GS PRELIMS ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION | 10 YEARS (2015-2024) UPSC PYQ | INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS I Part -2

The new civil nuclear deal between India and the US has become a non-starter. Because in the Nuclear Liability Law, we stated that in case of a nuclear accident, and in case it is proven that the equipment was faulty or there was some fault of the equipment, then the supplier will be held responsible for the nuclear accident. So they will have to bear the cost of compensation. They have not given membership to China. Why? Because China is an irresponsible global power. It has been associated with the proliferation of dual-use technology, missile technology, nuclear weapon technology, and it has shared such technology with North Korea, with Pakistan. So, it is not a responsible nation, while India is a responsible nation. So we have got membership of all three. Right? And there was no China to block it, while China's presence in the NSG has meant that India has been denied full membership. The FMCT said to ban only the fissile material. Uranium and plutonium, which are used for nuclear bombs, they should be banned. So if that material is not there, then where will the bomb be made? So you find that even its draft has not been finalized yet because its aim is big. You have read newspapers and whatever foundation course, whatever preparation you have done for your Mains perspective. Then you will be in a position to secure a through. Good afternoon, all of you. Yes. So in the last class, we had discussed the strategic places. Yes, any doubts there that you have that you would like to ask? Fine. So, basically, the requirement is that you keep going through the newspapers and whatever concerted sources you can refer to at this point in time. But keep flipping through the newspapers till the very end. Fine. So today, we are to start with the topic of International Organizations. We can see that as far as International Organizations are concerned, over the past 10 years, they have asked 23 such questions which revolve around indexes or reports, UN bodies, committees, and conventions. This is a relatively new trend. Previously, they would not ask so many UN bodies, committees, and conventions, but these years they have been asking questions. Yes, previously they would restrict themselves to concepts like the Coffee Club, right? The G4, right? They would borrow terms from the UN itself and what we used to study for Mains. But now they are asking about UN bodies, committees, committees, and conventions, then ILO (International Labour Organization), G20, they have asked about regional blocks, they have asked about NGOs, and miscellaneous few questions that they have asked. You find that the theme of World Economic Forum reports have been repeatedly asked in 2017 and 19. So World Economic Forum basically means the reports published by them. So which gender Global Gender Gap Index, Global Competitiveness Report? Yes, yes, all these questions have been asked. Then one question which was asked in 2016: Which of the following is or are indicator or indicators used by IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute) to compute the Global Hunger Index report? Yes, those years, the Global Hunger Index report used to be in the news. Yes, they used to be part of the general material. We used to read them in current affairs. Okay? Basically, what we need to take from this question here is that the factors to calculate India's economic competitiveness might be important. So where you find reports, in terms of reports, what it means is who publishes them and which report do they publish, that link, and plus the factors, right? Right? Which are or the indicators which are used to, right? To decide the competitiveness, to decide the performance of a country, which we, the various reports, count. So as far as the Global Hunger Index, right? So basically, the indicator or indicators. So undernourishment, child stunting, and child mortality. As far as the Global Hunger Index report is concerned, all three are taken into account along with child wasting. So four indicators are taken into account. So you find that the correct answer was C. Yes. And as I told you, those Global Hunger Index used to be in the news and we used to read them in current affairs. So you find that undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality. See, you should be familiar with these phrases also. What do we mean by child wasting, child stunting, etc.? Okay? Child wasting is low weight for height. Child stunting is stunting of height. Yes. So, low height for their age is child stunting. Child mortality. You of course understand the number of, right? The mortality rate of children under the age of five is here, yes. And undernourishment is insufficient calorie intake, yes. Now, as far as the global hunger reality is concerned, in 2023, the Global Hunger Index has ranked India 111th out of 125 countries. That means India's position is not, right? Not decent enough, not good enough. Yes. We have, India has the world's highest child wasting rate. So we have low weight according to the child's height. Plus, we have severe child stunting. We have the population happens to be undernourished, and women in the age group of 15 to 24, you find that 58% of them suffer from anemia. What do AIR to Harshita Goyal and AIR three Dongre Arshad Parag have in common apart from securing top ranks in UPSC CSE 2024? They both began their journey with the General Studies Foundation Course at Vision IAS. They didn't wait to feel ready; they built readiness step by step with a structured strategy and support. If you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin, that's a lot of it. It's a signal, a signal that what you need is not more hours, but better direction. And that's exactly what the Vision IAS GS Foundation Course is built for. Hence, how we guide you from day one. Structured step-by-step learning. Prelims, Mains, CSAT, and Essays. All taught in a way that's easy to absorb and hard to forget. No fluff. Current Affairs. PT 365 and Mains 365 filter out the noise. So you focus only on what matters. Mentorship that adapts to you. Real one-on-one support to fix your weak spots, refine your strengths, and build your confidence. Test + Feedback loop. Not just marks, but meaningful feedback that helps you grow with each attempt. So don't just prepare harder, prepare smarter with the same foundation that built toppers. Batches starting from 28th April at 5 PM, 29th April at 2 PM, 30th April at 11 AM, and 7th May at 8:00 AM at Karol Bagh, and 17th April at 6 PM, 30th April at 8:00 AM at GDB Nagar. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] UPSC preparation is not just about reading books or watching online lectures; it requires personal guidance, real discussion, and structured practice. This is where offline mentoring makes all the difference. Unlike online learning where doubts often remain unresolved, offline mentoring offers direct interaction, real-time feedback, and an environment of discipline and competition. One-to-one sessions help students get tailored advice, strategy corrections, and focused improvement. Every aspirant has different strengths and weaknesses. Personal mentoring helps address them effectively. Ground discussions sharpen analytical thinking and help students develop a multidimensional perspective on issues crucial for Prelims, Mains, and Interviews. Allocation sessions help in personality development, clarity of thought, and confidence, essential for UPSC interviews. Test writing is the most crucial part of UPSC preparation. It helps in time management, structuring answers, and improving content quality. Offline mentoring is not just about teaching; it's about grooming future officers with the right guidance, discipline, and confidence. So, if you are preparing for UPSC, make sure you have the right mentor by your [Music] side. Now, which of the following gives the Global Gender Gap Index? We just saw it, World Economic Forum. Yes. So I am not going through the data; you can go through it on your own. Who releases the Rule of Law Index? Yes, the World Justice Project. In 2015, 16, 17, 18, 15-16, they started asking quite a few questions of this type. Yes. So you find that such questions were asked previously, but we cannot ignore them. You have to, right? They have also created consolidated material as far as the indexes and those who are publishing them, yes. So what is this World Justice Project Rule of Law Index? It measures countries' rule of law performance across eight factors. So these factors, you pay attention to, because a question can be asked on them. That's why I have just underlined it, that factors and indicators would be important. So here what is it? Constraints on government powers. Absence of constraints on government powers is a good thing. It is an essential feature of the rule of law. Government should not have unlimited power. Then absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice. This also, right? The index value ranges. This, right? A question can also be asked on this. They might just give a statement that you have to say it is right or wrong. So the index value ranges between zero to one, with one being the score for complete adherence to the rule of law. India's average score, overall score was 0.5, and its global ranking was 77 out of 140 countries. So just compare India with its neighborhood. This, right? You have to do that. In fact, India falls in this category where the rule of law has declined. Yes. So there has been a general decline in the rule of law in the country over the period of 2016 till 2023. Then once again, the Global Competitiveness Report is published by the World Economic Forum. Such things come up in news articles. Current affairs magazines tend to cover them. Yes. The factors will always be important. So how do you calculate the World Competitiveness Index? Economic performance, government efficiency, and business efficiency plus infrastructure. So you find that India's ranking, India stands at 40th rank. Recently, the rank has fallen by three ranks, but generally, we find that we have improved on the Global Competitiveness Report. Yes. And what is the reason for improvement? The country has improved in government efficiency. There is improvement in government efficiency. In the other three factors, there is a relative decline. Right? Relative, not so good performance compared to other countries. Right? In government efficiency, what is it? Exchange rate stability, there is good compensation levels, and improvement in pollution control. Yes, this is the additional information. You can, you need to go through. I mean, you can mark this page. Before Prelims, you need to, right? You have to read this. Yes. The World Development Report, which agency or organization? State of the World's Child Report, UNICEF. World Cities Report, UN Habitat. State of World Population, UN Population Fund. Yes, all of these four are, in fact, the funds and programs that we had referred to of the UN. Yes. World Economic and Social Survey, World Economic Situation and Prospects, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. UNESCO, which reports does it publish? Yes. UNCTAD, yes, UN Conference on Trade and Development. Which reports does it publish? FAO, Food and Agricultural Organization. Its State of the World's Forests. Right? Food, because for agricultural cultivation, forests are cleared. Therefore, you find FAO also publishes the State of the World's Forests. Yes, that needs to be paid attention to. Then World Bank, which reports? You have to go through all these reports. Yes, because UPSC tends to ask such questions. If you can just get it right, it becomes easy marks for you. And Global Hunger Index report, International Food Policy Research Institute. Then UN bodies, committees, and conventions that they have asked questions on. