcome the recent signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between our science agencies to connect our research communities and advance shared research principles.
    The United States, Australia, India, and Japan look forward to launching the Quad BioExplore Initiative—a funded mechanism that will support joint AI-driven exploration of diverse non-human biological data across all four countries.
    This project will also be underpinned by the forthcoming Quad Principles for Research and Development Collaborations in Critical and Emerging Technologies.
    Climate and Clean Energy
    As we underscore the severe economic, social, and environmental consequences posed by the climate crisis, we continue to work together with Indo-Pacific partners, including through Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP), to enhance climate and clean energy cooperation as well as promote adaptation and resilience. We emphasize the significant benefits of transitioning to a clean energy economy for our people, our planet, and our shared prosperity. Our countries intend to strengthen our cooperation to align policies, incentives, standards, and investments around creating high-quality, diversified clean energy supply chains that will enhance our collective energy security, create new economic opportunities across the region, and benefit local workers and communities around the world, particularly across the Indo-Pacific.
    We will work together, through policy and public finance, to operationalize our commitment to catalyzing complementary and high-standard private sector investment in allied and partner clean energy supply chains. To this end, Australia will open applications for the Quad Clean Energy Supply Chains Diversification Program in November, providing AUD 50 million to support projects that develop and diversify solar panel, hydrogen electrolyzer and battery supply chains in the Indo-Pacific. India commits to invest $2 million in new solar projects in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar, and Seychelles. Japan has committed to $122 million grants and loans in renewable energy projects in Indo-Pacific countries. The United States, through DFC, will continue to seek opportunities to mobilize private capital to solar, as well as wind, cooling, batteries, and critical minerals to expand and diversify supply chains.
    We are pleased to announce a focused Quad effort to boost energy efficiency, including the deployment and manufacturing of high-efficiency affordable, cooling systems to enable climate-vulnerable communities to adapt to rising temperatures while simultaneously reducing strain on the electricity grid.
    We jointly affirm our commitment to addressing the challenges posed by climate change and ensure the resilience and sustainability of port infrastructure. Quad partners will leverage our learning and expertise to forge a path towards sustainable and resilient port infrastructure, including through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
    Cyber
    In the face of a deteriorating security environment in the cyber domain, Quad countries intend to enhance our cybersecurity partnership to address common threats posed by state-sponsored actors, cybercriminals, and other non-state malicious actors. Our countries commit to taking concrete steps to increase our collective network defense and advance technical capabilities through greater threat information sharing and capacity building. We plan to coordinate joint efforts to identify vulnerabilities, protect national security networks and critical infrastructure networks, and coordinate more closely including on policy responses to significant cybersecurity incidents affecting the Quad’s shared priorities.
    Quad countries are also partnering with software manufacturers, industry trade groups, and research centers to expand our commitmentto pursuing secure software development standards and certification, as endorsed in the Quad’s 2023 Secure Software Joint Principles. We will work to harmonize these standards to not only ensure that the development, procurement, and end-use of software for government networks is more secure, but that the cyber resilience of our supply chains, digital economies, and societies are collectively improved. Throughout this fall, Quad countries each plan to host campaigns to mark the annual Quad Cyber Challenge promoting responsible cyber ecosystems, public resources, and cybersecurity awareness. We are constructively engaging on the Quad Action Plan to Protect Commercial Undersea Telecommunications Cables, developed by the Quad Senior Cyber Group, as a complementary effort to the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience. Our coordinated actions to protect global telecommunications infrastructure as guided by the Action Plan will advance our shared vision for future digital connectivity, global commerce, and prosperity. 
    Space
    We recognize the essential contribution of space-related applications and technologies in the Indo-Pacific. Our four countries intend to continue delivering Earth Observation data and other space-related applications to assist nations across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen climate early warning systems and better manage the impacts of extreme weather events. In this context, we welcome India’s establishment of a space-based web portal for Mauritius, to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact.
    Quad Investors Network (QUIN)
    We welcome private sector initiatives—including the Quad Investors Network (QUIN), which facilitates investments in strategic technologies, including clean energy, semiconductors, critical minerals, and quantum. The QUIN is mobilizing a number of investments to promote supply chain resilience, advance joint research and development, commercialize new technologies, and invest in our future workforce.
    People-to-People Initiatives
    The Quad is committed to strengthening the deep and enduring ties between our people, and among our partners. Through the Quad Fellowship, we are building a network of the next generation of science, technology, and policy leaders. Together with the Institute of International Education, which leads implementation of the Quad Fellowship, Quad governments welcome the second cohort of Quad Fellows and the expansion of the program to include students from ASEAN countries for the first time. The Government of Japan is supporting the program to enable Quad Fellows to study in Japan. The Quad welcomes the generous support of private sector partners for the next cohort of fellows, including Google, the Pratt Foundation, and Western Digital.
    India is pleased to announce a new initiative to award fifty Quad scholarships, worth $500,000, to students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue a 4-year undergraduate engineering program at a Government of India-funded technical institution.
    Working Together to Address Regional and Global Issues
    Today we reaffirm our consistent and unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity. We continue to support implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and are committed to ensuring the Quad’s work is aligned with ASEAN’s principles and priorities.
    We underscore ASEAN’s regional leadership role, including in the East Asia Summit, the region’s premier leader-led forum for strategic dialogue, and the ASEAN Regional Forum. As comprehensive strategic partners of ASEAN, our four countries intend to continue to strengthen our respective relationships with ASEAN and seek opportunities for greater Quad collaboration in support of the AOIP.
    We recommit to working in partnership with Pacific island countries to achieve shared aspirations and address shared challenges. We reaffirm our support for Pacific regional institutions that have served the region well over many years, with the PIF as the region’s premier political and economic policy organization, and warmly welcome Tonga’s leadership as the current PIF Chair in 2024-2025. We continue to support the objectives of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. We and our governments will continue to listen to and be guided at every step by Pacific priorities, including climate action, ocean health, resilient infrastructure, maritime security and financial integrity. In particular, we acknowledge climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific and applaud Pacific island countries’ global leadership on climate action.
    We remain committed to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. We strongly support IORA as the Indian Ocean region’s premier forum for addressing the region’s challenges. We recognize India’s leadership in finalizing the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP) and express our support for its implementation. We thank Sri Lanka for its continued leadership as IORA Chair through this year and look forward to India’s assuming the IORA Chair in 2025.  
    As Leaders, we are steadfast in our conviction that international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace, safety, security and stability in the maritime domain, underpin the sustainable development, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. We emphasize the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to address challenges to the global maritime rules-based order, including with respect to maritime claims. We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea. We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including increasing use of dangerous maneuvers. We also oppose efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities.We reaffirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, as reflected in UNCLOS. We re-emphasize the importance of maintaining and upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law. We re-emphasize the universal and unified character of UNCLOS and reaffirm that UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and the seas must be carried out. We underscore that the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea is a significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.
    Together, with our global and regional partners, we continue to support international institutions and initiatives that underpin global peace, prosperity and sustainable development. We reiterate our unwavering support for the UN Charter and the three pillars of the UN system. In consultation with our partners, we will work collectively to address attempts to unilaterally undermine the integrity of the UN, its Charter, and its agencies. We will reform the UN Security Council, recognizing the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council. This expansion of permanent seats should include representation for Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean in a reformed Security Council.
    We stand for adherence to international law and respect for principles of the UN Charter, including territorial integrity, sovereignty of all states, and peaceful resolution of disputes. We express our deepest concern over the war raging in Ukraine including the terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. Each of us has visited Ukraine since the war began, and seen this first-hand; we reiterate the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also note the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, especially for developing and least developed countries. In the context of this war, we share the view that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. We underscore the importance of upholding international law, and in line with the UN Charter, reiterate that all states must refrain from the threat of or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.
    We condemn North Korea’s destabilizing ballistic missile launches and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). These launches pose a grave threat to international peace and stability. We urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the UNSCRs, refrain from further provocations and engage in substantive dialogue. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant UNSCRs and call on all countries to fully implement these UNSCRs. We stress the need to prevent any proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies related to North Korea in the region and beyond. We express our grave concern over North Korea’s use of proliferation networks, malicious cyber activity and workers abroad to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. In that context, we urge all UN Member States to abide by the relevant UNSCRs including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materiel. We express deep concern about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, which directly undermines the global nonproliferation regime. As the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts tasked with monitoring violations of North Korea-related UNSCR sanctions was not renewed, we reiterate our commitment to continued implementation of the relevant UNSCRs which remain in full force. We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue.
    We remain deeply concerned by the worsening political, security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar, including in Rakhine State, and again call for an immediate cessation of violence, the release of all those unjustly and arbitrarily detained, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, resolution of the crisis through constructive and inclusive dialogue among all stakeholders, and a return to the path of inclusive democracy. We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN-led efforts, including the work of the ASEAN Chair and the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar. We call for full implementation of all commitments under the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus. The ongoing conflict and instability have serious implications for the region, including increases in transnational crime such as cybercrime, the illegal drug trade, and human trafficking. We restate our appeal to all States to prevent the flow of arms and dual-use material, including jet fuel. We remain resolute in our support for the people of Myanmar and commit to continuing to work with all stakeholders in a pragmatic and constructive way, to find a sustainable solution to the crisis in a process which is led by the people of Myanmar and returns Myanmar to the path of democracy.
    We call upon all States to contribute to the safe, peaceful, responsible, and sustainable use of outer space. We remain committed to fostering international cooperation and transparency, as well as confidence-building measures with the goal of improving the security of outer space for all States. We reaffirm the importance of upholding the existing international legal framework for outer space activities, including the Outer Space Treaty, and the obligation of all States Parties to the Treaty not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner.
    The Quad reaffirms its commitment to fostering a resilient information environment including through its Countering Disinformation Working Group by supporting media freedom and addressing foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, which undermines trust and sows discord in the international community. We recognize these tactics are intended to interfere with domestic and international interests, and we are committed, together with our regional partners, to leverage our collective expertise and capacity to respond. We reaffirm our commitment to respect international human rights law, strengthen civil society, support media freedom, address online harassment and abuse, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and counter unethical practices.
    We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. We are committed to international cooperation and will work with our regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen their capability to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, including threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, consistent with international law. We are committed to working together to promote accountability for the perpetrators of such terrorist attacks. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks including the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and in Pathankot, and our commitment to pursuing designations, as appropriate, by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee.  We welcome the constructive discussions held at the first Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and the fourth tabletop exercise in Honolulu last year, and look forward to Japan hosting the next meeting and tabletop exercise in November 2024.
    We share great interest in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East. We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks on October 7, 2023. The large-scale loss of civilian lives and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unacceptable. We affirm the imperative of securing the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and emphasize that the deal to release hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza. We underscore the urgent need to significantly increase deliveries of life-saving humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza as well as the crucial need to prevent regional escalation. We urge all parties to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, as applicable. We welcome UNSCR S/RES/2735 (2024), and strongly urge all parties concerned to work immediately and steadily toward the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire. We call on all parties to take every feasible step to protect the lives of civilians including aid workers, and facilitate the rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian relief to civilians. We also encourage other countries, including those in the Indo-Pacific, to increase their support in order to address the dire humanitarian need on the ground. We underscore that the future recovery and reconstruction of Gaza should be supported by the international community. We remain committed to a sovereign, viable and independent Palestinian state taking into account Israel’s legitimate security concerns as part of a two-state solution that enables both Israelis and Palestinians to live in a just, lasting, and secure peace. Any unilateral actions that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution, including Israeli expansion of settlements and violent extremism on all sides, must end. We underscore the need to prevent the conflict from escalating and spilling over in the region.
    We condemn the ongoing attacks perpetrated by the Houthis and their supporters against international and commercial vessels transiting through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which are destabilizing the region and impeding navigational rights and freedoms and trade flows, and jeopardize the safety of vessels and people on board including sailors.
    We reaffirm our commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We underscore the importance of achieving the SDGs in a comprehensive manner without selectively prioritizing a narrow set of such goals, and reaffirm that the UN has a central role in supporting countries in their implementation. With six years left, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and accelerating progress toward all the SDGs in a comprehensive manner that is balanced across three dimensions – economic, social and environmental. From global health to sustainable development and climate change, the global community benefits when all stakeholders have the opportunity to contribute to addressing these challenges. We affirm our commitment to contributing to and implementing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda and to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. We underscore our commitment to strongly engaging constructively in the discussion on advancing sustainable development, including at the Summit of the Future. The Quad continues to realize a safe and secure world where human rights and human dignity are protected, based on the central premise of the SDGs: “Leave no one behind.”
    We, the Quad Leaders, remain dedicated to working in partnership with Indo-Pacific countries in deciding our future and shaping the region we all want to live in.
    Enduring Partners for the Indo-Pacific
    Over the past four years, Quad Leaders have met together six times, including twice virtually, and Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times in the last five years. Quad country representatives meet together on a regular basis, at all levels, including among ambassadors across the four countries’ extensive diplomatic networks, to consult one another, exchange ideas to advance shared priorities, and deliver benefits with and for partners across the Indo-Pacific region. We welcome our Commerce and Industry ministers preparing to meet for the first time in the coming months. We also welcome the leaders of our Development Finance Institutions and Agencies deciding to meet to explore future investments by the four countries in the Indo-Pacific. Altogether, our four countries are cooperating at an unprecedented pace and scale.
    Each of our governments has committed to working through our respective budgetary processes to secure robust funding for Quad priorities in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure an enduring impact. We intend to work with our legislatures to deepen interparliamentary exchanges, and encourage other stakeholders to deepen engagement with Quad counterparts.
    We look forward to the next Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting hosted by the United States in 2025, and the next Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by India in 2025. The Quad is here to stay.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: 2024 Quad Leaders’  Summit

    Source: The White House

    On September 21, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India in Wilmington, Delaware, for the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit.
     
    The Quad was established to be a global force for good. This year, the Quad is proudly executing tangible projects that benefit partner countries across the Indo-Pacific—including in the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean Region. The Quad is working together at unprecedented scope and scale to deliver on Indo-Pacific partners’ priorities. Together, the Quad is leading ambitious projects to help partners address pandemics and disease; respond to natural disasters; strengthen their maritime domain awareness and maritime security; mobilize and build high-standard physical and digital infrastructure; invest in and benefit from critical and emerging technologies; confront the threat of climate change; bolster cyber security; and cultivate the next generation of technology leaders.
     
    ENDURING PARTNERS FOR THE INDO-PACIFIC
     
    Over the past four years, Quad Leaders have met six times, including twice virtually. Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, most recently in Tokyo in July. Quad country representatives convene on a regular basis, at all levels, to consult one another, exchange ideas to advance shared priorities, and deliver benefits for partners across the Indo-Pacific region. All Quad governments have institutionalized the Quad at all levels and across a diverse array of departments and agencies. Today, Quad Leaders announced new initiatives to solidify these habits of cooperation and to set up the Quad to endure for the long-term.
     

    • Each Quad government has committed to work through their respective budgetary processes to secure robust funding for Quad priorities in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure an enduring impact.
    • The Quad governments also intend to work with their respective legislatures to deepen interparliamentary exchanges, and encourage other stakeholders to deepen engagement with Quad counterparts. Yesterday, Members of Congress announced the creation of a bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Quad Caucus.
    • In the coming months, Quad Commerce and Industry ministers will meet for the first time.
    • Quad Leaders also welcome the leaders of the Quad Development Finance Institutions and Agencies deciding to meet to explore future investments by the four countries in the Indo-Pacific, including in health security, food security, clean energy, and quality infrastructure. This builds on a previous meeting in 2022 between the heads of the Export Finance Australia, the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, India Export-Import Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
    • The United States will host the 2025 Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, and India will host the 2025 Quad Leaders Summit.

    GLOBAL HEALTH & HEALTH SECURITY

    In 2023, the Quad announced the Quad Health Security Partnership to strengthen coordination and collaboration in support of health security in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad Health Security Partnership is delivering on its commitments to strengthen the Indo-Pacific’s ability to detect and respond to outbreaks of diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential, including through a set of new initiatives announced today.

    Quad Cancer Moonshot

    • The Quad is launching the historic Quad Cancer Moonshot, a collective effort to leverage public and private resources to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer in the Indo-Pacific, with an initial focus on cervical cancer. Altogether, the Quad Cancer Moonshot announced today is projected to save hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming decades. More information can be found here.

    Pandemic Preparedness

    • Quad countries are committed to supporting health security and resiliency efforts across the region, including continued support for the Pandemic Fund.
    • The Quad reaffirms commitment to bolstering health security across the Indo-Pacific region. In 2024, the Quad Health Security Partnership advanced regional resilience through the second pandemic preparedness table top exercise, building on the success of the Quad Vaccine Partnership to enhance prevention, early detection, and response to potential disease outbreaks, and is exploring developing Standard Operating Procedures for Pandemic Response. The Quad’s collaborative efforts included training health specialists from the Indo-Pacific to strengthen regional capabilities for health emergencies.
    • India will host a workshop on pandemic preparedness and release a white paper outlining emergency public health responses.
    • Australia is increasing the pool of public health specialists who are ready to deploy, in-country or in the region, in response to disease outbreaks, with the first training session to commence in Darwin, Australia, in the coming days.
    • In coordination with Quad partners, the United States is pledging over $84.5 million to partner with fourteen countries in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats.

