India attends Trump-led Board of Peace meet as observer nation

India on Thursday attended the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace on Gaza as an observer country, represented by Charge d'affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, Namgya Khampa. The Board, unveiled earlier this year, included 27 countries -- among them Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- as well as Israel. Notably, Palestinian representatives are not part of the grouping. Officials from nearly 50 countries participated in the meeting at the US Institute of Peace in Washington. 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among several global leaders invited to join the body after it was proposed during the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire process. India was absent from the January 22 launch ceremony in Davos where Trump formally introduced the board, describing it as a platform aimed at securing lasting peace in Gaza and potentially addressing other global flashpoints. The initiative has drawn attention for being framed as an alternative to the United Nations. Trump has said the Board of Peace 'might' replace the UN, arguing that the global body has not fulfilled its potential.
At the meeting, Trump said nine members - Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait - have agreed to pledge a combined $7 billion towards a relief package for Gaza. He also announced that the US is pledging $10 billion for the Board of Peace, but didn't specify what this money would be spent on.  Major General Jasper Jeffers, the commander of the international security force, said Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania, pledged to send thousands of troops to Gaza, while Egypt and Jordan have said they will train personnel. 
Amid concerns that Trump intended to use the Board as a counterweight to the United Nations Security Council, the US President said the country will "work again with the United Nations". "We are going to strengthen the United Nations. We are going to make sure its facilities are good. They need help, and they need help money-wise. We're going to help them money-wise, and we're going to make sure the United Nations is viable," he added.