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, often seen in news, is yes, this was a question asked in 2015, and in fact, this is a very, if you are preparing for civil services, you tend to refer to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was a UN special meeting called for women empowerment. In the context of women empowerment, this was the meeting, and out of the meeting came the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Okay? So as part of GS, generally, we referred to it. So out of the four statements that were given, you had to choose one. Yes. Yes. So, since it is named Beijing, they have very smartly used all these organizations. A strategy to tackle regional terrorism, an outcome of the meeting of SCO. SCO, which deals with the issue of regional terrorism. Plan of Action for Sustainable Economic Growth in Asia-Pacific Region, outcome of deliberations of Asia-Pacific Economic Forum. An Agenda for Women's Empowerment, an outcome of the World Conference convened by the UN. Yes. And a strategy to combat wildlife trafficking, a declaration of the East Asia Summit. Okay? Okay? East Asia Summit and others are members of Beijing, but anyway, China, you find that however, right? It was well known. You should have known that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action relates to the World Conference on Women Empowerment. It is in the context of women empowerment. So, they have just given the explanation here. These are critical areas of concern that the Beijing Platform had identified. I don't think so that is very relevant as of now. Yes. Then the next is UN Convention Against Corruption. There are two statements on it. Then there are two statements on UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. Yes. So, basically, which of the statements are correct? UN Convention Against Corruption? These are a little factual. Of course, we can venture into a calculated guessing if we do not know the facts. But then otherwise, these are a little factual. Let's see if we can guess it or not. The UN Convention Against Corruption has a protocol against smuggling of migrants by land, sea, and air. As such, look, the convention on corruption. Corruption does not really involve smuggling of migrants by land, sea, and air. Okay? So it does not seem likely. Then the UN Convention Against Corruption is the first ever, first legally binding global anti-corruption instrument. If you know it, you would know it. Otherwise, you would not know it. This statement is correct. It is, in fact, the first ever, right? Legally binding global anti-corruption instrument. A highlight of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime is the inclusion of a specific chapter aimed at returning of assets to their rightful owners from whom they had been taken illicitly. What do you think? Yes, what are they saying? It includes a chapter which deals with returning assets to their rightful owners from whom it was illicitly taken. So will it be part of transnational organized crime? Sounds more like corruption to me. Yes. So in corruption, what happens is you take away, right? A resource from its rightful owner. So here it is about returning that rightful resource. Then the UN Office on Drugs and Crime is mandated by the member states to assist in the implementation of both UNCAC and UNTOC. Yes, this is factual information. This is correct. So, in fact, it is two and four which are correct. Right? Both these, they have interchanged the information. Okay? So in case of trans, UNTOC, you find that there is a protocol against smuggling of migrants, and this returning of assets to the rightful owner as part of the UN Convention Against Corruption. So, it was a little factual. Whoever knew it would know it. It is not a question which was, in fact, also from the news much. Yes, they picked it up from the UN website, UNODC, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, under a heading called Quick Links. They have mentioned these two conventions. So that has been dealt with in detail. They have mentioned whatever is mentioned there, you can. Yes. So you find that, yes, UNTOC has these three protocols which are there. One of the protocols which was mentioned is the Protocol Against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air. Read this. These themes, many times they repeat. Yes. So a question which has been asked, and since it is already given here, you can go through it, and whatever relevant information you find, you can underline it. And it is not very factual. If you read it logically, you will understand it. Yes, because it is a multiple-choice question. It's an MCQ. You don't have to reproduce anything from your rote memory. And you just need to identify if the statement is correct or incorrect in the exam. Next, they have given this information on the UN organs. So UN organs, we have discussed the six organs. They have mentioned all the six organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the ECOSOC, the Trusteeship Council, the ICJ, and the UN Secretariat. Yes, you can once again see if you have studied the normal content on UN organs, then that is fine. As much as we have studied, the same thing is written here. There is not much new in it. Yes, except for one new information, which the Trusteeship Council, its operation was suspended on 1st November 1994 because the last trust territory, which was Palau, had gained independence, had become a self-governing territory. So these 11 trust territories which were mandated to be administered by the Trusteeship Council either gained independence or joined other neighboring independent countries. Yes, and that job was done till 1994. Okay, one more thing. The Trusteeship Council was made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council. This is one additional information. Yes. So the P5 were the members of the Trusteeship Council as well. Fine. Generally, what do we say? The General Assembly is comparable to the Parliament. So the role of Parliament is representation, deliberation, and law-making. So that is the role of the General Assembly. Yes. The Security Council, the primary nucleus of the UN, the only organ with teeth, which can pass legally binding resolutions, and is made up of 15 member countries, five permanent and 10 non-permanent. Yes, permanent members have veto power. ECOSOC, ECOSOC is the body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue, and recommendations on socioeconomic and environmental issues. 54 members who are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term. Yes. And ICJ. Okay, one thing that you need to pay attention to here is that of the six organs, only the ICJ has its headquarters in the Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands. All other remaining five organs are headquartered in New York. Yes. So that is one thing that you need to pay attention to. So as far as the Secretariat is concerned, you find that in the document, there is some issue. They have repeated the information of the General Assembly as part of the Secretariat. Oh, right? That is an editing error. Fine. But you, I am sure that you must be aware of the UN Secretariat. What it is? UN Secretariat? It is the administrative body of the UN. It comprises UN bureaucrats plus the UN Secretary-General. The Secretary-General is elected for a five-year term. Yes, based on the recommendation by the UNSC and election by the UN General Assembly. Yes, and they are elected for five-year terms, and the term is renewable. Fine. So this is what is as far as the UN Secretariat is concerned. Then again, the UN system, which I had dealt with in yesterday's class. I had mentioned, I had started my lecture with the UN system. So you find the UN system, they have borrowed, they have taken the assistance of the UN website. But, right? You can do one thing. I have used the exact PDF from the UN website. Okay, I will attach this to this document itself. You can refer to this. It is more clear, more precise. Okay? What we have studied in class, that is, I guess, more than sufficient. Okay? But beyond that, if you want to see a little more, then you can see. Look, there are 15 specialized agencies. All the specialized agencies are mentioned here. Yes. The funds and programs, the six funds and programs are mentioned here. And they have also, like the General Assembly, right? The funds and programs, they are created and they report to, right? The UN. And what is the role in that? The UN General Assembly has it. And there is also a role of, there is some role of ECOSOC also for that matter. Yes. But that is how they have put it. There is something.

Known as related organizations. Okay? So, a list of those related organizations is also mentioned. CTBTO, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Criminal Court is part of the UN system, right? Uh, then you have International Organization for Migration, International Seabed Authority, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, OPCW. This is also one important topic because it often comes up in the news, so for that reason, UPSC asks questions on it. Fine. So, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and WTO, of course, WTO, we are all aware of. In fact, if I can identify, you can also take a look at the International Organization for Migration once. IAEA, you should also have some factual data on that. Yes, CTBT, NPT, etc., that is a separate topic, so it will come there. IAEA, IOM, OPCW, and International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Just a basic idea, not too much detail, but a basic idea so that if an MCQ comes, you are in a position to have some idea. You can even venture into a successful guess if you don't know everything. Fine. So, these are a few important ones. Otherwise, you will read WTO, right? You will read CTBTO, and I have already said ICC is very important. Yes, fine. So, whatever is related to all these, right? Funds and programs, specialized agencies, related organizations will always remain. Okay, this year, this is also important, UNRWA. Yes. Uh, so they are considered other entities within the UN system itself. Yes, UNRWA would be important. Right? Look at this, UNCTAD. Basically, they ask questions from the UN system, whatever organizations are in the news among these, they tend to ask questions on the UN system. So, some basic information on these, uh, UN Women. Right? UN Women these days is not much in the news, but there was a time when UN Women was also quite in the news. Yes. Uh, UNRWA, because Israel blamed UNRWA for colluding with the Hamas group, right? When they launched the terrorist attack on Israel, and consequently, the Western countries had suspended their assistance aid to UNRWA. So, this is important. Yes. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, right? Generally, it is important in the context of refugees. And UNCTAD, traditionally an important topic. Fine. So, UN, UN system. Basically, the idea is that whatever topics related to the UN system are in the news, those will become somehow important. So, certain specialized, certain important specialized agencies of the UN have been mentioned, such as ILO. Basic information on them, right? They have discussed it. It became the first affiliated specialized agency of the UN in 1946. Otherwise, it was established in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated organization of the League of Nations. Yes, its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. India is a founding member of ILO, and what does it do? It sets labor standards, promotes rights at work, and encourages decent employment opportunities, all such things. You can also go through the ILO conventions. India has ratified the following six core or fundamental ILO conventions. Yes, just go through the conventions to see what they deal with. Basically, look at the themes. Then you have UNESCO, another very, very, very important body. And with UNESCO, what is it? The US has a lot of connection. Sometimes it becomes part of UNESCO, sometimes it withdraws, sometimes it becomes part of it, sometimes it withdraws. Yes. So, UNESCO is generally a very important body on which we do expect prelims questions. So, for prelims, you should be prepared with UNESCO. Yes. So, it was established in 1945 to promote peace and security. So, look at the name: Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. So, in these areas, there will be cooperation. Headquarters. Now, look at culture, it's Paris, right? So, you have the headquarters in Paris, France. Member countries: 194 countries. How many members does the UN have? 193. So, one member more. Yes. And 12 associate members. Three UNESCO member states which are not UN members are Cook Islands, Niue, and Palestine. Palestine has been the trigger point. The US sometimes joins it, sometimes withdraws. Yes. India had supported Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO. It happened in 2012. The two UN member states which are not UNESCO members are Israel, yes, because Palestine is there, so Israel is not. And what is it? Liechtenstein. Yes. India has been a member of UNESCO since its very inception. Go through this, right? UNESCO, as I told you, is important. FAO, some details are mentioned about it. You should go through these, right? These are important. World Health Organization, WHO, very, very, very important. Yes. So, look, perhaps it is so much in the news that it is possible that a question might not come on it, but you cannot really leave it and go. Yes, that would be a blunder. Then IMO is also important. As I was telling you, International Maritime Organization. It is responsible for measures to improve safety and security of international shipping and to prevent pollution from ships. Okay? So, you generally think of it as: Yes, it is responsible for improving the safety and security of international shipping. But it is also important to prevent pollution from ships. Yes. From the use of ships or through accidents. Pollution that is happening in the normal course also needs to be prevented, and through accidents also, it needs to be prevented. Yes. I have underlined this point. Okay, where is its headquarters? London. Yes. Make some logical connection. Island nation, major naval power, became a major colonial power, so of course, the IMO's headquarters will be London. Yes. India has had the privilege of being invited and serving the Council of IMO ever since it started functioning till date, except for a two-year period. Right? Since then, continuously, India has been on the, has been a member of the Council of IMO. Yes. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. Yes, MARPOL is also discussed. Generally, statements on MARPOL also come in MCQs. It is important in MCQs in the context of prelims. So, one statement can be on IMO. Another statement can be on MARPOL. Yes. So, MARPOL is the main international convention covering the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. Yes. Then there was this question on the committee. So, you find that with reference to the United Nations, United Nations, Credentials Committee, consider the following statements. What is this Credentials Committee? It is a committee to verify the credentials of the representatives that member states send to the UN. In the UN, right? There are 193 member countries. Each member country will send its representatives. So, their credentials are verified by the UN Credentials Committee. Yes. So, this is the committee. Now, it is a committee set up by the UNSC and works under its supervision. Yes. It traditionally meets in March or June, September. It assesses the credentials of all members before submitting a report to the UN General Assembly for approval. Only statement three is correct. Okay? It operates under the UN General Assembly, and the UNSC does not have any role. This is factual information. Right? It meets only from, in a continuous session from September to December every year. Now, look at the UN. Now, all this is something that you can never guess that a question will come on it because it is generally not that much in the news. Yes. But if and when you, if you have studied it, you will be able to answer it. If you have not studied it, then do not worry, because then most of us, most of the students will not be in a position to answer it. Our purpose is that whatever everyone answers, we should definitely answer, and also do a few additional questions. Yes. But then, it is not necessary to always know this factual information. Yes. But since themes repeat, that is why they have, right? They have given the discussion on it. You can go through it. So, as per Rule 29, any representative whose admission, any representative to whose admission a member has made objection, shall be seated provisionally with the same rights as other representatives till the Credentials Committee has reported and the General Assembly has given its decision. So, if somebody has sent its representative and some country has raised a question that this representative is not correct. Yes. In that case, he will be provisionally seated, yes, with the same rights as other representatives, till the Credentials Committee reports and the General Assembly gives its decision. Yes. Next is with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Once again, UNCLOS treaty is a very, very important treaty that you should prepare for. Yes. So, the treaties and conventions which we are identifying, the organizations which we are saying are important, you should prepare on them and go. Beyond that, if something comes, you cannot really help it. So, UNCLOS is traditionally an important convention. So, what does it say? A coastal state. What is UNCLOS about? Territorial sea, right? EEZ, right? Exclusive Economic Zone, extended continental shelf. Yes. So, a coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from the baseline determined in accordance with the convention. It is correct, up to 12 nautical miles only. Ships of all states, whether coastal or landlocked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. Innocent passage is allowed. Uh, the EEZ shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Right? So, this is also correct. Right? EEZs are for 200 nautical miles. So, all the three statements are correct for that matter. They have given the explanation further. You can look at UNCLOS because it is important. There is a concept called the Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty. This negotiation is ongoing. It has not been finalized yet, but they have mentioned it. It is simple, read it. It is about conserving biodiversity in the high seas. That is the point. Yes. It is as simple as that because generally what happens? Nations will secure their biodiversity in their territorial waters, maybe within their exclusive economic zones as well, but the high seas face the tragedy of the commons. Yes. To prevent the tragedy of the commons and to conserve biodiversity, right? The countries around the world are in the process of negotiating the Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty. This is called BBNJ Treaty, right? Biodiversity in BBNJ Treaty, right? Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. There are four main focus areas. You can go through these on your own. Yes. The last negotiation closed on March 2022. Yes. So, these territorial waters, etc., they have shown this diagram. Yes. So, 12 nautical miles is territorial waters, then 200 nautical miles is EEZ, Exclusive Economic Zone. In case you have an extended continental shelf, right? You have studied in geography, continental shelf, right? The sea floor. So, where there is an extended continental shelf, in those cases, the country gets an extended right up to around 350 nautical miles, right? Up to where this extended continental shelf is, they can go for further exploration. Yes. And then you have, right? The high seas. After the extended continental shelf ends, the high seas is basically under nobody's exclusive domain. That is the idea. And what is this? The Area. The Area refers to the sea floor. The sea floor is called the Area. The high seas are also referred to as Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The International Seabed Authority is mandated to regulate the exploration for and exploitation of seabed minerals in the Area, for the benefit of humankind. So, what is the Area? High seas, right? It is talking about the sea floor. Then, with reference to the UN General Assembly, consider the following statements. The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to non-member states. Yes or no? Yes. Palestine has been granted observer status. Yes. So, a non-member state will become an observer. Why would a member state become an observer? Yes. Then, intergovernmental organizations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly. Right? What are intergovernmental organizations? SCO, ASEAN, right? Yes. All these are intergovernmental organizations. G20 is an intergovernmental organization. Yes. So, they can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly. Yes. And permanent observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN Headquarters. So, permanent observers, yes, they can also maintain their missions at the UN Headquarters. Yes. So, in fact, all the three statements are correct. Okay, one way to look at this question. See, generally, you should first, there should be no doubt in the first two points. If there is confusion in the third, maybe. Yes. Because of the permanent observers. But here also, it is not just any observer, but permanent observers are given certain privileges, such as maintaining their missions at the UN Headquarters. But here, if I were to take, I were to take, right? I were to venture into a guess, then I need to look at words like "can." What does "can" do? It makes the statement general. Like, generally, what do we say? Extremes. If it is written in the statement, it will lead to a very poor situation. This will have to happen, right? The extreme case. So, extreme scarcity, right? Extreme abundance, whatever is the extreme thing, it will probably be wrong. And similarly, if there are generalized statements, then generally, what happens is your scope increases for that statement. So, there is a greater possibility that that statement would in fact be a correct statement. So, generalized statements tend to be correct, but while extreme statements, as we have often noted, are incorrect. So, if I were to take a venture, I were to venture a guess, also the sentences make sense, and then the use of the word "can" makes it a general, very open-ended statement. Therefore, maybe they should be correct. Yes. Then you have ILO Convention 138 and 182. This was factual. It was in the news quite a bit that year. In 2018, India had ratified these two ILO conventions. So, if you were reading your newspaper, current affairs magazines, students could easily answer it. It is child labor. Yes. So, 138 deals with the minimum age of employment, and 182 deals with the worst forms of child labor. So, there is a discussion on ILO because ILO, as we have already seen, is important. Fine. So, you find that India has ratified four out of the six core ILO conventions. Then G20 has been a repeated theme over the years. And as we have always mentioned, membership of organizations like this is important. So, G20 membership is very, very important. How do you remember G20 membership? First, you remember, right? Membership of G7. Yes. First, you need to remember the membership of G7. Then it was once G8 as well. Yes. Yes. And then you have to identify other countries. Yes. So, first, who are the members of G7? US, Canada, Japan, UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Yes. So, these are the original G7 countries. Yes. So, you find that France and Germany have the leadership of the EU, right? Who are the leaders of the EU? France and Germany. So, you find these two are there. US, along with Canada, Japan, was the only industrialized country in Asia. Yes. Italy. If you get confused. Uh, Italy has traditionally been a very, very important economy. Even now, it is often in the news with respect to BRI. It had become the only G7 country to join BRI but has now dropped out of the BRI initiative. So, it was in the news that way. And UK, another important industrialized, right? Industrial Revolution happened here first, and it was a G7 country. Then, in 1998, Russia was present from 1998 till 2014. 1998, right? Before that, what was it? USSR. Till 1992. So, till 1991, right? December 1991, it was USSR. After that, it disintegrated. So, there was, of course, relative weakness in Russia. Russia became part of G7 only in 1998 when some time had passed and it was doing okay. It had started doing a little okay. Yes. In 2014, what happened? In March 2014, it annexed the Crimean Peninsula, and it was, right? Thrown out of G8, and once again, it became G7. Now, who are the other members? The way to remember it. See, we have to remember, think about the continents. Okay? Uh, what I can, okay? Let's say Japan. I have written it over here. What are the, what are the continents of the Global South, right? The developing countries will also become part of G7. Yes. So, the continents of the, of the Global South are Africa, yes. Then you have, you have Oceania, yes. You have Latin America and the Caribbean. Okay? So, and Asia. So, Japan, I have represented in Asia. And you have these new additions, right? Their members will also come here. Yes. So, from Africa, who will come? South Africa is the most developed, that's why it is also part of BRICS. Yes. Apart from that, now in 2023, it also became a member of G20. However, it remains non-enumerated. Yes. Then you have Oceania. From Oceania, who is it? Australia and New Zealand. Yes. Then Latin America and the Caribbean. Who are the two leaders from there? Brazil and Argentina. They are in contention, saying we are the leader, we are the leader. They, right? They contended with each other. So, both of them are there. Yes. Then you have Asia. So far, only Japan was there from Asia. But now, as part of G20, India and China will be there. Yes. You will have South Korea. I think so, it is there. You have South Korea. You have Saudi Arabia. Turkey. Yes. And you also have the EU. Yes. So, you count now, how many are there, right? So, these are eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. And there is Mexico, right? So, here, like America, Mexico also gets added. In fact, we will add it in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mexico is part of Latin America and the Caribbean. Though it is part of the North American continent, it is classified as Latin America. It is part of Latin America. Yes. So, you find that this is the membership of G20. This is how you will remember it. Otherwise, you will have to find your own ways. At least, this is my way that I have shared. But you will have to come out with these ideas only, then you will be able to remember it in the exam, otherwise, it will become very difficult. So many organizations, randomly you cannot remember. Yes. Now, let's see which of the following groups are of, right? All the four countries are members. So, Argentina, we have seen. Yes. Mexico. Yes. South Africa. Yes. Turkey. Yes. So, in fact, the first option is correct. Yes. Fine. In fact, the EU is also part of G7, but it is non-enumerated. But in G20, it becomes enumerated. Fine. But now, in G20, what is it? The AU continues to be non-enumerated. So, the history of G20. Look at the timeline of G20. Actually, G20 starts from here, 1998. The Asian economic crisis. South East Asian economies, right? East Asian countries witnessed economic, South East Asia primarily witnessed economic crisis, financial crisis had occurred. These were the tiger economies of South East Asia, right? And then they were growing very fast, then a crisis hit them. Yes. So, it is in this context that G20 was formed, but at that point of time, G7, G20 existed as a forum of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Okay? So, G20 is formed during this time, but as a forum of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. It is only when the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08 takes place that the first official summit is held. It was upgraded to the summit level, and since then, it has caught public eye. Before that, their meetings used to happen in a non-chalant way. Okay, let's check once. Let's see. At times, I also get confused. So, New Zealand is not. You have Australia, US, South Korea, we have mentioned. Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Mexico, Japan. Indonesia, we have not mentioned. Indonesia is missing, right? So, Indonesia, right? Is the member. India and Indo, India, China, Indonesia, then you have Saudi Arabia and Turkey. So, you see, I also tend to get confused. So, there is a possibility that confusion happens with their memberships. Yes. Uh, first official summit. And in 2023, the AU became part of it. Yes. Now, now G6, where did G7 originate from?