    Mpox

    • In response to the current clade I mpox outbreak, as well as the ongoing clade II mpox outbreak, the Quad plans to coordinate our efforts to promote equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured mpox vaccines, including where appropriate expanding vaccine manufacturing in low and middle-income countries.

    HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER RELIEF (HADR)

    Twenty years ago, the Quad first came together to respond to the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, surging humanitarian assistance to affected countries. In 2022, Quad Foreign Ministers signed the Guidelines for the Quad Partnership on HADR in the Indo-Pacific. In May 2024, following a tragic landslide in Papua New Guinea, Quad countries coordinated their response in accordance with these guidelines. The Quad collectively provided over $5 million in humanitarian assistance. Quad partners continue to support Papua New Guinea in its longer-term resiliency efforts. The Quad continues to deepen HADR coordination and support partners in the region in their longer-term resiliency efforts.

    • Quad governments are working to ensure readiness to rapidly respond, including through pre-positioning of essential relief supplies, in the event of a natural disaster; this effort extends from the Indian Ocean region, to Southeast Asia, to the Pacific.
    • In the coming months, Quad HADR experts will conduct a tabletop exercise to prepare for potential future disasters in the region.
    • Quad partners are working together to provide over $4 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Vietnam in light of the devastating consequences of Typhoon Yagi.

    MARITIME SECURITY

    Quad partners are working side-by-side with partners throughout the region to bolster maritime security, improve maritime domain awareness, and uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.

    Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Training

    • Quad Leaders launched the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) at the 2022 Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo. This initiative provides partners with near-real-time, cost-effective, cutting-edge radio frequency data, enabling them to better monitor their waters; counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; respond to climate change and natural disasters; and enforce their laws within their waters.
    • Since the announcement, in consultation with partners, the Quad has successfully scaled the program across the Indo-Pacific region—through the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, with partners in Southeast Asia, to the Information Fusion Center—Indian Ocean Region, Gurugram. In doing so, the Quad has helped well over two dozen countries access dark vessel maritime domain awareness data, so they can better monitor the activities in their exclusive economic zones—including unlawful activity.
    • In the next phase of implementation, announced today, the Quad intends to layer new technology and data into IPMDA over the coming year, to continue to deliver cutting edge capability and information to the region. The Quad intends to leverage electro-optical data and advanced analytic software to sharpen the maritime domain awareness picture for partners.
    • Today the Quad announced a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) to enable our partners in the region Indo-Pacific partners to maximize tools provided through IPMDA and other Quad partner initiatives, to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior. The Quad countries look forward to India hosting the inaugural MAITRI workshop in 2025. 
    • Quad countries are coordinating comprehensive and complementary training across the full suite of legal, operational, and technical maritime security and law enforcement knowledge domains. Quad partners have pledged to expand engagement with regional maritime law enforcement fora, share best practices, and improve civil maritime cooperation.

    Indo-Pacific Logistics Network

    • The Quad launches today a Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, to pursue shared airlift capacity among the four nations and leverage collective logistics strengths, in order to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region. This effort will complement existing efforts with Indo-Pacific partners.

    Coast Guard Cooperation

    • The U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard plan to launch a first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025 in the Indo-Pacific to improve interoperability. Through this effort, members of Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard will spend time on board a U.S. Coast Guard vessel operating in the Indo-Pacific.  The Quad intends to continue with further missions in the Indo-Pacific.

    QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE

    The Quad is delivering quality, resilient infrastructure to the region to increase connectivity, build regional capacity, and meet critical needs.

    • This year, the Quad countries’ export credit agencies (ECAs) signed and are implementing a Memorandum of Cooperation, which supports supply chain resilience, critical and emerging technologies, renewable energy, and other high-quality projects in the Indo-Pacific. Quad ECAs are strengthening communication on pipeline information and provision of relevant financing for projects in the Indo-Pacific region, and will pursue joint business promotion efforts that involve industry experts, project developers, and other major market players.
    • The Quad released joint Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure, underscoring the Quad’s commitment to an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe, reliable, and secure digital future to advance shared prosperity and sustainable development.
    • The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure organized a workshop in India to empower partners across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen power sector resilience.

    Quad Ports of the Future Partnership

    • The Quad Ports of the Future Partnership will harness the Quad’s expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, in collaboration with regional partners.
    • In 2025, Quad partners intend to hold the inaugural Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, hosted by India in Mumbai.
    • Through this new partnership, Quad partners intend to coordinate, exchange information, share best practices with partners in the region, and leverage resources to mobilize government and private sector investments in quality port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region.

    Quad Infrastructure Fellows

    • The Quad Infrastructure Fellowship was announced at the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit to improve capacity and deepen professional networks across the region to design, manage, and attract investment in infrastructure projects. Over the past year, it has expanded to more than 2,200 experts, and Quad partners have already provided well over 1,300 fellowships.

    Undersea Cables and Digital Connectivity

    • Through the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, Quad partners continue to support and strengthen quality undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific, the capacity, durability, and reliability of which are inextricably linked to the security and prosperity of the region and the world.
    • In support of these efforts, Australia launched the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre in July, which is delivering workshops and policy and regulatory assistance in response to requests from across the region.
    • Japan has conducted capacity building trainings to enhance connectivity and resilience in the Indo-Pacific through cooperation with specialized agencies and international organizations. Japan intends to further extend technical cooperation to improve public information and communication technology infrastructure management capacity for an undersea cable in Nauru and Kiribati.
    • The United States has conducted over 1,300 capacity building trainings for telecommunication officials and executives from 25 countries in the Indo-Pacific; today the U.S. announces its intent, working with Congress, to invest an additional $3.4 million to extend and expand this training program.
    • Investments in cable projects by Quad partners will help support all Pacific island countries in achieving primary telecommunication cable connectivity by the end of 2025. Since the last Quad Leaders’ Summit, Quad partners have committed over $140 million to undersea cable builds in the Pacific, alongside contributions from other likeminded partners.
    • Complementing these investments in new undersea cables, India has commissioned a feasibility study to examine expansion of undersea cable maintenance and repair capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

    CRITICAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

    The Quad is working in lockstep to stay at the forefront of technology innovation, and remains committed to harnessing emerging technologies for the benefit of people across the Indo-Pacific, and deploying these technologies to facilitate economic prosperity, openness, and connectivity.

    Open Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G

    • In 2023, Quad partners announced the first-ever Open RAN deployment in the Pacific, in Palau, to support a secure, resilient, and interconnected telecommunications ecosystem. Since then, the Quad has committed approximately $20 million to this effort. Building on this initiative, the Quad announces an expansion of Open RAN collaboration to deliver trusted technology solutions.
    • The Quad plans to expand support for ongoing Open RAN field trials and the Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA) in the Philippines, building on the initial $8 million in support that the United States and Japan pledged earlier this year.
    • In addition, the United States plans to invest over $7 million to support the global expansion of AORA, including through establishing a first-of-its-kind Open RAN workforce training initiative at scale in South Asia, in partnership with Indian institutions.
    • Quad partners also welcome the opportunity to explore additional Open RAN projects in Southeast Asia.
    • Quad partners will also explore collaborating with the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation to ensure the country’s readiness for nationwide 5G deployment.

    Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • Through the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative announced at the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit, Quad governments are deepening leading-edge collaborative research to harness artificial intelligence, robotics, and sensing, to transform agricultural approaches and empower farmers across the Indo-Pacific. The Quad announces an inaugural $7.5+ million in funding opportunities for joint research, and highlights the recent signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation among the four countries’ science agencies to connect research communities and advance shared research principles.
    • The Quad recognizes the importance of advancing international efforts to achieve safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems, including through the outcomes of the Hiroshima AI Process, GPAI New Delhi Ministerial Declaration 2023, and UN General Assembly resolution 78/625 on “Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development.” The Quad seeks to further deepen international cooperation on artificial intelligence systems and interoperability among artificial intelligence governance frameworks.
    • Quad countries, through the Standards Sub-Group, launched two Track 1.5 dialogues on AI and Advanced Communications Technologies to promote international standardization cooperation, including frameworks for AI conformity assessment.

    Biotechnology

    • The Quad partners look forward to launching the BioExplore Initiative – a joint effort supported by an initial $2 million in funding to use AI technology to study and analyze biological ecosystems across all four countries. This initiative will help advance our ability to discover and use the diverse capabilities found in living organisms to yield new products and innovations with the potential to diagnose and treat disease, develop resilient crops, generate clean energy, and much more. The initiative will also aim to build technological capacity across the Quad nations. 
    • This project will also be underpinned by the forthcoming Quad Principles for Research and Development Collaborations in Critical and Emerging Technologies, which advances sustainable, responsible, safe and secure collaborations in biotechnologies and other critical technologies among the Quad and across the region.

    Semiconductors

    • Quad Leaders welcome the finalization of a Memorandum of Cooperation for the Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network to facilitate collaboration in addressing semiconductor supply chain risks.

    The Quad Investors Network

    The Quad Investors Network (QUIN) is a nonprofit initiative launched at the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit. The QUIN aims to accelerate investments in critical and emerging technologies across the Indo-Pacific region, bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, technologists, and public institutions from the Quad countries to support innovation that aligns with the Quad’s shared values and promotes economic growth, resilience, and regional stability. This year, the QUIN supported ten major strategic investments and partnerships across the Quad in the critical minerals, renewable energy, cybersecurity, and aerospace sectors.

    • The QUIN has advanced additional frameworks to foster the development of new technologies and facilitate investment partnerships for emerging startups, including through finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding for the creation of a startup campus in Tokyo, supported by the QUIN and the Chiba Institute of Technology’s Center for Radical Transformation.
    • The QUIN is also working to establish a new venture accelerator in Tokyo through a collaboration between the University of Tokyo, Northeastern University, and the QUIN.  These collaborations will not only fuel technological advancements but also strengthen the economic ties among the Quad nations, contributing to a more integrated and resilient Indo-Pacific region. 
    • Finally, the QUIN developed a Quantum Center of Excellence, which produced a report this year highlighting ways each Quad country’s Quantum ecosystems can work together to collectively leverage capital and expertise.

    CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY

    The Quad recognizes the existential threat climate change poses to the world, the Indo-Pacific, and in particular island nations in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean region, and is taking ambitious steps to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, promote clean energy innovation and adoption, and support sustainable development.

    Climate Adaptation

    • The Quad intends to expand its Early Warning Systems and the Climate Information Services Initiative (CIS), announced at the 2023 Leaders’ Summit. This will help improve Pacific Island countries’ access to high-quality climate data and services, and increase partners’ capacity to prepare for and respond to climate change and its impacts.
    • The United States plans to provide 3D-printed automatic weather stations to the Pacific in 2025 to support local weather and climate forecasts, and also train experts in Fiji with the goal of operating a regional center to develop and deploy this technology.
    • Australia is also strengthening Early Warning Systems through Weather Ready Pacific, a Pacific-led initiative supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in 2021 that drives and delivers on the EWS4ALL UN initiative in the Pacific.
    • Japan is also enhancing cooperation with Pacific Island countries under its “Pacific Climate Resilience Initiative”, inter alia, by strengthening disaster risk reduction and preparedness through satellite technology and by promoting clean energy through capacity building and installation of renewable energies.
    • The Quad also plans to train experts in Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu to better monitor and forecast flash floods, for timely and accurate warnings, reducing human and economic losses from flash floods.

    Clean Energy

    • Our countries intend to strengthen our cooperation to align policies, incentives, standards, and investments around creating high-quality, diversified clean energy supply chains that will enhance our collective energy security, create new economic opportunities across the region, and benefit local workers and communities around the world, particularly across the Indo-Pacific. We will work together, through policy and public finance, to operationalize our commitment to catalyzing complementary and high-standard private sector investment in allied and partner clean energy supply chains. We note the uniquely complementary capabilities Quad partners share across the battery supply chain, and pledge to focus near-term efforts on strengthening mineral production, recycling, and battery manufacturing across our respective industries.
    • Quad Leaders announced a Quad Clean Energy Supply Chain Diversification Program last year, which aims to support the development of secure and diversified clean energy supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia will open applications for the Quad Clean Energy Supply Chains Diversification Program in November, providing AUD 50 million to support projects that develop and diversify solar panel, hydrogen electrolyzer and battery supply chains. Secure and diversified clean energy supply chains are an integral part of achieving the Indo-Pacific’s collective energy security, emissions reduction goals and transition to a net zero future.
    • India commits to invest $2 million in new solar projects in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar, and Seychelles.
    • Japan has committed to $122 million grants and loans, both public and private, in renewable energy projects in the Indo-Pacific.
    • The United States, through the DFC, has extended a $250 million loan to Tata Power Solar to construct a solar cell manufacturing facility and a $500 million loan to First Solar to construct and operate a solar module manufacturing facility in India, and continues to seek opportunities to mobilize private capital to solar, as well as wind, cooling, batteries, and critical minerals to expand capacity and diversify supply chains.
    • The Quad announces an initiative to boost energy efficiency, including the deployment and manufacturing of affordable, high-efficiency, cooling systems, to enable climate-vulnerable communities to adapt to rising temperatures while simultaneously reducing strain on the electricity grid. The United States intends to invest an initial $1.25 million of technical assistance financing to this effort.

    CYBER SECURITY

    The Quad is working together to build a more resilient, secure, and complementary cyber security environment for Quad countries and partners.

    • The Quad has [developed/released] the Quad Action Plan to Protect Commercial Undersea Telecommunications Cables, to advance the Quad’s shared vision for future digital connectivity, global commerce, and prosperity.
    • Quad countries are also partnering with software manufacturers, industry trade groups, and research centers to expand the Quad’s commitment to pursuing secure software development standards and certification, as endorsed in the Quad’s 2023 Secure Software Joint Principles.
    • Quad partners will work to harmonize these standards to not only ensure that the development, procurement, and end-use of software for government networks is more secure, but that the cyber resilience of our supply chains, digital economies, and societies are collectively improved.
    • Throughout this fall, each Quad country plans to host events to mark the annual Quad Cyber Challenge promoting responsible cyber ecosystems, public resources, and cybersecurity awareness. This year’s Cyber Challenge campaigns will focus on establishing career pathway programs to increase the number and diversity of global cybersecurity professionals, including increased participation by women, in this rapidly growing field. Last year’s Quad Cyber Challenge included over 85,000 participants across the Indo-Pacific region.
    • Capacity building projects like the Quad Cyber Bootcamp and the international conference on cyber capacity building in the Philippines are important initiatives to enhance cybersecurity and workforce development in the Indo-Pacific region.
    • The Quad is undertaking joint efforts to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities to national security and protection of critical infrastructure networks, and coordinate more closely including on policy responses to sharing of cyber threat information on significant cybersecurity incidents affecting shared priorities.

    COUNTERING DISINFORMATION

    The Quad is working together to foster a resilient information environment, including through its Countering Disinformation Working Group, by supporting media freedom and addressing foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, which undermines trust and sows discord in the international community.

    PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES

    Quad countries are building enduring ties between their peoples. Stakeholders from Quad countries have participated in International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other exchanges, on topics related to cyber security, workforce development for critical and emerging technologies, women in STEM, government transparency and accountability, combating disinformation, and regional maritime governance.

    The Quad Fellowship

    • Together with the Institute of International Education, which leads implementation of the Quad Fellowship, Quad governments welcome the second cohort of Quad Fellows and the expansion of the program to include students from ASEAN countries for the first time. The Government of Japan is supporting the program to enable Quad Fellows to study in Japan. The Quad welcomes the generous support of private sector partners for the next cohort of fellows, including Google, the Pratt Foundation, and Western Digital.
    • The Quad looks forward to the Quad Fellowship Summit in Washington, DC, in October, organized by the Institute of International Education.

    Additional People-to-People Initiatives

    • India announces a new initiative to award fifty Quad scholarships, worth $500,000, to students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue a 4-year undergraduate engineering program at a Government of India-funded technical institution.

    SPACE

    The Quad recognizes the essential contribution of space-related applications and technologies in the Indo-Pacific. The four countries plan to continue delivering Earth Observation data and other space-related applications to assist nations across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen climate early warning systems and better manage the impacts of extreme weather events.

    • The Quad welcomes India’s establishment of a space-based web portal for Mauritius to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact.

    Space Situational Awareness Initiative

    • Quad partners intend to share expertise and experience in space situational awareness (SSA), contributing to long-term sustainability of the space environment. Cooperation is intended to leverage SSA and space traffic coordination capabilities in the civil domain, including to help avoid collisions in outer space and manage debris.

     
    COUNTERING TERRORISM
     
    The Quad hosted its first Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) in 2023 and will meet annually to discuss CT threats, Quad CT good practices, and ways the Quad can work together to mitigate acts of terrorism through information sharing, consequence management and strategic messaging.  The Quad CTWG currently focuses on countering the use of unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear devices (CBRN), and the internet for terrorist purposes. The Quad CTWG discusses new CT lines of effort on which to collaborate, hosts technical workshops for establishing CT good practices, and explores ways to engage non-Quad members with Quad-established CT expertise.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Fact Sheet: 2024 Quad Leaders’ Summit

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 22 SEP 2024 8:58AM by PIB Delhi

    On September 21, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India in Wilmington, Delaware, for the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit.

    The Quad was established to be a global force for good. This year, the Quad is proudly executing tangible projects that benefit partner countries across the Indo-Pacific—including in the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean Region. The Quad is working together at unprecedented scope and scale to deliver on Indo-Pacific partners’ priorities. Together, the Quad is leading ambitious projects to help partners address pandemics and disease; respond to natural disasters; strengthen their maritime domain awareness and maritime security; mobilize and build high-standard physical and digital infrastructure; invest in and benefit from critical and emerging technologies; confront the threat of climate change; bolster cyber security; and cultivate the next generation of technology leaders.

    ENDURING PARTNERS FOR THE INDO-PACIFIC

    Over the past four years, Quad Leaders have met six times, including twice virtually. Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, most recently in Tokyo in July. Quad country representatives convene on a regular basis, at all levels, to consult one another, exchange ideas to advance shared priorities, and deliver benefits for partners across the Indo-Pacific region. All Quad governments have institutionalized the Quad at all levels and across a diverse array of departments and agencies. Today, Quad Leaders announced new initiatives to solidify these habits of cooperation and to set up the Quad to endure for the long-term.

    Each Quad government has committed to work through their respective budgetary processes to secure robust funding for Quad priorities in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure an enduring impact.

    The Quad governments also intend to work with their respective legislatures to deepen interparliamentary exchanges, and encourage other stakeholders to deepen engagement with Quad counterparts. Yesterday, Members of Congress announced the creation of a bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Quad Caucus.

    In the coming months, Quad Commerce and Industry ministers will meet for the first time.

    Quad Leaders also welcome the leaders of the Quad Development Finance Institutions and Agencies deciding to meet to explore future investments by the four countries in the Indo-Pacific, including in health security, food security, clean energy, and quality infrastructure. This builds on a previous meeting in 2022 between the heads of the Export Finance Australia, the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, India Export-Import Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).

    The United States will host the 2025 Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, and India will host the 2025 Quad Leaders Summit.

    GLOBAL HEALTH & HEALTH SECURITY

    In 2023, the Quad announced the Quad Health Security Partnership to strengthen coordination and collaboration in support of health security in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad Health Security Partnership is delivering on its commitments to strengthen the Indo-Pacific’s ability to detect and respond to outbreaks of diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential, including through a set of new initiatives announced today.

    Quad Cancer Moonshot

    The Quad is launching the historic Quad Cancer Moonshot, a collective effort to leverage public and private resources to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer in the Indo-Pacific, with an initial focus on cervical cancer. Altogether, the Quad Cancer Moonshot announced today is projected to save hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming decades. More information can be found here.

    Pandemic Preparedness

    Quad countries are committed to supporting health security and resiliency efforts across the region, including continued support for the Pandemic Fund.

    The Quad reaffirms commitment to bolstering health security across the Indo-Pacific region. In 2024, the Quad Health Security Partnership advanced regional resilience through the second pandemic preparedness table top exercise, building on the success of the Quad Vaccine Partnership to enhance prevention, early detection, and response to potential disease outbreaks, and is exploring developing Standard Operating Procedures for Pandemic Response. The Quad’s collaborative efforts included training health specialists from the Indo-Pacific to strengthen regional capabilities for health emergencies.

    India will host a workshop on pandemic preparedness and release a white paper outlining emergency public health responses.

    Australia is increasing the pool of public health specialists who are ready to deploy, in-country or in the region, in response to disease outbreaks, with the first training session to commence in Darwin, Australia, in the coming days.

    In coordination with Quad partners, the United States is pledging over $84.5 million to partner with fourteen countries in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats.

    Mpox

    In response to the current clade I mpox outbreak, as well as the ongoing clade II mpox outbreak, the Quad plans to coordinate our efforts to promote equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured mpox vaccines, including where appropriate expanding vaccine manufacturing in low and middle-income countries.

    HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER RELIEF (HADR)

    Twenty years ago, the Quad first came together to respond to the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, surging humanitarian assistance to affected countries. In 2022, Quad Foreign Ministers signed the Guidelines for the Quad Partnership on HADR in the Indo-Pacific. In May 2024, following a tragic landslide in Papua New Guinea, Quad countries coordinated their response in accordance with these guidelines. The Quad collectively provided over $5 million in humanitarian assistance. Quad partners continue to support Papua New Guinea in its longer-term resiliency efforts. The Quad continues to deepen HADR coordination and support partners in the region in their longer-term resiliency efforts.

    Quad governments are working to ensure readiness to rapidly respond, including through pre-positioning of essential relief supplies, in the event of a natural disaster; this effort extends from the Indian Ocean region, to Southeast Asia, to the Pacific.

    In the coming months, Quad HADR experts will conduct a tabletop exercise to prepare for potential future disasters in the region.

    Quad partners are working together to provide over $4 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Vietnam in light of the devastating consequences of Typhoon Yagi.

    MARITIME SECURITY

    Quad partners are working side-by-side with partners throughout the region to bolster maritime security, improve maritime domain awareness, and uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.

    Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Training

    Quad Leaders launched the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) at the 2022 Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo. This initiative provides partners with near-real-time, cost-effective, cutting-edge radio frequency data, enabling them to better monitor their waters; counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; respond to climate change and natural disasters; and enforce their laws within their waters.

    Since the announcement, in consultation with partners, the Quad has successfully scaled the program across the Indo-Pacific region—through the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, with partners in Southeast Asia, to the Information Fusion Center—Indian Ocean Region, Gurugram. In doing so, the Quad has helped well over two dozen countries access dark vessel maritime domain awareness data, so they can better monitor the activities in their exclusive economic zones—including unlawful activity.

    In the next phase of implementation, announced today, the Quad intends to layer new technology and data into IPMDA over the coming year, to continue to deliver cutting edge capability and information to the region. The Quad intends to leverage electro-optical data and advanced analytic software to sharpen the maritime domain awareness picture for partners.

    Today the Quad announced a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) to enable our partners in the region Indo-Pacific partners to maximize tools provided through IPMDA and other Quad partner initiatives, to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior. The Quad countries look forward to India hosting the inaugural MAITRI workshop in 2025.

    Quad countries are coordinating comprehensive and complementary training across the full suite of legal, operational, and technical maritime security and law enforcement knowledge domains. Quad partners have pledged to expand engagement with regional maritime law enforcement fora, share best practices, and improve civil maritime cooperation.

    Indo-Pacific Logistics Network

    The Quad launches today a Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, to pursue shared airlift capacity among the four nations and leverage collective logistics strengths, in order to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region. This effort will complement existing efforts with Indo-Pacific partners.

    Coast Guard Cooperation

    The U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard plan to launch a first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025 in the Indo-Pacific to improve interoperability. Through this effort, members of Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard will spend time on board a U.S. Coast Guard vessel operating in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad intends to continue with further missions in the Indo-Pacific.

    QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE

    The Quad is delivering quality, resilient infrastructure to the region to increase connectivity, build regional capacity, and meet critical needs.

    This year, the Quad countries’ export credit agencies (ECAs) signed and are implementing a Memorandum of Cooperation, which supports supply chain resilience, critical and emerging technologies, renewable energy, and other high-quality projects in the Indo-Pacific. Quad ECAs are strengthening communication on pipeline information and provision of relevant financing for projects in the Indo-Pacific region, and will pursue joint business promotion efforts that involve industry experts, project developers, and other major market players.

    The Quad released joint Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure, underscoring the Quad’s commitment to an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe, reliable, and secure digital future to advance shared prosperity and sustainable development.

    The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure organized a workshop in India to empower partners across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen power sector resilience.

    Quad Ports of the Future Partnership

    The Quad Ports of the Future Partnership will harness the Quad’s expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, in collaboration with regional partners.

    In 2025, Quad partners intend to hold the inaugural Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, hosted by India in Mumbai.

    Through this new partnership, Quad partners intend to coordinate, exchange information, share best practices with partners in the region, and leverage resources to mobilize government and private sector investments in quality port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region.

    Quad Infrastructure Fellows

    The Quad Infrastructure Fellowship was announced at the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit to improve capacity and deepen professional networks across the region to design, manage, and attract investment in infrastructure projects. Over the past year, it has expanded to more than 2,200 experts, and Quad partners have already provided well over 1,300 fellowships.

    Undersea Cables and Digital Connectivity

    Through the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, Quad partners continue to support and strengthen quality undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific, the capacity, durability, and reliability of which are inextricably linked to the security and prosperity of the region and the world.

    In support of these efforts, Australia launched the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre in July, which is delivering workshops and policy and regulatory assistance in response to requests from across the region.

    Japan has conducted capacity building trainings to enhance connectivity and resilience in the Indo-Pacific through cooperation with specialized agencies and international organizations. Japan intends to further extend technical cooperation to improve public information and communication technology infrastructure management capacity for an undersea cable in Nauru and Kiribati.

    The United States has conducted over 1,300 capacity building trainings for telecommunication officials and executives from 25 countries in the Indo-Pacific; today the U.S. announces its intent, working with Congress, to invest an additional $3.4 million to extend and expand this training program.

    Investments in cable projects by Quad partners will help support all Pacific island countries in achieving primary telecommunication cable connectivity by the end of 2025. Since the last Quad Leaders’ Summit, Quad partners have committed over $140 million to undersea cable builds in the Pacific, alongside contributions from other likeminded partners.

    Complementing these investments in new undersea cables, India has commissioned a feasibility study to examine expansion of undersea cable maintenance and repair capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

    CRITICAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

    The Quad is working in lockstep to stay at the forefront of technology innovation, and remains committed to harnessing emerging technologies for the benefit of people across the Indo-Pacific, and deploying these technologies to facilitate economic prosperity, openness, and connectivity.

    Open Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G

    In 2023, Quad partners announced the first-ever Open RAN deployment in the Pacific, in Palau, to support a secure, resilient, and interconnected telecommunications ecosystem. Since then, the Quad has committed approximately $20 million to this effort. Building on this initiative, the Quad announces an expansion of Open RAN collaboration to deliver trusted technology solutions.

    The Quad plans to expand support for ongoing Open RAN field trials and the Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA) in the Philippines, building on the initial $8 million in support that the United States and Japan pledged earlier this year.

    In addition, the United States plans to invest over $7 million to support the global expansion of AORA, including through establishing a first-of-its-kind Open RAN workforce training initiative at scale in South Asia, in partnership with Indian institutions.

    Quad partners also welcome the opportunity to explore additional Open RAN projects in Southeast Asia.

    Quad partners will also explore collaborating with the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation to ensure the country’s readiness for nationwide 5G deployment.

    Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    Through the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative announced at the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit, Quad governments are deepening leading-edge collaborative research to harness artificial intelligence, robotics, and sensing, to transform agricultural approaches and empower farmers across the Indo-Pacific. The Quad announces an inaugural $7.5+ million in funding opportunities for joint research, and highlights the recent signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation among the four countries’ science agencies to connect research communities and advance shared research principles.

    The Quad recognizes the importance of advancing international efforts to achieve safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems, including through the outcomes of the Hiroshima AI Process, GPAI New Delhi Ministerial Declaration 2023, and UN General Assembly resolution 78/625 on “Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development.” The Quad seeks to further deepen international cooperation on artificial intelligence systems and interoperability among artificial intelligence governance frameworks.

    Quad countries, through the Standards Sub-Group, launched two Track 1.5 dialogues on AI and Advanced Communications Technologies to promote international standardization cooperation, including frameworks for AI conformity assessment.

    Biotechnology

    The Quad partners look forward to launching the BioExplore Initiative – a joint effort supported by an initial $2 million in funding to use AI technology to study and analyze biological ecosystems across all four countries. This initiative will help advance our ability to discover and use the diverse capabilities found in living organisms to yield new products and innovations with the potential to diagnose and treat disease, develop resilient crops, generate clean energy, and much more. The initiative will also aim to build technological capacity across the Quad nations.

    This project will also be underpinned by the forthcoming Quad Principles for Research and Development Collaborations in Critical and Emerging Technologies, which advances sustainable, responsible, safe and secure collaborations in biotechnologies and other critical technologies among the Quad and across the region.

    Semiconductors

    Quad Leaders welcome the finalization of a Memorandum of Cooperation for the Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network to facilitate collaboration in addressing semiconductor supply chain risks.

    The Quad Investors Network

    The Quad Investors Network (QUIN) is a nonprofit initiative launched at the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit. The QUIN aims to accelerate investments in critical and emerging technologies across the Indo-Pacific region, bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, technologists, and public institutions from the Quad countries to support innovation that aligns with the Quad’s shared values and promotes economic growth, resilience, and regional stability. This year, the QUIN supported ten major strategic investments and partnerships across the Quad in the critical minerals, renewable energy, cybersecurity, and aerospace sectors.

    The QUIN has advanced additional frameworks to foster the development of new technologies and facilitate investment partnerships for emerging startups, including through finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding for the creation of a startup campus in Tokyo, supported by the QUIN and the Chiba Institute of Technology’s Center for Radical Transformation.

    The QUIN is also working to establish a new venture accelerator in Tokyo through a collaboration between the University of Tokyo, Northeastern University, and the QUIN. These collaborations will not only fuel technological advancements but also strengthen the economic ties among the Quad nations, contributing to a more integrated and resilient Indo-Pacific region.

    Finally, the QUIN developed a Quantum Center of Excellence, which produced a report this year highlighting ways each Quad country’s Quantum ecosystems can work together to collectively leverage capital and expertise.

    CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY

    The Quad recognizes the existential threat climate change poses to the world, the Indo-Pacific, and in particular island nations in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean region, and is taking ambitious steps to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, promote clean energy innovation and adoption, and support sustainable development.

    Climate Adaptation

    The Quad intends to expand its Early Warning Systems and the Climate Information Services Initiative (CIS), announced at the 2023 Leaders’ Summit. This will help improve Pacific Island countries’ access to high-quality climate data and services, and increase partners’ capacity to prepare for and respond to climate change and its impacts.

    The United States plans to provide 3D-printed automatic weather stations to the Pacific in 2025 to support local weather and climate forecasts, and also train experts in Fiji with the goal of operating a regional center to develop and deploy this technology.

    Australia is also strengthening Early Warning Systems through Weather Ready Pacific, a Pacific-led initiative supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in 2021 that drives and delivers on the EWS4ALL UN initiative in the Pacific.

    Japan is also enhancing cooperation with Pacific Island countries under its “Pacific Climate Resilience Initiative”, inter alia, by strengthening disaster risk reduction and preparedness through satellite technology and by promoting clean energy through capacity building and installation of renewable energies.

    The Quad also plans to train experts in Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu to better monitor and forecast flash floods, for timely and accurate warnings, reducing human and economic losses from flash floods.

    Clean Energy

    Our countries intend to strengthen our cooperation to align policies, incentives, standards, and investments around creating high-quality, diversified clean energy supply chains that will enhance our collective energy security, create new economic opportunities across the region, and benefit local workers and communities around the world, particularly across the Indo-Pacific. We will work together, through policy and public finance, to operationalize our commitment to catalyzing complementary and high-standard private sector investment in allied and partner clean energy supply chains. We note the uniquely complementary capabilities Quad partners share across the battery supply chain, and pledge to focus near-term efforts on strengthening mineral production, recycling, and battery manufacturing across our respective industries.

    Quad Leaders announced a Quad Clean Energy Supply Chain Diversification Program last year, which aims to support the development of secure and diversified clean energy supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia will open applications for the Quad Clean Energy Supply Chains Diversification Program in November, providing AUD 50 million to support projects that develop and diversify solar panel, hydrogen electrolyzer and battery supply chains. Secure and diversified clean energy supply chains are an integral part of achieving the Indo-Pacific’s collective energy security, emissions reduction goals and transition to a net zero future.

    India commits to invest $2 million in new solar projects in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar, and Seychelles.

    Japan has committed to $122 million grants and loans, both public and private, in renewable energy projects in the Indo-Pacific.

    The United States, through the DFC, has extended a $250 million loan to Tata Power Solar to construct a solar cell manufacturing facility and a $500 million loan to First Solar to construct and operate a solar module manufacturing facility in India, and continues to seek opportunities to mobilize private capital to solar, as well as wind, cooling, batteries, and critical minerals to expand capacity and diversify supply chains.