The genesis of G7 happened because of the OPEC crisis. The OPEC oil crisis, right? What happened? The Yom Kippur War of 1973, in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. So, the Arab-Israeli conflict happened. Yes. And the Arab nations lost it. Yes. Now, the Arab nations decided they will not support; they were against Israel. Or, why was Israel able to achieve military victory every time? Because the US supported it. So, the Arab nations decided they will not sell their oil to the US. So, the Arab countries of the OPEC group decided they will not sell oil to the US. It resulted in the OPEC oil crisis. The global oil prices increased too much, and which eventually led to the collapse of the Bretton Woods system. They are interlinked. What was the Bretton Woods system? Fixed exchange rate. What is it now? Floating exchange rates. At that time, there was a fixed exchange rate for every country. Fixed exchange rate against the US dollar. And the US dollar itself was pegged to gold. Yes. So, you find that this oil crisis resulted in an economic situation where the Bretton Woods system also collapsed, right? The US president at that time, he stopped, he ended the pegging of the US dollar to gold. That you could buy gold by giving US dollars, right? That system was established. So, that pegging was canceled, and with it, the fixed exchange rate system came to an end, and the floating exchange rate system was established. Yes. So, this led to G6 getting formed. Yes. And with G6, it became G7 when Canada joined later on. As I told you, it also became G8 when Russia joined from 1998 till 2014, then reverted back to G7. And that is how things have progressed from there on. Yes. So, this itself, they have once again.

Now, does the G20 group have a permanent secretariat? Neither G7 nor G20 has any permanent secretariat. That is why both are called informal forums. So, if there is a statement saying that the G20 group represents an informal forum, or G7 represents an informal forum, it would be a correct statement. Do not get confused. Yes. Whenever a body does not have a formal secretariat, a permanent secretariat, it is categorized as informal. Now, since it does not have a secretariat, it requires additional support. Yes. So, you find that there is this what is known as the Troika mechanism, whereby the three presidents of three years, yes, the previous year's president, the current president, and the next year's president form a troika and support the working of G20. Yes. So, there is a troika mechanism which exists. Is the secretariat missing? Yes. Because of this, what is it? The administrative support of the secretariat is provided by the president. The country which is the president for that year will provide the secretarial support. Yes. And you find that the G20 presidency rotates annually. There are 19 countries divided into five groups. Yes. And the presidency rotates between each of the groups. This was the emblem when India was leading, was the president of G20. Yes. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam was the slogan. Yes. One Earth, One Family, One Future. Yes. So, certain important multilateral organizations, G7, they have mentioned. Yes. You can go through it. It also has no permanent secretariat or office that you should pay attention to. Yes. Then there is the Financial Action Task Force, a very important group as such. UPSC has previously asked questions on this, and they can ask questions on it. Yes. What it is, it is an intergovernmental body to combat money laundering and terrorism financing and other related threats. So, this body was primarily created to stop money laundering and terrorist financing. Genesis: It was established by the G7 summit in Paris in 1989. Its headquarters are also in Paris. Yes. Presently, there are 37 member countries, including India. In fact, India, I think, was the 34th member country. India joined in 2010. There are two regional organizations that are part of FATF, right? GCC and European Commission. Yes. And FATF has the concept of a grey list and a black list. The grey list includes countries that are considered safe havens for supporting terror funding and money laundering, and the black list consists of non-cooperative countries or territories.

Then we have ASEAN, once again, a very, very important organization. ASEAN, when, when was it established? Association of South Asian Nations, right? That is the full form. Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was established in 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration. Five founding members, which are these? Indonesia, you have Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand. Yes. Okay. In fact, Thailand, then Malaysia, then Singapore, you have Indonesia, right? There is some problem with its connectivity, perhaps it got disconnected. Yes. You have Indonesia and and and and Philippines, and Philippines are the founding member countries. How many members are there presently? 10 member states. Yes. Which are the member states? Start from Myanmar. Myanmar, then this is the Indochina Peninsula. The Indochina Peninsula comprises four members. You have Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Then you come down, you have Malaysia, Singapore. Yes. Then you have Indonesia. Here is the small country of Brunei. We referred to it yesterday too. On the island of Borneo, Brunei, and you have the Philippines. So, these are the member countries of ASEAN. There are two observers of ASEAN. Which are the two observers? This country, Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is one observer, and the other observer is over here, called East Timor. Right? If I can just show it, maybe here. Right? There is this, yes, here it is, perhaps that small country. It is not clearly demarcated, East Timor. Okay? And East Timor, in principle, has been given admission as a member country, but the paperwork is not yet complete. So, therefore, it is still counted among the observers. Otherwise, in principle, it has been admitted as a member country. Once the paperwork is done, ASEAN will comprise 11 countries and not 10 countries. Yes. There are only two observers as of now, that is Papua New Guinea and East Timor. The secretariat is in Indonesia, Jakarta. Yes. Fine. This is ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus, an important platform, right? If I can discuss here itself, which are the FTA partners of ASEAN? There are six FTA partners of ASEAN. Which are these? The six FTA partners of ASEAN: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Yes. And there are eight dialogue partners. There are eight dialogue partners of ASEAN. So, these six FTA countries plus ASEAN plus you have the US and Russia. So, there are a total of eight dialogue partners. Eight dialogue partners of ASEAN. Yes. Does it make sense? Okay? Now, through this, we will arrive at membership. Who are the members of RCEP? RCEP members are Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. This is in the news now because India, yes, in NITI Aayog, right? In NITI Aayog, the chairperson or someone has recommended that India should join organizations like RCEP and CPTPP. Okay, Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership. We will come to that too. So, who are the member countries of RCEP? You have the ASEAN countries. The ASEAN countries and five FTA partners of ASEAN. Yes. So, all the six except India, because India opted out. Earlier, India was also there, but India has now withdrawn. Okay? So, you have this, and the five FTA partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand. Yes. East Asia Summit, once again, a very, very important organization. PM Modi attends it. So, the Indian Prime Minister participates as part of the East Asia Summit. So, the East Asia Summit is important. Who are the members of the East Asia Summit? ASEAN. The ASEAN countries plus the eight dialogue partners. Yes. Eight dialogue partners. Then you have ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus. What is its membership? Same ASEAN countries plus eight dialogue partners. Once again, ADMM Plus is very, very important. Yes. Fine. So, this is as far as the membership of RCEP, East Asia Summit, and ADMM Plus is concerned. Yes. UPSC has also asked this question: Which are the FTA partners of ASEAN? Yes. So, which are the dialogue partners? The six FTA partners plus the two previous global powers, the US and Russia. Yes. So, these are the eight dialogue partners. Fine.

Then you have BRICS, which they have mentioned. So, here, in the document, they have mentioned Saudi Arabia as a member country, but Saudi Arabia was supposed to join. But now it is clear it is not going to join. Rather, who has joined this year? In January 2025, Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS. Yes. So, presently, what is its genesis? Right? The genesis is traced to this economist, Jim O'Neill, who had coined the acronym BRIC. Yes. And he was an economist who was working for Goldman Sachs. He had written a paper for Goldman Sachs. So, he had coined the acronym in 2006. They started having dialogues at the ministerial level. Yes. And finally, in 2009, they had their first summit. First summit in Yekaterinburg in Russia. Yes. In 2010, South Africa was made to join, and after that, the further expansion that happened was in 2020. Yes. Where four other countries joined, namely Iran, Ethiopia, UAE, and Egypt. So, India is concerned with Iran becoming a member because this organization becomes more anti-West. And in 2025, you find Indonesia has joined. Previously, Argentina and Saudi Arabia were both expected to join. Okay. Fine. And the important achievements of BRICS are the creation of the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. When were these two created? Through the Fortaleza Declaration. Through the Fortaleza Declaration in 2014, this declaration was adopted in Brazil, through which it was decided to create the two. And in 2015, both were created by them. Yes. NDB is like the World Bank; it will give money for development. And Contingent Reserve Arrangement is like the IMF; it will give money in case of a BOP crisis, balance of payment crisis. Yes. How much money does this arrangement have? $100 billion they have collected. Yes. For BRICS nations. And the New Development Bank initially had a corpus of $50 billion dollars. It has all increased now. Other countries have also joined. Yes.