    The Quad announces an initiative to boost energy efficiency, including the deployment and manufacturing of affordable, high-efficiency, cooling systems, to enable climate-vulnerable communities to adapt to rising temperatures while simultaneously reducing strain on the electricity grid. The United States intends to invest an initial $1.25 million of technical assistance financing to this effort.

    CYBER SECURITY

    The Quad is working together to build a more resilient, secure, and complementary cyber security environment for Quad countries and partners.

    The Quad has [developed/released] the Quad Action Plan to Protect Commercial Undersea Telecommunications Cables, to advance the Quad’s shared vision for future digital connectivity, global commerce, and prosperity.

    Quad countries are also partnering with software manufacturers, industry trade groups, and research centers to expand the Quad’s commitment to pursuing secure software development standards and certification, as endorsed in the Quad’s 2023 Secure Software Joint Principles.

    Quad partners will work to harmonize these standards to not only ensure that the development, procurement, and end-use of software for government networks is more secure, but that the cyber resilience of our supply chains, digital economies, and societies are collectively improved.

    Throughout this fall, each Quad country plans to host events to mark the annual Quad Cyber Challenge promoting responsible cyber ecosystems, public resources, and cybersecurity awareness. This year’s Cyber Challenge campaigns will focus on establishing career pathway programs to increase the number and diversity of global cybersecurity professionals, including increased participation by women, in this rapidly growing field. Last year’s Quad Cyber Challenge included over 85,000 participants across the Indo-Pacific region.

    Capacity building projects like the Quad Cyber Bootcamp and the international conference on cyber capacity building in the Philippines are important initiatives to enhance cybersecurity and workforce development in the Indo-Pacific region.

    The Quad is undertaking joint efforts to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities to national security and protection of critical infrastructure networks, and coordinate more closely including on policy responses to sharing of cyber threat information on significant cybersecurity incidents affecting shared priorities.

    COUNTERING DISINFORMATION

    The Quad is working together to foster a resilient information environment, including through its Countering Disinformation Working Group, by supporting media freedom and addressing foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, which undermines trust and sows discord in the international community.

    PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES

    Quad countries are building enduring ties between their peoples. Stakeholders from Quad countries have participated in International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other exchanges, on topics related to cyber security, workforce development for critical and emerging technologies, women in STEM, government transparency and accountability, combating disinformation, and regional maritime governance.

    The Quad Fellowship

    Together with the Institute of International Education, which leads implementation of the Quad Fellowship, Quad governments welcome the second cohort of Quad Fellows and the expansion of the program to include students from ASEAN countries for the first time. The Government of Japan is supporting the program to enable Quad Fellows to study in Japan. The Quad welcomes the generous support of private sector partners for the next cohort of fellows, including Google, the Pratt Foundation, and Western Digital.

    The Quad looks forward to the Quad Fellowship Summit in Washington, DC, in October, organized by the Institute of International Education.

    Additional People-to-People Initiatives

    India announces a new initiative to award fifty Quad scholarships, worth $500,000, to students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue a 4-year undergraduate engineering program at a Government of India-funded technical institution.

    SPACE

    The Quad recognizes the essential contribution of space-related applications and technologies in the Indo-Pacific. The four countries plan to continue delivering Earth Observation data and other space-related applications to assist nations across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen climate early warning systems and better manage the impacts of extreme weather events.

    The Quad welcomes India’s establishment of a space-based web portal for Mauritius to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact.

    Space Situational Awareness Initiative

    Quad partners intend to share expertise and experience in space situational awareness (SSA), contributing to long-term sustainability of the space environment. Cooperation is intended to leverage SSA and space traffic coordination capabilities in the civil domain, including to help avoid collisions in outer space and manage debris.

    COUNTERING TERRORISM

    The Quad hosted its first Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) in 2023 and will meet annually to discuss CT threats, Quad CT good practices, and ways the Quad can work together to mitigate acts of terrorism through information sharing, consequence management and strategic messaging. The Quad CTWG currently focuses on countering the use of unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear devices (CBRN), and the internet for terrorist purposes. The Quad CTWG discusses new CT lines of effort on which to collaborate, hosts technical workshops for establishing CT good practices, and explores ways to engage non-Quad members with Quad-established CT expertise.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Joint Fact Sheet: The United States and India Continue to Expand Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 22 SEP 2024 8:51AM by PIB Delhi

    Today, United States President Joseph R. Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed that the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership, the defining partnership of the 21st century, is decisively delivering on an ambitious agenda that serves the global good. The Leaders reflected on a historic period that has seen the United States and India reach unprecedented levels of trust and collaboration. The Leaders affirmed that the U.S.-India partnership must be anchored in upholding democracy, freedom, the rule of law, human rights, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all as our countries strive to become more perfect unions and meet our shared destiny. The Leaders commended the progress that has made the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership a pillar of global security and peace, highlighting the benefits of increased operational coordination, information-sharing, and defense industrial innovation. President Biden and Prime Minister Modi expressed unrelenting optimism and the utmost confidence that the tireless efforts of our peoples, our civic and private sectors, and our governments to forge deeper bonds have set the U.S.-India partnership on a path toward even greater heights in the decades ahead.

    President Biden expressed his immense appreciation for India’s leadership on the world stage, particularly Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in the G-20 and in the Global South and his commitment to strengthen the Quad to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. India is at the forefront of efforts to seek solutions to the most pressing challenges, from supporting the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic to addressing the devastating consequences of conflicts around the world. President Biden commended Prime Minister Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in decades, and for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine, including its energy sector, and on the importance of international law, including the UN charter. The Leaders reaffirmed their support for the freedom of navigation and the protection of commerce, including critical maritime routes in the Middle East where India will assume co-lead in 2025 of the Combined Task Force 150 to work with Combined Maritime Forces to secure sea lanes in the Arabian Sea. President Biden shared with Prime Minister Modi that the United States supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership for India in a reformed U.N. Security Council. The Leaders voiced their view that a closer U.S.-India partnership is vital to the success of efforts to build a cleaner, inclusive, more secure, and more prosperous future for the planet.

    President Biden and Prime Minister Modi applauded the success of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in deepening and expanding strategic cooperation across key technology sectors, including space, semiconductors, and advanced telecommunications. Both Leaders committed to enhance regular engagements to improve the momentum of collaboration in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy. They highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration with like-minded partners, including through the Quad and a U.S.-India-ROK Trilateral Technology initiative launched earlier this year to build more secure and resilient supply chains for critical industries and ensure we collectively remain at the leading edge of innovation. The Leaders directed their governments to redouble efforts to address export controls, enhance high technology commerce, and reduce barriers to technology transfer between our two countries, while addressing technology security, including through the India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue. Leaders also endorsed new mechanisms for deeper cyberspace cooperation through the bilateral cybersecurity dialogue. The Leaders recommitted to expand the manufacturing and deployment of clean energy, including finding opportunities to expand U.S.-India cooperation in solar, wind and nuclear energy and the development of small modular reactor technologies.

    Charting a Technology Partnership for the Future

    President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed a watershed arrangement to establish a new semiconductor fabrication plant focused on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics for national security, next generation telecommunications, and green energy applications. The fab, which will be established with the objective of manufacturing infrared, gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductors, will be enabled by support from the India Semiconductor Mission as well as a strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the U.S. Space Force.

    The Leaders praised combined efforts to facilitate resilient, secure, and sustainable semiconductor supply chains including through GlobalFoundries’ (GF) creation of the GF Kolkata Power Center in Kolkata, India that will enhance mutually beneficial linkages in research and development in chip manufacturing and enable game-changing advances for zero and low emission as well as connected vehicles, internet of things devices, AI, and data centers. They noted GF’s plans to explore longer term, cross-border manufacturing and technology partnerships with India which will deliver high-quality jobs in both of our countries. They also celebrated the new strategic partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the India Semiconductor Mission, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in connection with the International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund.

    The Leaders welcomed steps our industry is taking to build safe, secure, and resilient supply chains for U.S., Indian, and international automotive markets, including through Ford Motor Company’s submission of a Letter of Intent to utilize its Chennai plant to manufacture for export to global markets.

    The Leaders welcomed progress toward the first joint effort by NASA and ISRO to conduct scientific research onboard the International Space Station in 2025. They appreciated the initiatives and exchange of ideas under the Civil Space Joint Working Group and expressed hope that its next meeting in early 2025 will open additional avenues of cooperation. They pledged to pursue opportunities to deepen joint innovation and strategic collaborations, including by exploring new platforms in civil and commercial space domains.

    The Leaders also welcomed efforts to enhance collaboration between our research and development ecosystems. They plan to mobilize up to $90+ million in U.S. and Indian government funding over the next five years for the U.S.-India Global Challenges Institute to support high-impact R&D partnerships between U.S. and Indian universities and research institutions, including through identifying options to implement the Statement of Intent signed at the June 2024 iCET meeting. The Leaders also welcomed the launch of a new U.S.-India Advanced Materials R&D Forum to expand collaboration between American and Indian universities, national laboratories, and private sector researchers.

    The Leaders announced the selection of 11 funding awards between the National Science Foundation and India’s Department of Science and Technology, supported by a combined $5+ million grant to enable joint U.S.-India research projects in areas such as next-generation telecommunications, connected vehicles, machine learning. The Leaders announced the award of 12 funding awards under the National Science Foundation and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, research collaboration with a combined outlay of nearly $10 million to enable joint U.S.-India basic and applied research in the areas of semiconductors, next generation communication systems, sustainability & green technologies and intelligent transportation systems. Furthermore, NSF and MeitY are exploring new opportunities for research collaboration to enhance and synergize the basic and applied research ecosystem on both sides.

    The Leaders celebrated that India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) along with National Science Foundation of the United States announced the first joint call for collaborative research projects in February 2024 to address complex scientific challenges and innovate novel solutions that leverage advances in synthetic and engineering biology, systems and computational biology, and other associated fields that are foundational to developing future biomanufacturing solutions and advance the bioeconomy. Under the first call for proposals, joint research teams responded enthusiastically and results are likely to be announced by the end of 2024.

    The Leaders also highlighted additional cooperation we are building across artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, and other critical technology areas. They highlighted the second convening of the U.S.-India Quantum Coordination Mechanism in Washington in August and welcomed the announcement of seventeen new awards for binational research and development cooperation on artificial intelligence and quantum via the U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (IUSSTF). They welcomed new private sector cooperation on emerging technologies, such as through IBM’s recent conclusion of memoranda of understanding with the Government of India, which will enable IBM’s watsonx platform on India’s Airawat supercomputer and drive new AI innovation opportunities, enhance R&D collaboration on advanced semiconductor processors, and increase support for India’s National Quantum Mission.

    The Leaders commended ongoing efforts to build more expansive cooperation around 5G deployment and next-generation telecommunications; this includes the U.S. Agency for International Development’s plans to expand the Asia Open RAN Academy with an initial $7 million investment to grow this workforce training initiative worldwide, including in South Asia with Indian institutions.

    The Leaders welcomed progress since the November 2023 signing of an MOU between the Commerce Department and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to enhance the two countries’ innovation ecosystems under the “Innovation Handshake” agenda. Since then, the two sides have convened two industry roundtables in the U.S. and India to bring together startups, private equity and venture capital firms, corporate investment departments, and government officials to forge connections and to accelerate investment in innovation.

    Powering a Next Generation Defense Partnership

    President Biden welcomed the progress towards India concluding procurement of 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment, which will enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of India’s armed forces across all domains.

    The Leaders recognized the remarkable progress under the U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, including ongoing collaboration to advance priority co-production arrangements for jet engines, munitions, and ground mobility systems. They also welcomed efforts to expand defense industrial partnerships, including the teaming of Liquid Robotics and Sagar Defence Engineering for the co-development and co-production of unmanned surface vehicle systems that strengthen undersea and maritime domain awareness. The Leaders applauded the recent conclusion of the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA), enhancing the mutual supply of defense goods and services. Both Leaders committed to advance ongoing discussions on aligning their respective defense procurement systems to further enable the reciprocal supply of defense goods and services.

    President Biden welcomed India’s decision to set a uniform Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5 percent on the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector, including on all aircraft and aircraft engine parts thereby simplifying the tax structure and paving the way for building a strong ecosystem for MRO services in India. The Leaders also encouraged the industry to foster collaboration and drive innovation to support India’s efforts to become a leading aviation hub. The Leaders welcomed commitments from U.S. industry to further increase India’s MRO capabilities, including for the repair of aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

    The Leaders hailed the teaming agreement on the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft recently signed between Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, the two companies that co-chair the U.S.-India CEO Forum. Building on longstanding industry cooperation, this agreement will establish a new Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India to support the readiness of the Indian fleet and global partners who operate the C-130 Super Hercules aircraft. This marks a significant step in U.S.-India defense and aerospace cooperation and reflects the two sides’ deepening strategic and technology partnership ties.

    The Leaders lauded the growing defense innovation collaboration between our governments, businesses, and academic institutions fostered by the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) initiative launched in 2023, and noted progress achieved during the third INDUS-X Summit in Silicon Valley earlier this month. They welcomed the enhanced collaboration between the Indian Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and US Department of Defence’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) through the Memorandum of Understanding signed at the Silicon Valley Summit. The efforts via the INDUSWERX consortium to facilitate pathways for defense and dual-use companies in the INDUS-X network to access premier testing ranges in both countries, were appreciated.

    The Leaders also recognized the clear fulfillment of the shared goal to build a defense innovation bridge under INDUS-X through the launch of “joint challenges” designed by the U.S. DoD’S DIU and the Indian MoD’s Defence Innovation Organization (DIO). In 2024, our governments have separately awarded $1+ million to U.S. and Indian companies that developed technologies focused on undersea communications and maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Building on this success, a new challenge was announced at the most recent INDUS-X Summit that focused on Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

    The Leaders welcomed ongoing efforts to deepen our military partnership and interoperability to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, noting that India hosted our most complex, largest bilateral, tri-service exercise to date during the March 2024 TIGER TRIUMPH exercise. They also welcomed the inclusion of new technologies and capabilities, including a first-ever demonstration of the Javelin and Stryker systems in India, on the margins of the ongoing bilateral Army YUDH ABHYAS exercise.

    The Leaders welcomed the conclusion of the Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers, and the commencement of deployment process of the first Liaison Officer from India in US Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

    The Leaders commended work to advance cooperation in advanced domains, including space and cyber, and looked forward towards the November 2024 bilateral cyber engagement to enhance the U.S.-India cyber cooperation framework. Areas of new cooperation will include threat information sharing, cybersecurity training, and collaboration on vulnerability mitigation in energy and telecommunications networks. The Leaders also noted the second U.S.-India Advanced Domains Defense Dialogue in May 2024, which included the first-ever bilateral defense space table-top exercise.

    Catalyzing the Clean Energy Transition

    President Biden and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the U.S.-India Roadmap to Build Safe and Secure Global Clean Energy Supply Chains, which launched a new initiative to accelerate the expansion of safe and secure clean energy supply chains through U.S. and Indian manufacturing of clean energy technologies and components. In its initial phase, the U.S. and India would work together to unlock $1 billion of multilateral financing to support projects across the clean energy value chain for renewable energy, energy storage, power grid and transmission technologies, high efficiency cooling systems, zero emission vehicles, and other emerging clean technologies.

    The Leaders also highlighted the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)’s partnership with India’s private sector to expand clean energy manufacturing and diversify supply chains. To date, DFC has extended a $250 million loan to Tata Power Solar to construct a solar cell manufacturing facility and a $500 million loan to First Solar to construct and operate a solar module manufacturing facility in India.

    The Leaders lauded the strong collaboration under the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP), most recently convened on September 16, 2024 in Washington DC to strengthen energy security, create opportunities for clean energy innovation, address climate change and create employment generation opportunities, including through capacity building, and collaboration between industry and R&D.

    The Leaders welcomed collaboration on a new National Center for Hydrogen Safety in India and affirmed their intent to utilize the new Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) to enhance collaboration on clean energy manufacturing and global supply chains, including through public-private task forces on hydrogen and energy storage.

    The Leaders also announced a new Memorandum of Cooperation between the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Solar Alliance aimed at promoting more responsive and sustainable power systems that leverage diverse renewable energy sources.

    The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to accelerate the development of diverse and sustainable supply chains for critical minerals under the Minerals Security Partnership targeting strategic projects along the value chain. The Leaders looked forward to the signing of the Critical Minerals Memorandum of Understanding at the forthcoming U.S.-India Commercial Dialogue and pledged to hasten bilateral collaboration to secure resilient critical minerals supply chains through enhanced technical assistance and greater commercial cooperation.

    The Leaders welcomed the progress made on joint efforts since 2023 for India to work toward IEA membership in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement on an International Energy Program.

    The two Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the manufacturing and deployment of renewable energy, battery storage and emerging clean technology in India. They welcomed the ongoing progress between India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to provide up to $500 million each to anchor the Green Transition Fund as well as encourage private sector investors to match these efforts. Both sides look forward to the expeditious operationalization of the Green Transition Fund.

    Empowering Future Generations and Promoting Global Health and Development

    The Leaders welcomed India’s signature and ratification of the Agreements under Pillar III, Pillar IV and the overarching Agreement on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The Leaders underscored that IPEF seeks to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness of the economies of its signatories. They noted the economic diversity of the 14 IPEF partners that represents 40 percent of global GDP and 28 percent of global goods and services trade.

    President Biden and Prime Minister Modi celebrated the new U.S.-India Drug Policy Framework for the 21st Century and its accompanying Memorandum of Understanding, which will deepen collaboration to disrupt the illicit production and international trafficking of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals, and deepen a holistic public health partnership.

    The two Leaders signaled their commitment to the objectives of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs Threats and work towards combatting the threat of synthetic drugs and their precursors through mutually agreed initiatives to promote public health through coordinated actions.

    The Leaders applauded the first-ever U.S.-India Cancer Dialogue held in August 2024, which brought together experts from both countries to increase research and development to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer. The Leaders applauded the recently launched Bio5 partnership between the United States, India, ROK, Japan, and the EU, driving closer cooperation on pharmaceutical supply chains. The Leaders applauded the Development Finance Corporation’s $50 million loan to Indian company Panacea Biotech to manufacture hexavalent (six-in-one) vaccines for children, reaffirming our joint commitment to advance shared global health priorities, including bolstering support for primary healthcare.

    The leaders welcomed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Small Business Administration for promoting cooperation between U.S. and Indian small and medium-size enterprises by improving their participation in the global market place through capacity building workshops in areas such as trade and export finance, technology and digital trade, green economy and trade facilitation. The MoU also provides for the joint conduct of programs for women entrepreneurs to empower them and facilitate trade partnership between women-owned small businesses of the two countries. The Leaders celebrated that, since the June 2023 State visit, the Development Finance Corporation has invested $177 million across eight projects to support Indian small businesses and drive economic growth.

    The Leaders welcomed enhanced cooperation on agriculture between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, agriculture productivity growth, agriculture innovation, and sharing best practices related to crop risk protection and agriculture credit. The two sides will also enhance cooperation with the private sector through discussions on regulatory issues and innovation to enhance bilateral trade.

    The Leaders welcomed the formal launch of the new U.S.-India Global Digital Development Partnership, which aims to bring together U.S. and Indian private sector companies, technology and resources to deploy the responsible use of emerging digital technologies in Asia and Africa.

    The Leaders welcomed strengthened trilateral cooperation with Tanzania through the Triangular Development Partnership, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development and India’s Development Partnership Administration to jointly address global development challenges and foster prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The partnership focuses on advancing renewable energy projects, including solar energy, to enhance energy infrastructure and access in Tanzania, thereby bolstering energy cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. They also desired to explore the expansion of the triangular development partnership in areas of health cooperation, particularly for critical technical areas of mutual interest including digital health and capacity building of nurses and other frontline health workers.

    The Leaders acknowledged the July 2024 signing of a bilateral Cultural Property Agreement that will facilitate implementation of the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The agreement marked the culmination of years of diligent work by experts from both countries and fulfills President Biden’s and Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to enhance cooperation to protect cultural heritage highlighted in the joint statement when they met in June 2023. In this context, the leaders welcomed the repatriation of 297 Indian antiquities from the U.S. to India in 2024.

    The Leaders look forward to building on India’s ambitious G20 presidency to deliver on shared priorities for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, including: bigger, better, and more effective MDBs, including by following through on Leaders’ pledges in New Delhi to boost the World Bank’s capacity to help developing countries address global challenges, while recognizing the imperative of achieving the sustainable development goals; a more predictable, orderly, timely and coordinated sovereign debt restructuring process; and a pathway to growth for high-ambition developing countries that are facing financing challenges amid mounting debt burdens by increasing access to finance and unlocking fiscal space taking into account country specific circumstances.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: The Wilmington Declaration Joint Statement from the Leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 22 SEP 2024 8:15AM by PIB Delhi

    Today, we—Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States—met for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit, hosted by President Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.

    Four years since elevating the Quad to a leader-level format, the Quad is more strategically aligned than ever before and is a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact for the Indo-Pacific. We celebrate the fact that over just four years, Quad countries have built a vital and enduring regional grouping that will buttress the Indo-Pacific for decades to come.

    Anchored by shared values, we seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law. Together we represent nearly two billion people and over one-third of global gross domestic product. We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Through our cooperation, the Quad is harnessing all of our collective strengths and resources, from governments to the private sector to people-to-people relationships, to support the region’s sustainable development, stability, and prosperity by delivering tangible benefits to the people of the Indo-Pacific.

    As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity. We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We condemn recent illicit missile launches in the region that violate UN Security Council resolutions. We express serious concern over recent dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain. We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated—one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures. We are united in our commitment to upholding a stable and open international system, with its strong support for human rights, the principle of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition on the threat or use of force in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter.

    Reflecting the Vision Statement issued by Leaders at the 2023 Quad Summit, we are and will continue to be transparent in what we do. Respect for the leadership of regional institutions, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), is and will remain at the center of the Quad’s efforts.

    A Global Force for Good

    Health Security

    The COVID-19 pandemic reminded the world how important health security is to our societies, our economies, and the stability of our region. In 2021 and 2022, the Quad came together to deliver more than 400 million safe and effective COVID-19 doses to Indo-Pacific countries and almost 800 million vaccines globally, and provided $5.6 billion to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment for vaccine supply to low and middle-income countries. In 2023, we announced the Quad Health Security Partnership, through which the Quad continues to deliver for partners across the region, including through the delivery of pandemic preparedness training.

    In response to the current clade I mpox outbreak, as well as the ongoing clade II mpox outbreak, we plan to coordinate our efforts to promote equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured mpox vaccines, including where appropriate expanding vaccine manufacturing in low and middle-income countries.

    Today we are proud to announce the Quad Cancer Moonshot, a groundbreaking partnership to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region. Building on the Quad’s successful partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, our collective investments to address cancer in the region, our scientific and medical capabilities, and contributions from our private and non-profit sectors, we will collaborate with partner nations to reduce the burden of cancer in the region.

    The Quad Cancer Moonshot will focus initially on combatting cervical cancer—a preventable cancer that continues to claim too many lives—in the Indo-Pacific region, while laying the groundwork to address other forms of cancer as well. The United States intends to support this initiative, including through U.S. Navy medical trainings and professional exchanges around cervical cancer prevention in the region starting in 2025, and through U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) openness to finance eligible private sector-driven projects to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, including cervical cancer. Australia is announcing the expansion of the Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer Program (EPICC) with support of the Australian Government and the Minderoo Foundation to AUD 29.6 million, to cover up to eleven countries in the Indo-Pacific in helping advance the elimination of cervical cancer and support complementary initiatives focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. India commits to providing HPV sampling kits, detection kits, and cervical cancer vaccines worth $7.5 million to the Indo-Pacific region. India, through its $10 million commitment to the WHO’s Global Initiative on Digital Health, will offer technical assistance to interested countries in the Indo-Pacific region for the adoption and deployment of its Digital Public Infrastructure that helps in cancer screening and care. Japan is providing medical equipment, including CT and MRI scanners, and other assistance worth approximately $27 million, including in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste, and is contributing to international organizations such as the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. Quad partners also intend to work, within respective national contexts, to collaborate in advancing research and development in the area of cancer and to increase private sector and non-governmental sector activities in support of reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the region. We welcome a number of new, ambitious commitments from non-governmental institutions, including the Serum Institute of India, in partnership with Gavi, which will support orders of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses, subject to necessary approvals, for the Indo-Pacific region, and which may be increased consistent with demand. We also welcome a new $100 million commitment from Women’s Health and Empowerment Network to address cervical cancer in Southeast Asia.

    Altogether, our scientific experts assess that the Quad Cancer Moonshot will save hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming decades.

    Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)

    Twenty years since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, when the Quad first came together to surge humanitarian assistance, we continue to respond to the vulnerabilities caused by natural disasters in the Indo-Pacific. In 2022, the Quad established the “Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in the Indo-Pacific” and signed Guidelines for the Quad Partnership on HADR in the Indo-Pacific, which enable Quad countries to rapidly coordinate in the face of natural disasters. We welcome Quad governments working to ensure readiness to rapidly respond, including through pre-positioning of essential relief supplies, in the event of a natural disaster; this effort extends from the Indian Ocean region, to Southeast Asia, to the Pacific.

    In May 2024, following a tragic landslide in Papua New Guinea, Quad partners collectively contributed over $5 million in humanitarian assistance. Quad partners are working together to provide over $4 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Vietnam in light of the devastating consequences of Typhoon Yagi. The Quad continues to support partners in the region in their longer-term resiliency efforts.

    Maritime Security

    In 2022, we announced the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) to offer near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness information to partners in the region. Since then, in consultation with partners, we have successfully scaled the program across the Indo-Pacific region—through the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, with partners in Southeast Asia, to the Information Fusion Center—Indian Ocean Region, Gurugram. In doing so, the Quad has helped well over two dozen countries access dark vessel maritime domain awareness data, so they can better monitor the activities in their exclusive economic zones—including unlawful activity. Australia commits to boosting its cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency to enhance regional maritime domain awareness in the Pacific through satellite data, training, and capacity building.

    Today we are announcing a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI), to enable our partners in the region to maximize tools provided through IPMDA and other Quad partner initiatives, to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior. We look forward to India hosting the inaugural MAITRI workshop in 2025. Furthermore, we welcome the launch of a Quad maritime legal dialogue to support efforts to uphold the rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, Quad partners intend to layer new technology and data into IPMDA over the coming year, to continue to deliver cutting edge capability and information to the region.

    We are also announcing today that the U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard, plan to launch a first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025, to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety, and continuing with further missions in future years across the Indo-Pacific. 

    We also announce today the launch of a Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, to pursue shared airlift capacity among our nations and leverage our collective logistics strengths, in order to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region.

    Quality Infrastructure

    The Quad remains committed to improving the region’s connectivity through the development of quality, resilient infrastructure.

    We are pleased to announce the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, which will harness the Quad’s expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, in collaboration with regional partners. In 2025, we intend to hold a Quad Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, hosted by India in Mumbai. Through this new partnership, Quad partners intend to coordinate, exchange information, share best practices with partners in the region, and leverage resources to mobilize government and private sector investments in quality port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region.

    We applaud the expansion of the Quad Infrastructure Fellowships to more than 2,200 experts, and note that Quad partners have already provided well over 1,300 fellowships since the initiative was announced at last year’s Summit. We also appreciate the workshop organized by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in India, working to empower partners across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen power sector resilience.

    Through the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, we continue to support and strengthen quality undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific, the capacity, durability, and reliability of which are inextricably linked to the security and prosperity of the region and the world. In support of these efforts, Australia launched the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre in July, which is delivering workshops and policy and regulatory assistance in response to requests from across the region. Japan will extend technical cooperation to improve public ICT infrastructure management capacity for an undersea cable in Nauru and Kiribati. The United States has conducted over 1,300 capacity building trainings for telecommunication officials and executives from 25 countries in the Indo-Pacific; today the U.S. announces its intent, working with Congress, to invest an additional $3.4 million to extend and expand this training program.

    Investments in cable projects by Quad partners will help support all Pacific island countries in achieving primary telecommunication cable connectivity by the end of 2025. Since the last Quad Leaders’ Summit, Quad partners have committed over $140 million to undersea cable builds in the Pacific, alongside contributions from other likeminded partners. Complementing these investments in new undersea cables, India has commissioned a feasibility study to examine expansion of undersea cable maintenance and repair capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

    We reaffirm our support for the Pacific Quality Infrastructure Principles, which are an expression of Pacific voices on infrastructure.

    We underscore our commitment to an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe, reliable and secure digital future to advance our shared prosperity and sustainable development across the Indo-Pacific. In this context, we welcome the Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure.

    Critical and Emerging Technologies

    Today, we are proud to announce an ambitious expansion of our partnership to deliver trusted technology solutions to the broader Indo-Pacific region.

    Last year, Quad partners launched a landmark initiative to deploy the first Open Radio Access Network (RAN) in the Pacific, in Palau, to support a secure, resilient, and interconnected telecommunications ecosystem. Since then, the Quad has pledged approximately $20 million to this effort.

    Quad partners also welcome the opportunity to explore additional Open RAN projects in Southeast Asia. We plan to expand support for ongoing Open RAN field trials and the Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA) in the Philippines, building on the initial $8 million in support that the United States and Japan pledged earlier this year. The United States also plans to invest over $7 million to support the global expansion of AORA, including through establishing a first-of-its-kind Open RAN workforce training initiative at scale in South Asia, in partnership with Indian institutions.

    Quad partners will also explore collaborating with the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation to ensure the country’s readiness for nationwide 5G deployment.

    We remain committed to advancing our cooperation on semiconductors through better leveraging of our complementary strengths to realize a diversified and competitive market and enhance resilience of Quad’s semiconductor supply chains. We welcome a Memorandum of Cooperation between Quad countries for the Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network.

    Through the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative announced at last year’s Summit, our governments are deepening leading-edge collaborative research to harness artificial intelligence, robotics, and sensing to transform agricultural approaches and empower farmers across the Indo-Pacific. We are pleased to announce an inaugural $7.5+ million in funding opportunities for joint research, and welcome the recent signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between our science agencies to connect our research communities and advance shared research principles.

    The United States, Australia, India, and Japan look forward to launching the Quad BioExplore Initiative—a funded mechanism that will support joint AI-driven exploration of diverse non-human biological data across all four countries.

    This project will also be underpinned by the forthcoming Quad Principles for Research and Development Collaborations in Critical and Emerging Technologies.

    Climate and Clean Energy

    As we underscore the severe economic, social, and environmental consequences posed by the climate crisis, we continue to work together with Indo-Pacific partners, including through Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP), to enhance climate and clean energy cooperation as well as promote adaptation and resilience. We emphasize the significant benefits of transitioning to a clean energy economy for our people, our planet, and our shared prosperity. Our countries intend to strengthen our cooperation to align policies, incentives, standards, and investments around creating high-quality, diversified clean energy supply chains that will enhance our collective energy security, create new economic opportunities across the region, and benefit local workers and communities around the world, particularly across the Indo-Pacific.

    We will work together, through policy and public finance, to operationalize our commitment to catalyzing complementary and high-standard private sector investment in allied and partner clean energy supply chains. To this end, Australia will open applications for the Quad Clean Energy Supply Chains Diversification Program in November, providing AUD 50 million to support projects that develop and diversify solar panel, hydrogen electrolyzer and battery supply chains in the Indo-Pacific. India commits to invest $2 million in new solar projects in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar, and Seychelles. Japan has committed to $122 million grants and loans in renewable energy projects in Indo-Pacific countries. The United States, through DFC, will continue to seek opportunities to mobilize private capital to solar, as well as wind, cooling, batteries, and critical minerals to expand and diversify supply chains.

    We are pleased to announce a focused Quad effort to boost energy efficiency, including the deployment and manufacturing of high-efficiency affordable, cooling systems to enable climate-vulnerable communities to adapt to rising temperatures while simultaneously reducing strain on the electricity grid.

    We jointly affirm our commitment to addressing the challenges posed by climate change and ensure the resilience and sustainability of port infrastructure. Quad partners will leverage our learning and expertise to forge a path towards sustainable and resilient port infrastructure, including through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

    Cyber

    In the face of a deteriorating security environment in the cyber domain, Quad countries intend to enhance our cybersecurity partnership to address common threats posed by state-sponsored actors, cybercriminals, and other non-state malicious actors. Our countries commit to taking concrete steps to increase our collective network defense and advance technical capabilities through greater threat information sharing and capacity building. We plan to coordinate joint efforts to identify vulnerabilities, protect national security networks and critical infrastructure networks, and coordinate more closely including on policy responses to significant cybersecurity incidents affecting the Quad’s shared priorities.

    Quad countries are also partnering with software manufacturers, industry trade groups, and research centers to expand our commitmentto pursuing secure software development standards and certification, as endorsed in the Quad’s 2023 Secure Software Joint Principles. We will work to harmonize these standards to not only ensure that the development, procurement, and end-use of software for government networks is more secure, but that the cyber resilience of our supply chains, digital economies, and societies are collectively improved. Throughout this fall, Quad countries each plan to host campaigns to mark the annual Quad Cyber Challenge promoting responsible cyber ecosystems, public resources, and cybersecurity awareness. We are constructively engaging on the Quad Action Plan to Protect Commercial Undersea Telecommunications Cables, developed by the Quad Senior Cyber Group, as a complementary effort to the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience. Our coordinated actions to protect global telecommunications infrastructure as guided by the Action Plan will advance our shared vision for future digital connectivity, global commerce, and prosperity. 