You have SCO, another important organization. Its membership will be very, very important. UPSC has repeatedly asked about SCO's membership. Initially, it had its origin as Shanghai Five. Who were the members of Shanghai Five? Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, and Russia. Yes. The three countries, three CARs sharing a border with China, plus Russia. Right? They were members of Shanghai Five. It was formed in 1996. Then in 2001, Uzbekistan decided to join. So, the name was changed to Shanghai Cooperation Organization. After that, the membership remained static. There was no change in membership. Only in 2017, at the Astana Summit, India and Pakistan both became members of SCO. So, the membership grew. Yes. Then in 2023, Iran became a member. The 2023 summit was hosted by India, but virtually, because Iran was becoming a member, so we did not want to host it, maybe physically, right? Because of concerns about the West. Okay? After that, in 2024, in 2024, Belarus has also become a member of SCO. Yes. So, this is as far as the membership of SCO is concerned. And you have to be careful. Out of the five CARs, only Turkmenistan. Yes. Uh, only Turkmenistan, right? This one shown here, is not a member of SCO. All other four CARs are members. So, UPSC perhaps asked a question once: Which of the following Central Asian Republics are not members of SCO? So, the answer is Turkmenistan. Fine. The remaining are. And they have two, two permanent bodies. The Secretariat, which is in Beijing. The name is Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but the Secretariat is in Beijing. Yes. And the second is RATS, Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, which is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Yes. Then you find Varanasi was declared as the first cultural capital of SCO. Right? When India had hosted, in 2023, when India hosted, India declared Varanasi as the first tourism and cultural capital of SCO. Yes. And the theme of SCO, right? You find "SECURE," right? When India hosted, India's theme was "Towards a Secure SCO," but this acronym SECURE was actually coined by the Indian Prime Minister in 2018 when India participated in an SCO summit for the first time. Okay? And SECURE stands for Security, Economic Development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty, and E stands for Environment or Environmental Protection. Fine. So, these are some concepts like "Shanghai Spirit" which talks about their principles of cooperation. Yes. Fine.

Then GCC. C I M. We cannot go into details of all these. We have already discussed it as PD 365 and all such things. GCC member countries: six member countries. Yes. Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman. Be careful. Iraq is not a member. Iran is not a member. Yemen is not a member. Right? Generally, students get confused about Iran or Iraq. Iraq is a Gulf country but not a GCC country. Official language? Arabic. And GCC is presently the largest trading block, right? For India, and we are in FTA talks with it. So, UPSC had asked about the Fortaleza Declaration because it is a very important declaration of BRICS. Right? They asked in 2015 because the Fortaleza Declaration came in 2014, and based on that, right? In 2015, the New Development Bank and CRA, Contingent Reserve Arrangement, were created. So, this is the timeline. I have also mentioned a few points here. Yes. The 2023 Johannesburg summit, this was the first physical summit after COVID-19. It was also the first summit after the Russia-Ukraine war. But at the Johannesburg summit in South Africa, the Russian president did not come directly. Because the ICC had issued an arrest warrant against Putin, and South Africa is a member of the ICC. So, that would make it mandatory for South Africa to arrest him if he enters its territory. So, he did not come physically. The 2024 summit was in Kazan, Russia itself. And at this summit, in fact, it is believed that Russia mediated between China and India, which led to the disengagement agreement at Demchok and Daesang. Fine. And in 2025, it will be in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Yes. You can go through the rest. Yes. BRICS expansion, I have told you. This is talking about the past when Argentina was also expected. In 2023, BRICS had given a list of six countries that would join, in which Argentina and Saudi Arabia were both there. But in 2023, Argentina refused. Saudi Arabia did not refuse. But now in 2025, it has become clear that Saudi Arabia is probably not interested in joining. But they have not given any clear communication yet. Yes. And in 2025, which country has joined is, in fact, Indonesia. Yes.

Then I was telling you in the last class that all these organizations, now we know. Let's see. India is a member of which of the following? Is India a member of the Association for Asian South East Asian Nations? Is India a member of ASEAN? No, we are not. We are a region. How can we be a member? This is for South East Asian Nations. We are South Asian Nations. East Asia Summit? Yes. APEC? Are we a member? No, we are not a member. We have been wanting membership now for more than 15 years, or around 15 years, but APEC has not given us membership. So, we are a member of only the East Asia Summit. Yes. APEC member countries, once again, very, very important. Yes. APEC member countries. How do you remember APEC member countries? You remember it this way. First, you think of the American continent. In the American continent, Canada, US, Mexico. Okay? APEC. Asia-Pacific. Pacific Ocean's coast, right? So, Canada, US, Mexico, Peru, and Chile. Yes. They have a long coast. So, they are part. These are the five countries that became part of APEC. APEC's total membership stands at 21 countries. Yes. Out of that, these are five countries. Right? From the Americas. Yes. Then you have seven ASEAN countries. Yes. We know about the 10 ASEAN countries. Out of them, three ASEAN countries are not members of APEC, which you should know because they will appear elsewhere too. Which are those three? The three smallest economies, too dependent on China. Right? So, who are they? Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Right? These three are not members of APEC because of too much dependence on China. So, they are not members anyway. Then, you have Papua New Guinea, right? Which is an observer of ASEAN. Okay? Then, which are the FTA partners of ASEAN? You have India, but we know India is not a member. Now, ASEAN, APEC's China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand. Okay? So, the five FTA partners of ASEAN are also members. And China, I told you, there are no member countries here. There are member economies. Because of this, Hong Kong and Taipei, Taiwan, are represented as Taipei. Yes. Plus, you see Russia. Russia has a long Pacific coast. So, these are the members of APEC. Yes. So, how many countries have been written? Five here, seven, twelve, thirteen, plus five, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one. Totally 21 countries. Yes. So, this is how you remember. Keeping ASEAN at the center, you can remember plus these five countries. Yes. These are the member countries of APEC. Now, because India is a very tough negotiator, India, India, because in this, decision-making is generally by consensus, and India is a tough negotiator when it comes to trade agreements. We negotiated so much, so much that the RCEP document could not be adopted until India opted out. India came out in November 2019, and I think in 2021, they had already adopted the document, and in 2022, it entered into force. Because India is a tough negotiator, and why are we tough negotiators? Because our manufacturing sector is weak. So, we cannot help but negotiate. Yes. And where does negotiating power come from? Because we are offering a big market. So, our weakness plus our strength makes us a very, very tough negotiator. And India, India does not generally agree to such agreements easily. So, because of this image, India has been denied membership. Fine. East Asia Summit, I have already dealt with. You can go through there. Okay. ASEAN+3. What is in ASEAN+3? South Korea, Japan, and China. Yes. East Asia Summit. Then Mekong Ganga Cooperation. Mekong Ganga Cooperation, once again, a very, very important organization. I was telling you about it last class. Who are its members? On one side, India, Thailand, and the CLMV countries. They were once the LDCs of Southeast Asia. So, you should understand the politics behind Mekong Ganga Cooperation. What is the politics behind Mekong Ganga? These are LDCs. Who are they? Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Vietnam is in a better situation now. Right? They have also opened up their economies. A communist country, but opened up its economy. Yes. So, today, they are called developing, but anyway, they are the weakest economies within ASEAN. This is a subgrouping of ASEAN of LDCs. Now, who is the leader of Southeast Asia? The leader is China. Okay? Who is the leader of South Asia? India. So, if India is the leader, that means we gain some power, but we also have the responsibility to take care of our smaller neighboring countries. Right? So, this is the responsibility of a leader. And by doing so, we strengthen our leadership. Right? So, that is why many students come and ask, "Ma'am, we are a poor nation ourselves, a developing nation ourselves? Why do we give so much financial assistance to these countries?" Because to strengthen our claim to leadership. Okay? So, similarly, China is an East Asian country, but it is the leader of Southeast Asian nations because they are, it is its natural backyard. And now India, what is it doing here? India was trying to challenge China's leadership in Southeast Asia. Just as China has entered South Asia, we are entering Southeast Asia. And who is taking care of the development of the LDCs of Southeast Asia? India, through this.

Initiative. Now India cannot do it alone. So, India joins hands with Thailand. So, we replaced, right? Like when we created BIMSTEC. Why was BIMSTEC created? Because SAARC had become a laggard. Nothing was happening in SAARC. Why was nothing happening? Because of Pakistan. So, we replaced Pakistan here with Thailand. We brought Thailand in for us. Right? Because it was also a developing nation at par with India. Yes. So, similarly, we continued our cooperation with Thailand here. We brought Thailand into the mix and took these two countries, taking the responsibility of developing or helping the LDCs of Southeast Asia. Through it, we are challenging China's leadership potential in Southeast Asia. Yes. So, this is it, right? So, if you know this India-Myanmar politics, you can easily answer that question. Yes. Otherwise, if you go by geography, then India, Myanmar, then Thailand, then the Indochina Peninsula, that is Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, right? So, geographically, they are contiguous too. So, which are not participants? China is not, and Bangladesh is not. So, one and three. Yes. Preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination demands strong preparation across all Mains papers. And when it comes to scoring well in the Mains, your optional subject plays a crucial role. A good performance in your optional paper can be the difference between just qualifying and securing a top rank. To help you build a strong conceptual foundation and improve answer writing, Vision IAS presents the Optional Classroom Program 2026, available in both live online and classroom offline modes. Subjects offered: Geography, Sociology, Political Science and International Relations. Batch starts from 20th June, 2 PM. Physics classes start from 15th July. [Music] Looking for expert mentoring to crack UPSC? Lakshya Mentoring Program is your answer. A personalized expert-led path from preparation to performance. If you are targeting Prelims 2025, here is what is in store with a batch starting from 14th March. One-on-one mentoring with UPSC experts. Tailored strategy to match your needs. Regular MCQ-based assessments. CSAT support. Access to live quizzes. Sandhan personalized tests. Lakshya Prelims Practice Tests. Planning for the long game: Prelims, Mains, and Interview 2026. Lakshya Integrated Mentoring Program 2026 gives you a head start with a batch starting from 15th March. Year-round mentoring support. Structured preparation calendar. Prelims to interview coverage, including GS, CSAT, Ethics, Essays, and Personality Test guidance. Regular evaluation, customized feedback, and adaptive planning. Regular group and one-on-one sessions with mentors. Integrated current affairs preparation with a digital current affairs platform. [Music] Are you still juggling newspapers, random notes, and endless PDFs trying to make sense of current affairs? Let's make your UPSC prep smarter. Introducing Digital Current Affairs Premium by Vision IAS, your all-in-one platform to read, revise, and write better every single day. Have a doubt from today's news or something in your syllabus? Just ask and get instant AI-powered answers that are concise, relevant, and completely aligned with the UPSC exam pattern. No more guesswork, no more confusion. Want to boost your Mains writing skills? Practice daily with structured questions and get expert feedback to sharpen your content, clarity, and analysis, because writing well is winning half the battle. Need better revision? Use quick notes and highlights to save key points, mark important lines, and organize your current affairs in a way that actually works for you. And here is the best part: some of the most powerful tools are absolutely free. Daily news summaries from The Hindu, Indian Express, and more, curated, filtered, and exam-ready. Downloadable PDFs so your notes stay organized and accessible. Daily quizzes and MCQs to reinforce what you have learned and track your progress. A smart student dashboard to monitor your performance and stay on top of your goals. Whether you are just starting or deep into your prep, Digital Current Affairs Premium adapts to your strategy and makes every minute count. So, why prepare the hard way when you can prepare the smart way? Visit www.visionias.in/current-affairs and start transforming your current affairs prep today. Because with Vision IAS, you don't just stay updated. You stay ahead.