    Space

    We recognize the essential contribution of space-related applications and technologies in the Indo-Pacific. Our four countries intend to continue delivering Earth Observation data and other space-related applications to assist nations across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen climate early warning systems and better manage the impacts of extreme weather events. In this context, we welcome India’s establishment of a space-based web portal for Mauritius, to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact.

    Quad Investors Network (QUIN)

    We welcome private sector initiatives—including the Quad Investors Network (QUIN), which facilitates investments in strategic technologies, including clean energy, semiconductors, critical minerals, and quantum. The QUIN is mobilizing a number of investments to promote supply chain resilience, advance joint research and development, commercialize new technologies, and invest in our future workforce.

    People-to-People Initiatives

    The Quad is committed to strengthening the deep and enduring ties between our people, and among our partners. Through the Quad Fellowship, we are building a network of the next generation of science, technology, and policy leaders. Together with the Institute of International Education, which leads implementation of the Quad Fellowship, Quad governments welcome the second cohort of Quad Fellows and the expansion of the program to include students from ASEAN countries for the first time. The Government of Japan is supporting the program to enable Quad Fellows to study in Japan. The Quad welcomes the generous support of private sector partners for the next cohort of fellows, including Google, the Pratt Foundation, and Western Digital.

    India is pleased to announce a new initiative to award fifty Quad scholarships, worth $500,000, to students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue a 4-year undergraduate engineering program at a Government of India-funded technical institution.

    Working Together to Address Regional and Global Issues

    Today we reaffirm our consistent and unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity. We continue to support implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and are committed to ensuring the Quad’s work is aligned with ASEAN’s principles and priorities.

    We underscore ASEAN’s regional leadership role, including in the East Asia Summit, the region’s premier leader-led forum for strategic dialogue, and the ASEAN Regional Forum. As comprehensive strategic partners of ASEAN, our four countries intend to continue to strengthen our respective relationships with ASEAN and seek opportunities for greater Quad collaboration in support of the AOIP.

    We recommit to working in partnership with Pacific island countries to achieve shared aspirations and address shared challenges. We reaffirm our support for Pacific regional institutions that have served the region well over many years, with the PIF as the region’s premier political and economic policy organization, and warmly welcome Tonga’s leadership as the current PIF Chair in 2024-2025. We continue to support the objectives of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. We and our governments will continue to listen to and be guided at every step by Pacific priorities, including climate action, ocean health, resilient infrastructure, maritime security and financial integrity. In particular, we acknowledge climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific and applaud Pacific island countries’ global leadership on climate action.

    We remain committed to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. We strongly support IORA as the Indian Ocean region’s premier forum for addressing the region’s challenges. We recognize India’s leadership in finalizing the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP) and express our support for its implementation. We thank Sri Lanka for its continued leadership as IORA Chair through this year and look forward to India’s assuming the IORA Chair in 2025. 

    As Leaders, we are steadfast in our conviction that international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace, safety, security and stability in the maritime domain, underpin the sustainable development, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. We emphasize the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to address challenges to the global maritime rules-based order, including with respect to maritime claims. We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea. We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including increasing use of dangerous maneuvers. We also oppose efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities.We reaffirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, as reflected in UNCLOS. We re-emphasize the importance of maintaining and upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law. We re-emphasize the universal and unified character of UNCLOS and reaffirm that UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and the seas must be carried out. We underscore that the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea is a significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.

    Together, with our global and regional partners, we continue to support international institutions and initiatives that underpin global peace, prosperity and sustainable development. We reiterate our unwavering support for the UN Charter and the three pillars of the UN system. In consultation with our partners, we will work collectively to address attempts to unilaterally undermine the integrity of the UN, its Charter, and its agencies. We will reform the UN Security Council, recognizing the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council. This expansion of permanent seats should include representation for Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean in a reformed Security Council.

    We stand for adherence to international law and respect for principles of the UN Charter, including territorial integrity, sovereignty of all states, and peaceful resolution of disputes. We express our deepest concern over the war raging in Ukraine including the terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. Each of us has visited Ukraine since the war began, and seen this first-hand; we reiterate the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also note the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, especially for developing and least developed countries. In the context of this war, we share the view that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. We underscore the importance of upholding international law, and in line with the UN Charter, reiterate that all states must refrain from the threat of or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.

    We condemn North Korea’s destabilizing ballistic missile launches and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). These launches pose a grave threat to international peace and stability. We urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the UNSCRs, refrain from further provocations and engage in substantive dialogue. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant UNSCRs and call on all countries to fully implement these UNSCRs. We stress the need to prevent any proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies related to North Korea in the region and beyond. We express our grave concern over North Korea’s use of proliferation networks, malicious cyber activity and workers abroad to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. In that context, we urge all UN Member States to abide by the relevant UNSCRs including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materiel. We express deep concern about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, which directly undermines the global nonproliferation regime. As the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts tasked with monitoring violations of North Korea-related UNSCR sanctions was not renewed, we reiterate our commitment to continued implementation of the relevant UNSCRs which remain in full force. We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue.

    We remain deeply concerned by the worsening political, security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar, including in Rakhine State, and again call for an immediate cessation of violence, the release of all those unjustly and arbitrarily detained, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, resolution of the crisis through constructive and inclusive dialogue among all stakeholders, and a return to the path of inclusive democracy. We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN-led efforts, including the work of the ASEAN Chair and the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar. We call for full implementation of all commitments under the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus. The ongoing conflict and instability have serious implications for the region, including increases in transnational crime such as cybercrime, the illegal drug trade, and human trafficking. We restate our appeal to all States to prevent the flow of arms and dual-use material, including jet fuel. We remain resolute in our support for the people of Myanmar and commit to continuing to work with all stakeholders in a pragmatic and constructive way, to find a sustainable solution to the crisis in a process which is led by the people of Myanmar and returns Myanmar to the path of democracy.

    We call upon all States to contribute to the safe, peaceful, responsible, and sustainable use of outer space. We remain committed to fostering international cooperation and transparency, as well as confidence-building measures with the goal of improving the security of outer space for all States. We reaffirm the importance of upholding the existing international legal framework for outer space activities, including the Outer Space Treaty, and the obligation of all States Parties to the Treaty not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner.

    The Quad reaffirms its commitment to fostering a resilient information environment including through its Countering Disinformation Working Group by supporting media freedom and addressing foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, which undermines trust and sows discord in the international community. We recognize these tactics are intended to interfere with domestic and international interests, and we are committed, together with our regional partners, to leverage our collective expertise and capacity to respond. We reaffirm our commitment to respect international human rights law, strengthen civil society, support media freedom, address online harassment and abuse, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and counter unethical practices.

    We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. We are committed to international cooperation and will work with our regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen their capability to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, including threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, consistent with international law. We are committed to working together to promote accountability for the perpetrators of such terrorist attacks. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks including the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and in Pathankot, and our commitment to pursuing designations, as appropriate, by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. We welcome the constructive discussions held at the first Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and the fourth tabletop exercise in Honolulu last year, and look forward to Japan hosting the next meeting and tabletop exercise in November 2024.

    We share great interest in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East. We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks on October 7, 2023. The large-scale loss of civilian lives and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unacceptable. We affirm the imperative of securing the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and emphasize that the deal to release hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza. We underscore the urgent need to significantly increase deliveries of life-saving humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza as well as the crucial need to prevent regional escalation. We urge all parties to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, as applicable. We welcome UNSCR S/RES/2735 (2024), and strongly urge all parties concerned to work immediately and steadily toward the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire. We call on all parties to take every feasible step to protect the lives of civilians including aid workers, and facilitate the rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian relief to civilians. We also encourage other countries, including those in the Indo-Pacific, to increase their support in order to address the dire humanitarian need on the ground. We underscore that the future recovery and reconstruction of Gaza should be supported by the international community. We remain committed to a sovereign, viable and independent Palestinian state taking into account Israel’s legitimate security concerns as part of a two-state solution that enables both Israelis and Palestinians to live in a just, lasting, and secure peace. Any unilateral actions that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution, including Israeli expansion of settlements and violent extremism on all sides, must end. We underscore the need to prevent the conflict from escalating and spilling over in the region.

    We condemn the ongoing attacks perpetrated by the Houthis and their supporters against international and commercial vessels transiting through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which are destabilizing the region and impeding navigational rights and freedoms and trade flows, and jeopardize the safety of vessels and people on board including sailors.

    We reaffirm our commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We underscore the importance of achieving the SDGs in a comprehensive manner without selectively prioritizing a narrow set of such goals, and reaffirm that the UN has a central role in supporting countries in their implementation. With six years left, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and accelerating progress toward all the SDGs in a comprehensive manner that is balanced across three dimensions – economic, social and environmental. From global health to sustainable development and climate change, the global community benefits when all stakeholders have the opportunity to contribute to addressing these challenges. We affirm our commitment to contributing to and implementing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda and to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. We underscore our commitment to strongly engaging constructively in the discussion on advancing sustainable development, including at the Summit of the Future. The Quad continues to realize a safe and secure world where human rights and human dignity are protected, based on the central premise of the SDGs: “Leave no one behind.”

    We, the Quad Leaders, remain dedicated to working in partnership with Indo-Pacific countries in deciding our future and shaping the region we all want to live in.

    Enduring Partners for the Indo-Pacific

    Over the past four years, Quad Leaders have met together six times, including twice virtually, and Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times in the last five years. Quad country representatives meet together on a regular basis, at all levels, including among ambassadors across the four countries’ extensive diplomatic networks, to consult one another, exchange ideas to advance shared priorities, and deliver benefits with and for partners across the Indo-Pacific region. We welcome our Commerce and Industry ministers preparing to meet for the first time in the coming months. We also welcome the leaders of our Development Finance Institutions and Agencies deciding to meet to explore future investments by the four countries in the Indo-Pacific. Altogether, our four countries are cooperating at an unprecedented pace and scale.

    Each of our governments has committed to working through our respective budgetary processes to secure robust funding for Quad priorities in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure an enduring impact. We intend to work with our legislatures to deepen interparliamentary exchanges, and encourage other stakeholders to deepen engagement with Quad counterparts.

    We look forward to the next Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting hosted by the United States in 2025, and the next Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by India in 2025. The Quad is here to stay.

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    MJPS/ST

    (Release ID: 2057454) Visitor Counter : 48

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tablet use by young children is linked with more outbursts of anger and frustration

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Caroline Fitzpatrick, Canada Research Chair in Digital Media Use by Children and Its Implications for Promoting Togetherness: An Ecosystemic Approach, Université de Sherbrooke

    Tablets and mobile devices can be highly engaging for young children. However, they offer few opportunities for children to develop important emotion regulation skills, including the ability to manage strong emotions like anger and frustration. (Shutterstock)

    The number of children who own their own tablet has increased from seven per cent in 2013 to 44 per cent in 2020. In the United States, tablet use has become nearly universal, with 93 per cent of parents reporting that their two- to four-year-old uses a mobile device.

    Tablets and mobile devices can be connected to the internet and allow users unlimited access to tailored content thanks to personalized algorithms. For this reason, these devices can be highly engaging for young children. However, they offer few opportunities for children to develop important emotion regulation skills, including the ability to manage strong emotions like anger and frustration.

    The early childhood years are foundational for the development of emotion regulation skills. More challenging, less well-regulated children also tend to be exposed to more screen time by parents. For this reason, it remains important to answer the following question: does children’s tablet use contribute to poor emotional regulation, or do poorly regulated children spend more time on tablets?

    We and our co-authors addressed this question in a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

    Tablet use and emotional regulation

    Our study found that for every 73-minute increase in tablet use at the age of 3.5 years, there was a significant increase in expressions of anger and frustration at age 4.5.
    (Shutterstock)

    Over the course of three years, we longitudinally studied a sample of 315 children at the ages of 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 years in Nova Scotia. Parents reported how much time their child spent using tablets on average every day, and reported how frequently their child expressed anger and frustration in the context of their daily routines.

    Children in our sample spend on average 55 minutes (0.92 hours) per day using tablets at age 3.5, 57 minutes (0.95 hours) per day using tablets at 4.5, and 60 (one hour) per day using tablets at age 5.5.

    We found that for every 73 minutes (1.22 hours) increase in tablet use at the age of 3.5 years, there was a significant increase in expressions of anger and frustration at age 4.5. Children who expressed anger and frustration more frequently at age 4.5 then increased their tablet time at age 5.5 by 17 minutes (0.28 hours).

    Our study’s rigorous design also allowed us to compare each child to themselves over time. That means they served as their own baseline control, which prevents other factors such as pre-existing individual differences (such as child sex and temperament) or differences in the quality of the family environment or socio-economic status from confounding the analyses.

    Kids’ tablet use

    Because of their small size, tablets can also be transported to restaurants or brought along for car or bus rides.
    (Shutterstock)

    Because of their small size, tablets can be transported to restaurants or brought along for car or bus rides to keep children busy or manage boredom and emotional outbursts. Indeed, parents report using screen media as a calming tool to help manage young children’s emotional outbursts. This strategy may be an effective short-term solution, but is likely to backfire in the long run.

    In addition, very young children can operate tablets on their own, which can lead parents to use mobile devices to keep children busy. As such, child tablet use is likely to offer immediate gratification to children while remaining a solitary activity.

    For these reasons, three-year-olds who spend more hours using tablets may forfeit opportunities to engage in activities — such as interactions with caregivers or free play with other children — that are essential for rehearsing and eventually mastering self-regulation. By the age of four, more frequent expression of anger also contributed to increases in tablet use, suggesting that early childhood tablet use could contribute to a vicious cycle over time.

    Co-use of tablets with a caregiver may offer more opportunities for social interactions which may contribute to child learning outcomes.
    (Shutterstock)

    Our study is not without limitations. First, our study was conducted during the pandemic with a convenience sample of 315 children with low levels of socioeconomic risk. Replications on more diverse and vulnerable samples post-pandemic are needed to confirm these results.

    Future studies could examine the roles of screen media content and context of use on children. For instance, using tablets for e-book reading versus using a tablet to watch videos on YouTube may have different effects on children. Furthermore, the co-use of tablets with caregivers may offer more opportunities for social interactions, which may contribute to child learning outcomes.

    Takeaways for parents and caregivers

    Our results indicate that parents should closely monitor tablet use in the early preschool years. Parents should also avoid using tablets as a digital calming tool, especially with children who may be having trouble regulating their emotions and behaviour.

    Finally, to improve emotional regulation skills, parents can ensure that children have sufficient opportunities to engage in activities that promote the development of emotion.

    Gabrielle Garon-Carrier receives funding from Canada Research Chairs Program.

    Caroline Fitzpatrick and Fabricio De Andrade Rocha do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Tablet use by young children is linked with more outbursts of anger and frustration – https://theconversation.com/tablet-use-by-young-children-is-linked-with-more-outbursts-of-anger-and-frustration-237111

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: ICC welcomes UN Pact for the Future as chance to forge new models of engagement with business

    Source: International Chamber of Commerce

    Headline: ICC welcomes UN Pact for the Future as chance to forge new models of engagement with business

    The International Chamber of Commerce has issued the following statement following the adoption of the United Nations Pact for the Future. ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said:

    “We welcome the adoption today of the United Nations Pact for the Future. Global business is clear that enhanced international cooperation is imperative to tackle the critical challenges facing the world – from climate change to insecurity.

    “We commend the leadership of the UN Secretary General and the President of the General Assembly for their leadership in delivering this important agreement in the face of complex political dynamics throughout the intergovernmental negotiations.

    “We recognise that the final pact hasn’t delivered the level of ambition in some areas that many of us have been seeking from this agreement. But we believe, nevertheless, it provides an important foundation for renewed cooperation on cross-border challenges and, ultimately, a stronger UN system.

    “Nowhere is that more important than the opportunity provided to enhance role of the UN crisis situations, learning the lessons – good and bad – from the international response to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic to the spillover effects of the conflict in Ukraine.

    “Here, we believe the Pact must serve as an immediate platform for action to develop mechanisms capable of ensuring a rapid, cohesive and effective global response to emerging crises. This should provide an opportunity to forge new models of engagement with business – breaking through artificial silos that today often limit the real-world impact of crisis response efforts. We look forward to working with the UN Secretary General to this end.”

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President Ramaphosa in New York for UN General Assembly

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Sunday, September 22, 2024

    President Cyril Rampahosa touched down on Saturday at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he will be leading the South African delegation to the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and high-level week. 

    The President was received by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s Permanent Representative in New York Ambassador Mathu Nompozolo and Defence Attachè Brigadier General Richard Maponyane. 

    President Ramaphosa is expected to address the General Assembly on the opening day, Tuesday, 24 September 2024.

    Heads of State and Government are gathering at the UN Headquarters in New York to address the critical challenges and gaps in global governance exposed by recent global shocks. 

    The summit aims to reaffirm commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Charter, while enhancing cooperation and laying the foundations for a reinvigorated multilateral system.

    According to the Presidency, this year, the African group presides over the General Assembly, with former Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang, elected as President of the 79th Session.

    “The theme identified by the President of UNGA79 is, ‘Unity in diversity, for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for everyone everywhere’.” 

    The issues on which President Ramaphosa will focus on during his engagements in New York include the necessity for the maintenance of international peace and security. 

    He will also zoom in on the SDGs and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, climate change and the upcoming COP29 in Baku, financing for development, and health and pandemic preparedness.

    Today, President Ramaphosa will take part in the UN Secretary-General’s flagship High-Level Summit of the Future (SoTF), which, at its conclusion, is expected to adopt a Pact for the Future (PFTF).

    While in New York, President Ramaphosa will also engage business leaders as part of the drive to attract foreign direct investment for South Africa, his Office said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President Ramaphosa arrives in New York for UN General Assembly

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Sunday, September 22, 2024

    President Cyril Rampahosa touched down on Saturday at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he will be leading the South African delegation to the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and high-level week. 

    The President was received by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s Permanent Representative in New York Ambassador Mathu Nompozolo and Defence Attachè Brigadier General Richard Maponyane. 

    President Ramaphosa is expected to address the General Assembly on the opening day, Tuesday, 24 September 2024.

    Heads of State and Government are gathering at the UN Headquarters in New York to address the critical challenges and gaps in global governance exposed by recent global shocks. 

    The summit aims to reaffirm commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Charter, while enhancing cooperation and laying the foundations for a reinvigorated multilateral system.

    According to the Presidency, this year, the African group presides over the General Assembly, with former Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang, elected as President of the 79th Session.

    “The theme identified by the President of UNGA79 is, ‘Unity in diversity, for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for everyone everywhere’.” 

    The issues on which President Ramaphosa will focus on during his engagements in New York include the necessity for the maintenance of international peace and security. 

    He will also zoom in on the SDGs and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, climate change and the upcoming COP29 in Baku, financing for development, and health and pandemic preparedness.

    Today, President Ramaphosa will take part in the UN Secretary-General’s flagship High-Level Summit of the Future (SoTF), which, at its conclusion, is expected to adopt a Pact for the Future (PFTF).

    While in New York, President Ramaphosa will also engage business leaders as part of the drive to attract foreign direct investment for South Africa, his Office said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James and CUNY Announce Ruschell Boone Scholarship

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and the City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees Chairperson William C. Thompson, Jr. today announced the establishment of the Ruschell Boone Scholarship, a memorial fund in honor of the late award-winning journalist that will support West Indian students pursuing journalism degrees at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY or Baruch College. Ruschell Boone was an Emmy award-winning reporter at Spectrum News NY1, and a graduate of CUNY’s Baruch College who passed away in 2023 following a brave battle against pancreatic cancer. The scholarship is supported by an initial endowment of $125,000 pledged by the CUNY Board of Trustees and University supporters and will help defray the cost of college-related expenses for students.

    “Ruschell Boone was a brilliant journalist who touched the lives of everyone she encountered,” said Attorney General James. “Her understanding of this city, its communities, and its people truly made her a New York City treasure. She uplifted people whose stories were often overlooked, and always showed up during the tough and scary times because she knew her reporting brought comfort to this city. With this scholarship, Ruschell’s legacy lives on – empowering a future generation of journalists to embody her authenticity and compassion. I am so grateful to Chair Thompson and CUNY for providing this scholarship and honoring Ruschell in the most impactful way.”

    “We are proud to honor Ruschell Boone, continuing the principle she lived by, with this new scholarship in her name for CUNY students,” said CUNY Board of Trustees Chairperson William C. Thompson Jr. “We are appreciative to her fellow CUNY alumna, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, for having the idea to preserve Ruschell’s legacy in this meaningful way.”

    “Ruschell Boone made a name for herself in her two decades keeping New Yorkers informed on NY1, even as she battled pancreatic cancer,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “She was an inspirational Baruch alumna who made it her mission to support those who came after her, and it is our honor to keep the memory of her dedication to mentorship alive with this scholarship.”

    “Ruschell’s presence leapt off the screen,” said Spectrum Networks Executive Vice President Michael Bair. “She was effervescent, on and off camera. She was also a fierce, ambitious, and determined journalist. She set high standards for herself, NY1, and our whole city. It is only fitting that her incomparable legacy live on through this investment in the next generation of journalists.”

    Ruschell dedicated her career to telling the stories of New York’s diverse communities and made it her personal mission to give back to the community and inspire youth to pursue their passions. In recognition of this mission, Attorney General James and the CUNY Board of Trustees established the Ruschell Boone Scholarship to defray the cost of tuition, fees, and other college-related expenses for West Indian students pursuing degrees in journalism at CUNY.

    Ruschell was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where she spent her early childhood before immigrating to the Bronx at age 11. As a student at Baruch College, Ruschell discovered a passion for journalism, which first led her to CNBC and CNN, and ultimately landed her at Spectrum News NY1 in 2002. In her 20 years at NY1, Ruschell was beloved by New Yorkers for her thoughtful, informative reporting and focus on communities that were often ignored, marginalized, or misrepresented.

    In addition to her coverage of countless major events, including the pandemic, Hurricane Sandy, the 2016 bombing in Manhattan, and protests for racial justice, Ruschell was known as a strong community presence and a familiar face at many marquee New York events. She was the first to interview Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after the then-candidate’s stunning Democratic primary win, an exclusive interview that quickly became a viral sensation. Ruschell earned multiple awards for her work, including Best Spot News Reporting from the New York Association of Black Journalists, Best Feature Reporting from the New York Press Club, and a New York Emmy Award for her series, “New York: Unfiltered.”

    For donations to the Ruschell Boone Scholarship Fund, checks may be payable to the City University of New York and will be deposited in a separate account at the CUNY Endowment Fund for the purpose of funding the scholarships. If a 501(c)3 is required for the donation, then checks may be made payable to the Research Foundation of the City University of New York, where they will be held in a separate account.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Basic service provider or mini democracy? Why NZ needs to decide what it wants from local government

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeffrey McNeill, Honorary Research Associate, School of People, Environment and Planning, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent challenge to local government “to rein in the fantasies and to get back to delivering the basics brilliantly” was unsurprising, given his government’s focus on fiscal restraint.

    It was in keeping with his announcement that councils’ legislative purpose of delivering their communities’ economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing are to be removed from the Local Government Act.

    Local government responded with the usual indignation and suggested solutions. There were complaints about inadequate funding mechanisms, questions about whether libraries are basic services. The whole spat likely flew under the radar of the wider public.

    Yet the problems facing local government are very real and will not just go away by kicking costly decisions down the road. Rather, they are symptomatic of fundamental choices facing the sector.

    Foundational issues

    The problems go back to the late 1980s when our current local government system was designed.

    Led by then local government minister Michael Bassett, the reforms were the first in over 100 years. More than 850 city, borough and county councils, catchment boards, united councils and local boards were amalgamated to form 86 in 1989 and now 78 regional, city and district councils we have today.

    But Bassett still considered local government reform incomplete because of the failure to address water provision.

    But I would argue the real unfinished business was the failure to resolve the purpose of local government in the first place. Only when that is agreed can we address local government’s functions, form and funding.

    Until then, the shape and function of local government will remain a political football.

    According to section 10(1)(a) of the Local Government Act 2002, the purpose of local government is “to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities”.

    But the second subsection describing its purpose, (s.10(1)(b)) has changed with the various governments. In 2002, under Helen Clark’s Labour-led government, the purpose of local government was:

    to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

    John Key’s National-led government in 2012 replaced that purpose with a remit

    to meet the current and future needs of communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost-effective for households and businesses.

    The previous Labour government reintroduced the wellbeing purpose. Luxon is set to remove it.

    Function, form and funding

    Should local government be a true local government with comprehensive and wide powers, or simply a property-services organisation, providing little more than street-lighting, roading, water and sewerage?

    The two very different conceptions of local government determine its functions, form and funding.

    These differing views reflect the disparate Anglophone and European concepts of local government. National aligns with the Anglophone model, with its limited local government functions under a strong central government. Labour leans towards the European model, with devolved wide-ranging functions.

    The distinction between the two models was made very clear to me while working as part of an international team researching local government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    My Italian colleague, for example, reported how his country’s local governments were vitally involved in their cities’ day to day management during the crisis.

    Mayors and councils were making daily decisions and announcements about their hospitals’ resourcing, whether to close the schools and training institutes, increase social welfare provision and housing, and so on.

    On the flipside, New Zealand local government was largely sidelined to address humanitarian services such as ensuring people had access to food and accommodation.

    Instead, councils searched for local “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects to access central government funds in order to reduce unemployment and stimulate local economies. The public focused on national daily press announcements from the prime minister and director-general of health.

    No appetite strong local government

    For all that, the distinction between Labour and National conceptions of local government may not be as great as recent history suggests.

    Both want a strong centre and weak local government. Our councils have largely reinforced this reality. Some have sought to extend their scope of activities, others have clearly defined themselves as property services agencies.

    Most have largely refrained from the excesses the prime minister appears to be concerned about, partly to avoid being caught out by changes in central government, but also because most council expenditure is already committed to infrastructure.

    But does it have to be this way?

    The Labour-led government’s 2021 Future for Local Government review envisaged local government using partnerships with hapū and iwi to promote the four key wellbeings as key to any reform. This is at odds with the present government’s priorities and views on governing with Māori – a big reason why the reports now collect dust.

    The review was also very constrained in considering local government functions. Rather, it seemingly took existing functions as its starting point to focus instead on local governance.

    Writing about our local government nearly 70 years ago, public servant and academic R.J. Polaschek imagined what would have been if New Zealand had been colonised by Denmark instead of Great Britain. In this hypothetical scenario he saw strong independent local government based on communities with wide-ranging functions.

    It still could be, but tinkering at the edges is not going to solve its problems. Our local government project remains unfinished business. It will take political courage and vision to complete the task. One that remains a fantasy, and we are all the losers.

    Jeffrey McNeill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Basic service provider or mini democracy? Why NZ needs to decide what it wants from local government – https://theconversation.com/basic-service-provider-or-mini-democracy-why-nz-needs-to-decide-what-it-wants-from-local-government-238862

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: New Zealand Chinese Immersion Day highlights cultural show, donated books

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The Chinese Immersion Day highlighted cultural show and donated Chinese books in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Sunday.

    The Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch donated children’s books in Chinese and books about traditional Chinese culture to the Christchurch Library, as part of the nationwide celebration of the New Zealand Chinese Language Week, which started on Sunday.

    Consul General He Ying told the donation ceremony that the annual book donation started more than five years ago, and these books have been widely received by the Chinese community and Kiwis in Christchurch.

    The city libraries need diverse language books as part of a wide range of books offered, said a statement from the library, adding the donated books have been wonderful gifts for the community to enjoy.

    The Chinese Immersion Day highlighted performance of traditional Chinese music, lion dance and various Chinese language and culture activities, such as calligraphy, paper cutting, Chinese knots making, Chinese painting, fan making, tea art, traditional Chinese medicine consultation, and fun language workshops and games.

    The Chinese Immersion Day was jointly held by the Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch, the Confucius Institute at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch Central Library, and the New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers Association (Canterbury).

    The Chinese Language Week is a Kiwi-driven initiative launched in 2014 after the Maori Language Week and the Pacific Language Week.

    New Zealand has more than 260,000 people of Chinese origin. The number of primary and secondary school students in New Zealand learning Chinese was nearly 70,000 before the global pandemic, according to New Zealand’s Ministry of Education. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Summit hammers out consensus for updating, upgrading UN to tackle challenges

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Philemon Yang, president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, speaks at the Summit of the Future at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 22, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The Summit of the Future opened at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York on Sunday, with the adoption of a Pact for the Future, as well as its annexes the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, which cover a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations and the transformation of global governance.

    The Pact for the Future is the UN’s master plan for tackling challenges that lie ahead for humanity, with 56 “actions” covering everything from peacekeeping to the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence. The pact underlines the “increasingly complex challenges” to world peace, notably the threat of nuclear war, with the document reiterating the UN’s core tenets.

    The pact promises to accelerate efforts to attain the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim for the eradication of extreme poverty by 2030, an intensified battle against hunger, promotion of gender equality and education. Most of the objectives were set in 2005, but are far from being realized. Against that backdrop, and with poor countries particularly mobilized for change, the pact especially calls for “reform of the international financial architecture.”

    What UNGA president says?

    “We stand at a crossroads of global transformation, facing unprecedented challenges that demand urgent, collective action,” Philemon Yang, president the UN General Assembly, said at the opening segment of the two-day summit. “From conflict and climate change to the digital divide, from inequalities to threats against human rights, together, we all face profound challenges. Yet, alongside these challenges, there is hope,” because challenges come along with opportunities.

    The Pact for the Future represents the world body’s pledge not only to address immediate crises, but lay the foundations for a sustainable, just, and peaceful global order, for all peoples and nations, he said, adding that the commitments embodied in the pact and its annexes reflect the collective will of UN member states to promote international peace and security, invigorate implementation of the SDGs, foster just and inclusive societies, and ensure that technologies always serve the common good of humankind.

    “The Summit of the Future is a call to action. We must shape our future to protect ourselves and our planet Earth,” said the president. “Action that recommits us to the principles of international law, the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the promise of the United Nations Charter to save future generations from the pain of war.”

    The world body’s mission is to eradicate poverty in all its forms, tackle inequalities, and promote peace and security, tolerance and respect for diversity, and the summit offers a historic opportunity to ensure that progress is shared equitably across all nations and communities everywhere, he said.

    “We have an obligation to harness the power of science, technology, and innovation, in order to prepare the future of humankind. It is also important that we reproduce our human successes across generations all the time,” noted the president. “Let us continue our efforts to reform and strengthen global institutions that support peace, security, sustainable development, and financial stability.”

    What UN secretary general says?

    “I called for this summit to consider deep reforms to make global institutions more legitimate, fair and effective, based on the values of the UN Charter,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the meeting. “I called for this summit because 21st century challenges require 21st century solutions: frameworks that are networked and inclusive; and that draw on the expertise of all of humanity … our world is heading off the rails — and we need tough decisions to get back on track.”

    Conflicts are raging and multiplying, from the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan, with no end in sight, he said, adding that the world’s collective security system is threatened by geopolitical divides, nuclear posturing, and the development of new weapons and theaters of war, while resources that could bring opportunities and hope are invested in death and destruction.

    “In short, our multilateral tools and institutions are unable to respond effectively to today’s political, economic, environmental and technological challenges. And tomorrow’s will be even more difficult and even more dangerous,” noted the secretary general, stressing that things are changing fast but the world’s peace and security tools and institutions, as well as its global financial architecture, reflect a bygone era.

    Technology, geopolitics and globalization have transformed power relations and the world is going through a time of turbulence and a period of transition, he addressed the meeting. With the adoption of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, pathways are opened to new possibilities and opportunities — a breakthrough on peace and security reforms to make the Security Council more reflective of today’s world is promised.

    These three landmark agreements are a step-change toward more effective, inclusive, networked multilateralism, said Guterres, noting that their implementation will prioritize dialogue and negotiation, end the wars tearing the world apart, and reform the composition and working methods of the Security Council. “To rebuild trust, we must start with the present and look to the future. People everywhere are hoping for a future of peace, dignity, and prosperity.”

    What Summit of the Future Means?

    In 2020, the United Nations turned 75 and marked the occasion by starting a global conversation about hopes and fears for the future. This was the beginning of a process that would eventually lead, four years later, to the convening of the Summit of the Future, a major event this September, just before the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly.

    The summit was conceived at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a perception at the UN that countries and people pulled apart instead of cooperating to face this global threat.

    “We were really confronted with the gap between the aspirations of our founders, which we were trying to celebrate at the 75th anniversary, and the reality of the world as it is today,” said Michele Griffin, the policy director of the summit.

    UN member states tasked Guterres to come up with a vision for the future of global cooperation. His answer to their call was “Our Common Agenda,” a landmark report with recommendations on renewed global cooperation to address a host of risks and threats, and a proposal to hold a forward-looking summit in 2024.

    The event consists of sessions and plenaries based around five main tracks — sustainable development and financing; peace and security; a digital future for all; youth and future generations; and global governance — and other topics that cut across all of the work of the UN, including human rights, gender equality and the climate crisis.

    The immediate outcome is the finalized version of the Pact for the Future, with the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration for Future Generations as annexes, all of which were adopted by member states during the summit on Sunday.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: English rendering of PM’s address to the Indian Diaspora, New York, USA

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 3:58AM by PIB Delhi

    Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

    Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

    Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

    Namaste U.S.! Now even our “Namaste” has gone multinational, transitioning from local to global, and it’s all because of you. Every Indian who holds Bharat close to their heart has made this possible.