So, these were in the news. Also, these remain in the news, right? BIMSTEC, Mekong. Their scope has also expanded at this time. Previously, their scope had only four areas of cooperation: culture, transport, and communication. Uh, yes. Like that, there were four areas of cooperation. Three new ones were added in 2018-19. That time itself, right? So, hydropower cooperation and all, science and technology, all such things were added. Then, Look East and Act East Policy. When did we launch the Look East Policy? 1992, under the P.V. Narasimha Rao government. A very successful policy with respect to Southeast Asia. Launched. And later on, the Modi government, right? They changed its name to Act East Policy. And we didn't even think of the name Act East Policy; Hillary Clinton said in a speech that India should not just look East but Act East. So, from there, we took Act East Policy. Yes. When she was the Secretary of State. Yes. And you find, there isn't much difference, actually. The Look East Policy had already expanded geographically by then. Yes. The Act East Policy has a specific focus on the Indo-Pacific. Officially, the policy document still speaks of Asia-Pacific. And, in fact, we had already moved to Asia-Pacific in the Look East Policy. Under the Manmohan Singh government itself, we had shifted our focus to Asia-Pacific. The only difference, the actual difference is, here in this policy, our maritime assertiveness has increased. Otherwise, more or less, it's the same policy. Yes, just renaming has been done. Yes, just maritime assertiveness has grown here, which was not so much there as far as the Look East Policy is concerned. Okay? I am not getting into the details of it now. Okay? So, first, we started with Southeast Asia. Then, we expanded it. We brought in the domestic element in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. And we expanded it to East Asia. Right? We also brought Japan and South Korea into its coverage. After that, under Manmohan Singh, we brought in Asia-Pacific. Fiji, as a Pacific island nation, was brought under the focus of the Look East Policy. So, that continued. Uh, and now here, maritime assertiveness has been added to it. The major projects: Kaladan Multimodal Project. Yes. Trilateral Highway. You have border haats, right? Across the border with Myanmar. Now, these have been closed. And the Rethdim Road Project. What is this? This is in this region of Myanmar, the Rethdim region. We were building road infrastructure. Yes. Which would be essential as part of the Trilateral Highway Project. But anyway, whatever development was going on with Myanmar has taken a setback since the military coup and the civil war going on there, especially since 2023, it has increased. Yes. So, Act East Policy, you can go through it. RCEP, often in the news with respect to the affairs of ASEAN. Right? When was it asked? 2016. It was in the process of negotiation. And in all of them, you don't need to read so much. Just, just find out this much. First January 2022 is when it entered into force. That is more than sufficient. The member countries, I have already told you. They are the member countries. That's it, no need to look further. Yes. Which of the following is not a member of GCC? Iran. Right? Iran and Iraq. We have to be careful there. Amnesty International, what is it? Yes. A global human rights movement. Yes. Because to help very poor people. A very poor people. That's an extreme statement. No, then think about it. It also operates like an NGO. But this becomes too extreme. So, in fact, it is a human rights movement. Yes. Can you eliminate all these options? Yes. Intergovernmental agency to cater to medical emergencies. This is not it. Right? That's too much. Global human agency of the UN. So, it's not an agency of the UN. We know that. To help refugees of civil war. So, that's their own agency for refugees. Yes. So, the major NGOs. Yes. And a little detail. So, Save the Children, Oxfam International, Doctors Without Borders. They have asked a question on it. Yes. You can go through all these. Amnesty International, look. Here also, Amnesty International, look. Read it. It is an advocacy NGO based in the UK. So, there was a good chance, enough to get confused as far as Amnesty International is concerned, because in fact, it is an NGO. Right? But then, to help very poor people. Understood? But what is the primary arena of work for Amnesty International? Safeguarding human rights. Right? You would know this because it used to be quite a lot in newspapers regularly. Yes. Due to funding, etc., these NGOs had suffered. Foreign funding and all these reasons led to their ban in India. Foreign funding was curtailed. So, basically, it was because of this, right? So, although this is not, half the statement seems correct, but here it goes wrong. So, here comes your discretion. How do you choose between the correct option? Right? This is one area where a lot of students get caught, and they will choose the wrong option and come. Yes. So, you have to be careful. Extreme statements and the core area of working, attention has to be paid to that. Yes. Doctors Without Borders, it is an NGO. Yes. A non-governmental international organization. This also used to be in the news at that time. Then, yes, 202 last year, they have asked a question. World Toilet Organization. It is also an NGO. Right? Yes. So, it is one of the agencies of the UN. No. World. The second statement is correct. The main focus is to, one of its functions is to grant funds to LDCs and developing countries to achieve and end open defecation. This statement is not correct. It was not that much in the news. Somewhere in PIB, it was mentioned. But yes, you find its leader, Professor Dr. Jack Sam, who is the founder of the World Toilet Organization. But again, if you are regularly reading the newspaper, the point is, what everyone is able to answer, you should be able to answer. If there are some out-of-the-box questions, random questions, then all of us will end up not being able to do so. Then, India-Africa Summit 2016, because the third summit was held in 2015. It was asked in this context. Held its third summit in 2015. It is correct. It was initiated by Jawaharlal Nehru. No, it was initiated only in 2008. Yes. So, the context is there in which the question is asked. Yes. Then you have to consider the following: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Missile Technology Control Regime, and SCO. Yes. India is a member of which of the above? Tell me. We are part of all three. Yes. Right? AIIB is an initiative of China. Okay? This used to be discussed a lot earlier. Because it was launched in 2015, around. Yes. And in 2013, they launched BRI. So, while India boycotted BRI, India differentiated between the two. Okay? India said this is an opaque initiative. Nothing is known about what they are doing. And of course, it was violative of India's sovereignty through CPEC. Yes. But AIIB was very open. Discussions, open negotiations were going on. So, India made a distinction and joined AIIB. In fact, India is the second-largest contributor to AIIB after China. India is the second-largest stakeholder of AIIB. It was much discussed. Then, we used to distinguish it from the NDA, sorry, New Development Bank of BRICS. Because on one hand, BRICS established NDB, and China on its own established AIIB. So, here, we used to make a distinction: what are their headquarters? What is their difference? Its member countries were only five. Its founding members. And today, it has grown, right? Around 90 countries. Yes. You find that here, there was equal shareholding of all the five countries. Here, there was no equal shareholding. Each was given stakes based on its contribution. Yes. So, that is how it was. MTCR. MTCR, again, once again. Yesterday, I told you about MECR, there is NSG, MTCR, you have Australia Group, and Wassenaar Arrangement. Yes. India has been able to secure membership of all three. India has a special waiver from NSG. But what India wants is full membership. We want full membership of NSG. But our full membership of NSG is blocked by China. Because the decision is by consensus, and China is a member of China is a member of NSG. So, because of this, China is blocking our membership. Other countries have also joined China. But China is the primary blocker. Yes. In these three, we got membership here. Because China is not a member. They have not given membership to China. Why? Because China is an irresponsible global power. It has been associated with proliferation of dual-use technology, missile technology, nuclear weapon technology. Right? It has shared such technology with North Korea, with Pakistan. So, it is not a responsible nation, while India is a responsible nation. So, we have got membership of all three. Right? And there was no China to block it. While China's presence in NSG has meant that India has been denied full membership. Plus, on what basis is China? China is a very smart nation. On what basis does it deny? Because its precondition was to join NSG. The precondition was that India should be an NPT signatory. Non-Proliferation Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signatory. This is the precondition. But India is not a signatory. Why would we be signatories? Because we have become a nuclear weapon state. Right? Our aim was to develop nuclear weapons. So, we never signed NPT. But given the responsible nature of India as a nuclear weapon state, we got a special waiver from NSG. And we have been demanding full membership. Maybe India could have been granted full membership. But China raises the issue that India is not an NPT signatory. So, we should not give India such membership. Or it says that do not make a specific exception for India. Make a general rule through which those who are non-signatories of NPT can, right? They can also gain membership if they are responsible. Yes. So, that is how it is. Right? So, this is how you will remember. We do not have membership in NSG. China has it. But here, we have it in all three. China does not. And I have told you the precondition of NPT. NSG was created in 1975 by the US because India tested a nuclear weapon in 1974. First nuclear test we did then. Right? International relations is like this. Then, the US itself created this group against us. Then, the US itself got a special waiver from NSG. Right? In 2008. Right? Yes, through the civil nuclear deal. Right? Because they wanted to sign a civil nuclear deal with us. And how would they sign a civil nuclear deal with us if, before trading, we have to be allowed to participate in nuclear trade? So, the US itself got a special waiver. And today, we are, right? We want to revive with this element. This has been a non-starter for us. In 2005, we signed an agreement. In 2008, a special waiver came. We could initiate nuclear trade. But, okay? Look into this in current affairs. This is important, by the way. India enacted the Nuclear Liability Law. In 2010. Because people in India were not happy. That we have signed such an agreement with the US. Because our reflexive anti-Americanism was there for the longest time. After signing the LEMOA in 2016, only then did our reflexive anti-Americanism end. So, because of the 2010 agreement, it became a reason why the new civil nuclear deal between India and the US became a non-starter. Because in our Nuclear Liability Law, we said that the supplier, in case of a nuclear accident, and in case it is proven that the equipment was faulty or there was some fault of the equipment, then the supplier will be held responsible for the nuclear accident. So, they will have to bear the cost of compensation. So, the private sector of the US was like, I don't want to take so much, right? So much high risk. It will be an investment in India. So, they did not invest in India. But now, right? They want to. So, this remained a non-starter. Then we directly moved to defense. We started cooperating on defense. But now, again, attempts are being made to revive civil nuclear cooperation between India and the US. Fine. So, you read through this. This is a good discussion and current development. Questions can be asked about the Nuclear Liability Law, etc., in the context of the US. It can be asked. Fine, fine. Consider all these countries. Which of them are members of the Organization of Turkic States? This question came in 2022. The context of the question was, this was the year when this organization was named. So, right? Before that, its name was Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States. It was in, it was in, it was around this time only, right? That it was renamed. It was established in 2009. And in 2019, it was, this was renamed in 2021. Yes. It was renamed in 2021 as the Organization of Turkic States. That is why this question came. And which are the countries? You can see it on the map. They have shown it. It helps you to remember easily. That is the point of looking at the map. But the way they have shown it, yes. So, you find that this is Central Asia. These are the five countries. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. So, these top three countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. They are members. Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are not members. So, these three, plus Turkey, is a Turkic-speaking, and Azerbaijan, right? So, across this Caspian Sea is Azerbaijan. Yes. So, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Fine. So, these are how many? Five member states. Yes. So, there are five member states. Accordingly, you can choose the correct option. India is a member of the International Grains Council. A country needs to be a member of the International Grains Council for exporting or importing rice and wheat. What do you think without knowing the answer? Does the second statement seem correct? I don't know about the first statement. Right? Second statement: that you have to be a member of the International Grains Council to import rice or wheat. It cannot be all countries. Everyone in the world, rice and wheat are the primary, right? Primary grains. Every country will import or export something related to rice and wheat. If they have enough, then it's not necessary. So, this cannot be a precondition. Yes. This is a very random precondition. So, of course, statement two is incorrect. Let's see. Statement one is correct. Yes. Statement one is correct. So, if you know this, you will know. If not, you won't. Nothing can be done. See. Yes. In the context of the globe, there was a discussion. Global grain markets likely to be bearish as supply eases. You can, I am not reading through. Read it. International Grains Council, fair trade, no hoarding, consumers get it at the right price, etc., is the idea. Next question is on International Trade. So, International Trade, once again, a question on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trans-Pacific Partnership, very, very important. I told you, it is important this year too, because recently the UK has joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Which are the member countries? You should know. Let's see what is with respect to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In 2016, it was in the news because this grouping was created recently. And in fact, in 2017, uh, yes, it was created at that point of time. Yes. And later on, in 2017, Trump withdrew. In 2017-18, he withdrew. Yes. It is an agreement among all Pacific Rim countries except China and Russia. It is a strategic alliance for the purpose of maritime security only. Is it a strategic alliance for maritime security? It is a trade partnership, right? So, no. And it is an agreement among all the Pacific Rim.

Countries except Russia and China. All the Pacific Rim countries are very many, aren't they? That entire, so many Southeast Asian nations in Asia, islands and so on, will become Pacific Rim countries. So you find that this is also incorrect. Yes. How many members were in APEC? In the Trans-Pacific Partnership, if you know, at that time there were only 12 countries. After that, the US withdrew, so it became 11 countries. Now the UK has joined, so once again it has become 12 countries. So both statements are incorrect. Now, who are the members of the Trans-Pacific? Members, once again, think about the APEC map. Yes. So in APEC, first look at the Americas. In the Americas, initially, those five countries, Canada, US, Mexico, Peru, and Chile, all were members. Then the US withdrew, so there were these four countries. After that, you come down, you find that Australia and New Zealand are both members. You have Australia, New Zealand are members. Then we go to ASEAN. Okay? So if we go to ASEAN, the littoral countries there are members. So who are the littoral countries? You find Vietnam. Vietnam is in Indochina. After that, you come down, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia, Singapore is there. There is Brunei, right? These are only four Southeast Asian countries. So you have Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Okay? Apart from that, we have identified Canada, Chile. You have Mexico and Peru, Australia, New Zealand. Yes. Which is the country remaining? It is just Japan. Okay? So Japan is another, right? So Japan is also a littoral country from above, right? So you find Russia and China will not be there because this was a US-led initiative. So Russia and China will not be there, right? Those are five countries. Then the countries which are friendly with the US. So today Vietnam is also friendly with the US. Yes. And you find that Japan will be a member country. Fine. Australia, New Zealand, all these are friendly nations. Next, in 2016, a new development has been set up by APEC. In 2015, the NDB was established. This is incorrect, right? It was set up by BRICS, and the headquarters is in Shanghai. Yes, that is correct. The headquarters of AIIB is in Beijing, and the headquarters of NDB is in Shanghai. Both headquarters are in China. Yes. Then BTIA. This is very much in the news even now. It is mentioned many times. Broad-Based Trade and Investment Agreement. This agreement was to be included between India and the EU. Yes. But, negotiations started in 2007. The deadline was 2009, but till 2013 or till date, we have not signed such an agreement with the EU because there are several factors, right? We cannot see eye to eye on this with the EU. Okay? Now the name has also been changed. Now it is not called Broad-Based Trade and Investment Agreement. So it is in the context of the EU. It used to be quite in the news. Yes. In fact, even now, in fact, you find articles which would refer to it. So you find a trade analysis of who is our largest trade partner, right? In the case of the EU, you find Germany, then you have Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, and then others. And how has our trade been? Generally, it used to be a surplus, right? Or generally, now it is a surplus. There was a time in between when we had a trade deficit with the EU. So you can mention a few facts if you can just identify. Yes, there is no need to look into so much detail, but yes, today, in what do we have the highest import and export, etc., you can look at it a little. Guys, then the various types of trade agreements. What are the various types of trade agreements? Preferential Trade Agreement, you have PTA. Then you have FTA. Then you have Customs Union. Then you have Common Market. You have Economic Union, right? This is a progressive list of greater economic integration, right? PTA starts with a positive list of trade. Only in the items mentioned will tariff liberalization happen. This is a negative list. Tariff liberalization will happen in all goods, except those mentioned on the negative or sensitive list. What is a Customs Union? Common external tariff. Yes. So, apart from FTA, there will also be a common external tariff. For example, we had referred to SACU, Southern African Customs Union. Yes. Eurasian Economic Union, all these are examples. Then Common Market. Here, it will not be restricted to trade in goods only, but there will be trade in services, investment, and movement of labor. Free movement of, right? Investment, labor, as well as trade in services also. And in an Economic Union, what will happen? Common fiscal and monetary policy. Yes. Fine. So this is the idea. And here you find there is FTA. Then there is something known as CECA or CEPA. Right? Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Yes, they are all, right? They are broader than an FTA. FTA is generally in goods. This includes services, investment, IPR, etc., it is a bit broad-based. CEPA or CECA, right? This is an example of what we have with Korea. What we have with Japan, we have CEPA and CECA. Yes, this was, right? Broad-based, so it covers all aspects. And this was in the context of the EU. Fine. So, do you understand? We have discussed this before. So, I am not discussing it in detail, but I have given you an idea. That's it. Apart from this, there is nothing. The difference is what we have written on the board. Yes. After that, you just go on discussing. And what is an Early Harvest Scheme? Before an FTA, right? To prepare for an FTA, to prepare for a PTA, you might go for an Early Harvest Scheme. So there is a question on BTIA. EU is one of the favorite topics. Basically, questions are asked about the EU many times. Negotiations going on with the EU, etc. You will find that questions will be asked on those topics. For example, BTIA, we have already discussed. So you find which of the following adopted a law on data protection and privacy for its citizens known as General Data Protection Regulation in April 2016, implementation in 2018? It was the EU. If you were reading the newspaper, you could answer this question. Yes. The term Digital Single Market Strategy. EU, because the concept of a single market, if you have to guess, you can think of Asia. Does it talk about a single market? Yes, but not so much. BRICS does not talk about a single market. Theirs is geopolitical cooperation. There is nothing about economic cooperation. Where is it in BRICS? Intra-sectoral cooperation might happen, but there is no such focus on it. Yes. G20. G20 is about regulation of the global economy. Yes, cooperation among the countries so that the global economy does not become very disruptive. So G20 and BRICS can be easily eliminated because they don't talk about a Digital Single Market Strategy. Now, Digital Single Market Strategy, either ASEAN or EU. And the probability is higher for the EU because the EU emphasizes a single market. So, EU. It was the EU's strategy whereby they wanted to emphasize that instead of 27 digital markets, they wanted to move to a single digital market. Fine. Because they have a common currency, right? Common monetary policy, single market, etc., because there is a high level of economic integration. Yes. So it is generally the EU, and this was also in the news once again, right? So from moving away, at that time there were 28, because Britain was part of the EU at that point. Brexit had not taken place. What? What to say now from its perspective? We also came to know just a little while ago that it is a mock drill tomorrow. So that's it. Now see, what to say about it? This class is going on something else. Yes. Global Infrastructure Facility. Yes. Global Infrastructure Facility. Now this was in the newspaper and so on during that period. But anyway, it was not much in the newspaper either. These were little, medium difficulty questions. Whoever can solve it will solve it. If not, they won't. Yes, there is not much guessing allowed by the options. The right answer is the World Bank collaboration which facilitates the preparation and structuring of complex infrastructure PPPs to enable mobilization of private sector and institutional investor capital. Okay? So, Global Infrastructure Facility. First option: ASEAN initiative to upgrade infrastructure in Asia. Already a little bit, right? ASEAN and Asia, and this is global. Collaboration among the major banks of the world working with OECD and infrastructure projects that have the potential to mobilize private. Major banks working with OECD and infrastructure. Major banks' initiative seems to be implied by this statement. So, major banks can take such an initiative. They will develop global infrastructure. And UNCTAD funded initiative. UNCTAD does not have that much money. Yes. So, looking at it that way, even through elimination, it is understood that, right? Trade and Development. This is UNCTAD. What is UNCTAD? UN Conference on Trade and Development. So it is not about infrastructure development anyway. Yes. So, in that context also, through elimination, questions like this, earlier we used to use a lot of elimination techniques to arrive at the answers. Many times, elimination techniques would work very well. But you should be logical and you should have studied well. Only then elimination works. Otherwise, it will not work. The person who has studied very well will be able to eliminate options. Which are the free trade partners of ASEAN? We have already seen, right? The six free trade partners. So US is not. Japan, India, China, Canada. Canada is also not. Australia. So you have four. So you have 1, 3, 4, 5. 