    Friends, 

    You’ve come here from far and wide. Some faces are familiar, while others are new. Your love is a great honour for me. I recall the days when I wasn’t a PM, wasn’t a CM, wasn’t a leader at all. Back then, I used to come here as an inquisitive traveller, eager to see and understand this land, carrying many questions in my mind. Even when I held no official position, I had already toured almost 29 states in America. Later, when I became a CM, I continued connecting with you through technology. As a PM, too, I’ve received immense affection and warmth from you. In 2014, it was Madison Square; Sam Jose in 2015; Houston in 2019; Washington in 2023; and now New York in 2024, and each time, you surpass the last record.

    Friends, 

    I’ve always recognized the strength of the Indian diaspora. Even when I held no official post, I understood it, and I understand it today. You have always been Bharat’s strongest brand ambassadors for me. That’s why I call you the ‘Rashtradoot’ (nation’s emissaries). You’ve connected America to Bharat and Bharat to America. Your skills, talent, and commitment are unparalleled. Though you’ve crossed seven seas, no ocean is deep enough to separate you from the Bharat that resides in your hearts. What Maa Bharti has taught us, we can never forget. Wherever we go, we treat everyone like family. Embracing diversity, living it, and integrating it into our lives—these are our values, embedded in our very being. We are from a country with hundreds of languages and dialects, home to every religion and sect. Yet, we move forward as one and united. In this very hall, some speak Tamil, others Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Marathi, or Gujarati. Our languages may differ, but our spirit is one: “Bharat Mata ki Jai” (Victory to Mother Bharat), the spirit of Indianness. This is our greatest strength in connecting with the world. These values naturally make us ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ (global friend). As our scriptures say, तेन त्यक्तेन भुंजीथा: meaning those who sacrifice are the ones who truly enjoy. We find happiness by doing good to others and by sacrificing.  Wherever we live, this spirit remains unchanged. We contribute maximum to the societies we live in. In America, be it as doctors, researchers, tech professionals, scientists, or in other professions, you’ve soared high, and the world has witnessed it.  Just a short while ago the T-20 Cricket World Cup was held here and the USA team played amazingly, and the world has also seen the contribution of the Indians living here in that team.

    Friends, 

    For the world, AI means artificial intelligence, but I believe AI stands for America-India. This America-India spirit is the AI power of the new world, elevating Bharat-America relations. I salute all of you, the Indian diaspora. 

    Friends, 

    Wherever I go in the world, I hear nothing but praise for the Indian diaspora from every leader. Just yesterday, President Biden invited me to his home in Delaware. His warmth and hospitality were truly touching. This honour is for 140 crore Indians, for your hard work, for the millions of Indians living here. I extend my gratitude to President Biden and to all of you. 

    Friends, 

    The year 2024 is crucial for the world. On one side, we see conflicts and tensions among nations, while on the other, some countries are celebrating democracy. Bharat and America are together in this celebration of democracy. Elections are upcoming here in the U.S., while Bharat has already held its elections. These elections in Bharat were the largest in human history. You can imagine: almost double the number of voters as the total population of the U.S., and more voters than the entire population of Europe! So many people cast their votes in Bharat. When we see the scale of Bharat’s democracy, it fills us with pride. A three-month-long polling process, 15 million polling staff, over a million polling stations, more than 2,500 political parties, more than 8,000 candidates, thousands of newspapers in different languages, hundreds of radio stations, TV news channels, millions of social media accounts, lakhs of social media channels—all of this makes Bharat’s democracy vibrant. It’s an era of expanding freedom of expression, and our electoral process undergoes scrutiny at this level.

    And friends, 

    This long election process has led to something unprecedented in Bharat this time. What happened? What happened? What happened? ‘Abki Baar – ’ (This time again—), ‘Abki Baar – ’ (This time again—), ‘Abki Baar – ’ (This time again—)!

    Friends, 

    Our government has been re-elected for the third time. This hadn’t happened in Bharat in the last 60 years. The mandate the people of Bharat has given us is huge and significant. In this third term, we have even greater goals to achieve. We must move forward with three times the strength and three times the speed. You’ll remember one word: PUSHP (flower). Yes, consider it a lotus, I have no objections. PUSHP, and I define this PUSHP. P for Progressive Bharat, U for Unstoppable Bharat, S for Spiritual Bharat, H for Humanity First Bharat, and P for Prosperous Bharat. Together, these five petals of PUSHP will shape a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).

    Friends, 

    I am the first Prime Minister of Bharat born after independence. During the freedom struggle, millions of Indians dedicated their lives to Swaraj (self-rule). They didn’t think of their personal interests or comfort zones; they forgot everything and fought against the British. Some were hanged, some were shot, some endured torturous imprisonment, and many spent their youth in jail.

    Friends, 

    We couldn’t die for our country, but we can surely live for it. Dying wasn’t in our destiny, but living is our destiny. Right from day one, my mind and mission has been clear. I couldn’t give my life for ‘Swaraj’ (independence), but I decided to dedicate my life to ‘Suraj’ (good governance) and a ‘Samridh’ (prosperous) Bharat. A large part of my life was spent wandering across the country for years. Wherever I found food, I ate; wherever I found a place to sleep, I slept. From the shores of the ocean to the mountains, from deserts to snow-covered peaks, I met people from every region, got to know and understand them. I gained first-hand experience of my country’s life, its culture, and its challenges. Though my path was different, destiny brought me into politics. I never imagined becoming a Chief Minister, but I became Gujarat’s longest-serving CM for 13 years. I remained Gujarat’s Chief Minister for 13 years and then people promoted me to Prime Minister. But the lessons I learned traveling through the country have shaped my governance model, both at the state and central levels. Over the past 10 years, the success of this governance model is evident to you and the world. And now, with great trust, the people of Bharat have given me a third term. I approach this third term with three times the sense of responsibility.

    Friends, 

    Today, Bharat is one of the world’s youngest nations. Bharat is filled with energy and dreams. Every day, new records are being set. Every day, new news. Just today, we received great news: Bharat won gold in both men’s and women’s categories at the Chess Olympiad. But let me tell you one more thing, which will require even more applause. For the first time in nearly 100 years, this has happened! The whole country and every Indian is proud of our chess players. There’s another AI driving Bharat. And what is that? It is A for Aspirational and I for Bharat: Aspirational Bharat. This is our new energy. The aspirations of millions of Indians are driving Bharat’s growth. Every aspiration is giving rise to new achievements, and every achievement is fuelling new aspirations. In just one decade, Bharat has risen from the 10th to the 5th largest economy. Now every Indian wants Bharat to quickly become the third-largest economy. Today, a large section of Bharat’s population has seen their basic needs met. Over the past 10 years, crores of people have gained access to clean cooking gas, piped water, electricity, and toilets. These crores of people now aspire to a better quality of life.

    Friends,

    Now, the people of Bharat don’t just want roads; they want magnificent expressways. Now, the people of Bharat don’t just want rail connectivity; they want high-speed trains. Every city in Bharat aspires to have metro services, and every city wants its own airport. Every citizen, whether from a village or a city, wants world-class facilities, and we are seeing the results of these aspirations. In 2014, only 5 cities in Bharat had metro services; today, 23 cities have metros. Bharat now has the second-largest metro network in the world, and it is expanding every day.

    Friends,

    In 2014, only 70 cities in Bharat had airports; today, more than 140 cities have airports. In 2014, fewer than 100 gram panchayats had broadband connectivity; today, more than 200,000 panchayats have it. In 2014, Bharat had around 140 million LPG consumers; today, the number has risen to over 310 million. What used to take years to accomplish is now being completed in months. There is a new confidence in Bharat’s people, a determination to reach their goals. Development in Bharat is becoming a people’s movement, and every Indian is becoming an equal partner in this movement of development. They believe in Bharat’s success and in its achievements.

    Friends,

    Today, Bharat is a land of opportunities. Bharat no longer waits for opportunities; Bharat creates opportunities. Over the past 10 years, Bharat has prepared a new launching pad for opportunities in every sector. Look at this – just in the last decade, and this will make you proud, 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty. How did this happen? It happened because we changed the old mindset and approach. We focused on empowering the poor. We connected more than 500 million people to the banking system, provided more than 550 million people with free medical treatment up to 500,000 rupees, gave over 40 million families proper housing, and through collateral-free loans, we provided millions of people with ease of credit. Many such initiatives helped people lift themselves out of poverty, and those who have emerged from poverty today form the neo-middle class, which is driving Bharat’s development at a faster pace.

    Friends,

    We have prioritized women-led development alongside women’s welfare. The crores of houses built by the government have been registered in the name of women. Out of the crores of bank accounts opened, more than half were in women’s names. Over the past decade, 10 crore Indian women have joined the Micro Entrepreneurship Scheme. Let me give you another example. We are making significant efforts to integrate agriculture with technology in Bharat, and today, drones are being used extensively in farming. While drones may not be new to you, what might surprise you is this: do you know who is taking responsibility for them? It’s rural women. We are training thousands of women to become drone pilots, and this remarkable technological revolution in agriculture is being driven by rural women.

    Friends,

    The areas once neglected have now become national priorities. Bharat is more connected today than ever before. You may be astonished to learn the current size of Bharat’s 5G market. Would you mind if I told you? Today, Bharat’s 5G market is larger than that of the United States, and this achievement has been made within just two years. Now, Bharat is working on Made-in-India 6G. How did this happen? It happened because we devised policies to advance this sector. We invested in Made-in-India technology, affordable data, and mobile phone manufacturing. Today, nearly every major mobile brand in the world is Made in India. Bharat is now the second-largest mobile manufacturer globally. There was a time, before my tenure, when we were importing mobile phones; today, we are exporting them.

    Friends, Bharat no longer lags behind. Now, Bharat creates new systems and leads the way. Bharat has introduced the world to a new concept of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). DPI has promoted equality and become a powerful tool in reducing corruption. Bharat’s UPI is now capturing the world’s attention. While you may have a wallet in your pocket, in Bharat, people have both physical wallets and e-wallets on their phones. Many Indians no longer carry physical documents, as they now use DigiLocker. When travelling to airports, they seamlessly use DigiYatra. This has become the launching pad for digital public infrastructure, innovation, job creation, and every related technology.

    Friends,

    Bharat will not stop now, nor will it slow down. Bharat envisions a future where as many global devices as possible operate on Made-in-India chips. We have made the semiconductor sector the foundation of Bharat’s accelerated growth. In June last year, Bharat announced incentives for the semiconductor industry, and just a few months later, the foundation stone for Micron’s first semiconductor unit was laid. To date, five such units have been approved in Bharat. The day is not far when you will see Made-in-India chips here in America as well. This small chip will elevate Bharat’s journey towards development to unprecedented heights, and that’s Modi’s promise.

    Friends,

    The resolve and commitment towards reforms in Bharat today are unprecedented. Our Green Energy Transition Programme is a prime example of this. Despite accounting for 17 percent of the world’s population, Bharat’s contribution to global carbon emissions is only 4 percent. We played no part in harming the planet. In fact, compared to the rest of the world, our impact is nearly negligible. We, too, could have fuelled our growth by relying on carbon emissions, but we chose the path of green transition, guided by our deep-rooted respect for nature. As a result, we are investing heavily in solar, wind, hydro, green hydrogen, and nuclear energy. Bharat was the first country in the G20 to achieve the Paris climate goals. Since 2014, our solar energy capacity has increased by over 30 times. We are working to make every home in the country a solar-powered home. To achieve this, we have launched an extensive rooftop solar mission. Today, our railway stations and airports are transitioning to solar energy. From homes to streets, Bharat has embarked on a journey towards energy-efficient lighting. These efforts are generating a large number of green jobs in Bharat.

    Friends,

    21st-century Bharat is advancing through education, skills, research, and innovation. You are all familiar with the name Nalanda University. Not long ago, Bharat’s ancient Nalanda University was revived in a modern form. Today, it’s not only the university but also the spirit of Nalanda that is being reborn. We are creating a modern educational ecosystem that attracts students from across the globe to come to Bharat and study. Over the past 10 years, something remarkable has happened in Bharat. In this period, one new university has been built in Bharat every week, two new colleges have been established every day, and one new ITI has opened each day. In a decade, the number of IIITs has risen from 9 to 25, IIMs from 13 to 21, and AIIMS has tripled to 22. The number of medical colleges has nearly doubled in the same period. Today, even the world’s top universities are coming to Bharat. Bharat is now renowned. The world has long witnessed the power of Indian designers; now it will witness the brilliance of ‘Design in India’.

    Friends,

    Today, Bharat’s partnerships are expanding globally. Previously, Bharat followed a policy of Equal Distance, but now it embraces a policy of Equal Proximity. We are also becoming a strong voice for the Global South. You may have noticed that, due to Bharat’s initiative, the African Union was granted permanent membership at the G20 Summit. Today, when Bharat speaks on the global stage, the world listens. Not long ago, when I said, “This is not the era of war,” the gravity of the statement was understood worldwide.

    Friends,

    Whenever there is a crisis anywhere in the world, Bharat is one of the first to respond. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we sent vaccines and medicines to over 150 countries. Whether it was an earthquake, a cyclone, or a civil war, we were among the first to offer assistance. This is a reflection of the values and teachings passed down by our ancestors.
    Friends,

    Bharat is emerging as a new catalyst on the global stage, and its influence will be felt across all sectors. Bharat’s role will be crucial in accelerating global growth, promoting global peace, advancing climate action, closing the global skills gap, driving innovation, and stabilising the global supply chain.

    Friends,

    For Bharat, power and capability are symbolised by “ज्ञानायदानायचरक्षणाय”, meaning knowledge is for sharing, wealth is for caring, and power is for protecting. Therefore, Bharat’s priority is not to impose its dominance but to enhance its influence. We are not like fire that burns; we are like the sun’s rays that provide light. We do not seek to dominate the world but to contribute to its prosperity. Whether it’s promoting yoga, advocating for superfood millets, or championing the Mission LiFE vision (Lifestyle for the Environment), Bharat is prioritizing human-centric growth alongside GDP-centric growth. I urge you all to promote Mission LiFE as much as possible here. Small changes in our lifestyle can have a significant positive impact on the environment.

    You may have heard, and perhaps some of you have already participated, in a movement that’s gaining momentum in Bharat. Across the country, people are planting a tree in honour of their mothers (Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam). If your mother is alive, plant a tree along with her. If she is no longer with us, plant a tree in her memory – carry a picture of her with you and plant a tree. This movement is taking place in every corner of Bharat, and I encourage all of you to initiate a similar campaign here. This will not only honour the mothers who gave us life but also our Mother Earth.

    Friends,

    Bharat today dreams big and pursues those dreams with determination. The Paris Olympics concluded just a few days ago, and the next host will be the USA. Soon, you will also witness the Olympics being held in Bharat. We are making every possible effort to host the 2036 Olympics. Whether in sports, business, or entertainment, Bharat has become a centre of global attraction. Today, Indian leagues like the IPL rank among the world’s top leagues, and Indian films are making waves internationally. Bharat is also soaring in global tourism. There is a growing interest in celebrating Indian festivals across different countries. I notice that people in cities everywhere are now learning Garba for Navratri—this reflects their love for Bharat.

    Friends,

    Today, every country seeks to learn more about Bharat. I have something else that will bring you joy. Just yesterday, America returned 300 ancient inscriptions and statues to Bharat, some as old as 1,500 to 2,000 years, which had been stolen from Bharat So far, the United States has returned around 500 such artefacts to Bharat. This is not just about the return of a few items; it is a tribute to our rich heritage spanning thousands of years. It is a matter of pride for Bharat and for all of you. I am deeply grateful to the US government for this gesture.

    Friends,

    The partnership between Bharat and the United States is growing stronger by the day. Our collaboration is for the benefit of the world. We are enhancing cooperation across all sectors, and your convenience has been taken into account as well. Last year, I announced that our government would open a new Consulate in Seattle, which has now become operational. I had also sought your suggestions for the opening of two more consulates, and I am pleased to inform you that, based on your feedback, Bharat has decided to open two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles.

    I am also delighted to announce the establishment of the Thiruvalluvar Chair for Tamil Studies at the University of Houston. This will further help in propagating the philosophy of the great Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar to the world.

    Friends,

    This event of yours has truly been remarkable. The cultural programme that took place here was fantastic. I have been informed that thousands of people wished to attend this event, but the venue proved to be too small. I apologise to those whom I couldn’t meet today. I look forward to meeting all of you next time, at another venue on another day. However, I know the enthusiasm will remain the same, and the passion will remain undiminished. May you all stay healthy and prosperous, and continue to strengthen the India-US friendship. With these wishes, I extend my heartfelt thanks to you all!

    Join me in saying:

    Bharat Mata ki Jai!

    Bharat Mata ki Jai!

    Bharat Mata ki Jai!

    Many thanks.

    DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered

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