1, 3, 4, 5. Answer is C. Yes. AIIB. I told you, there is a question on this too. NDB, AIIB, these were all topics on which questions were frequently asked. Yes. Has more than 80 member nations. India is the largest shareholder. It could be. If it is China-led, then how can India be the largest shareholder? And AIIB does not have any member from outside Asia. See, if there are more than 80 members, not all countries can be from Asia. Yes. So that logically contradicts. So the only correct option is one. World Bank's agencies. So you must have studied all this in economics. I guess. So I am not going through it. Then IMF, right? World Bank, IMF, you have NDB. We used to compare NDB, AIIB versus NDB. These three were compared because NDB was created because BRICS said we are unhappy with the World Bank and with ADB. Both are led by the West. Because ADB as such is less led by Japan and the US together. So, they had conditional loans they used to give. So we created NDB. And China on its own created AIIB. Yes. You can go through whatever is mentioned. A few important points I have underlined also. For example, membership in AIIB is open to all members of the World Bank or ADB, and it is divided into regional and non-regional members. Yes. The highest shareholder is China, second is India, third is Russia and Germany. Yes. A bank can lend outside Asia. So, although the name is Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, it can lend outside Asia, provided it supports connectivity with Asia or it is for global public good. Because global public good means enlightened national interest, it will be good for everyone. And that a loan should significantly benefit Asia. The ceiling for non-regional loans is 25%. Fine. They can give 25% non-regional loans. Yes. I told you, we used to compare all three. So they have put all three together. Yes. NDB's membership is open to all members of the UN. Any country of the UN. Yes. And it can join new members, but the five BRICS countries will retain 55% of the total shares of NDB. G20 is a repeated theme. So, this question on G20, we have already seen. Yes. In 2023 also, they asked because India was the president of G20. The G20 group was originally established as a platform for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss international financial and economic issues. Yes, correct. Digital Public Infrastructure is one of India's G20 priorities. Yes, right? Digital Public Infrastructure was, in fact, India has a complete stack of Digital Public Infrastructure which we are sharing with many countries. Yes. It was also asked in 2022. Yes. With reference to the G20 Common Framework, consider the following statements. Yes, we will go through this question down. Okay? These kinds of questions were also asked before. Yes. In 2020 also, it was asked. It can be asked. And earlier, two-three times, on these lines, these questions were asked. Listen carefully. The value of Indo-Sri Lanka trade has consistently increased in the last decade. Has consistently increased in the last decade. Generally, what will be the answer? No. Because it cannot happen like that. Trade cannot consistently rise for 10 years. There must be some disruption. In some years, trade might decrease. So the probability is very low. Then textiles and textile articles constitute an important item of trade between India and Bangladesh. Yes. In the last five years, Nepal has been the largest trading partner of India in South Asia. No, Bangladesh was. Yes. With Nepal, there have been adversarial relations with the government coming in, K.P. Oli, right? And 2015, 16, 17, during this period, K.P. Oli's government was there till 18. So, in fact, Nepal did not have good relations with India. Yes. So you find that only statement two is correct because this statement, trade consistently growing for 10 years, can grow. But within that growth, some decline, some increase can happen. So that is wrong. Yes. So it had dipped for two years. Yes. Generally, it has grown nine times, right? From 2000 till for in the period of 20 years. But then, of course, then you find some additional information as far as the neighboring countries are concerned. India-Nepal relations, I am not going to be discussing all this. You will be reading through it. Yes. Those who have done the foundation course, etc., they would have read it. And you have prepared for Mains anyway, so you have prepared some basic things, whatever you have prepared, that is all mentioned here. As far as Bangladesh is concerned, the Indus Water Treaty will be important now, right? The Indus Water Treaty will remain relevant. China building dams on the Brahmaputra, right? That will also be relevant. Free movement regime of Myanmar, right? All these topics would remain relevant. And this, Park Strait, Park, right? The Gulf of Mannar, Bay of Mannar, right? Look at all these. And the locations too, whatever are important, you have to look at it. Fine. India's trade relations with top trading partners. Go through this data. Just know who is the highest, right? Highest to lowest, lowest to highest. A few countries, two-three countries, you should know. Top export destinations. Yes. Which are the main sources of import? You should know all this. Right? Basic information. Yes. Then with reference to the G20 Common Framework. It is an initiative endorsed by the G20 together with the Paris Club. Right? It was in the news in the context of the financial crisis in Sri Lanka. Paris Club and so on were in the news at that time. Yes. And the G20 Common Framework. Yes. It is an initiative to support low-income countries with unsustainable debt. What is the Paris Club? It is a club of creditors. Yes. So G20 got together. Both options are correct. I hope you have got a general idea of what kind of questions are being asked. Yes. So you have to prepare along those lines. That is the purpose of this class, basically. We have already seen this question. Yes. Yes. So again, on G20, you have some information. The Troika and all that they have mentioned. Aspects of G20. Okay, this is important, right? The Finance Track and the Sherpa Track. In G20, right? You have the Sherpa Track, that leaders will assign their representatives who will negotiate because leaders cannot meet and negotiate all the time. Stability and Growth Pact of the EU is a treaty that limits the level of budgetary deficits in the countries of the EU. Makes the countries of the EU share their infrastructure facilities. Enables the countries of the EU to share their. There is some part missing. Yes. What it is, it is a set of rules designed to ensure that countries of the EU pursue sound public finances and coordinate their fiscal policies. Yes. I don't know what the third statement was. So, either the third or the first, both. So, option A is correct. Yes. Then International Security. Once again, they have asked six. How many questions? 10 questions. There is only one question on military exercises. So do not spend too much time, but just read through. When making some connections in your mind so that you are able to recall. Miscellaneous. Two, nuclear treaties and organizations. This is important. So those four treaties: NPT, CTBT, FMCT, and Nuclear Weapon Prohibition Treaty. And on cybersecurity, there was also one. Yes. The countries among the above are nuclear weapon states as recognized by the NPT and a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Yes. Which are the countries which are recognized as nuclear weapon states by the NPT? By default, it happens to be the P5 countries, right? Countries, nuclear weapon states, how many are there in the world? The P5 countries are there by default, not by choice, not by design, but by default. And they are recognized as legally, they are de jure nuclear weapon states. What do we say for India? De facto. Because we are not legally recognized. So there are five. And who else? India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea. Four more countries which are nuclear weapon states. So those five are recognized by the NPT. Yes. So China, yes. France, yes. India, Israel, Pakistan, no. So the answer will be only one and two. Yes. Nuclear Security Summits. These were summits that the Barack Obama regime initiated and started organizing. Are periodically held under the aeges of the UN. It was Barack Obama's initiative. Yes. An International Panel on Fissile Material is an organ of the IAEA. If you know this, you will know, but no, it is not. So neither of the two is the correct option. To host International Security, this initiative, right? It was Barack Obama's initiative. Yes. A US-led initiative and not under the aeges of the UN. Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Okay, okay. Which is or are the consequence or consequences of a country becoming a member of the NSG? Because we have been wanting NSG membership so much that this question came. Yes. So there must have been a lot of effort during that year or around that time. It will have access to the latest and the most efficient nuclear technology. Yes. Through nuclear trade, you can get access to the most efficient and newly developed technology. It automatically becomes a member of the NPT. No. And India wants membership of the NSG, but we will not become a member of the NPT. In fact, membership of the NPT is a precondition to becoming a member of the NSG, and that becomes the hurdle for India. So the option is only one. Yes. IAEA. What is the implication in the Indian context? What is the implication of ratifying the Additional Protocol with IAEA? Yes, this was also, right? At that time, all this was discussed quite a bit. Because, because, right? You find that India-US cooperation was going on. This is all part of this idea of India getting a special waiver from the NSG. So if you are a member of, if you are a signatory of the NPT, you sign agreements with IAEA whereby they can come for inspection because there has to be a watchdog. Yes. IAEA is a watchdog of the NPT treaty. What is in the NPT? Nuclear non-proliferation. Nuclear weapon technology should not proliferate. But why will countries not develop nuclear weapon technology? You have to give them some carrot. So the carrot given was that if you do not develop nuclear weapon technology.

Then the civilian nuclear technology will be shared with you. So the countries who have the know-how of nuclear technology will share the civilian nuclear technology with you, provided you do not misuse it, because it is a dual-use technology. You do not misuse it to develop nuclear weapons. Yes. And so that means these countries could have nuclear power plants running. And there is an easy possibility it can be North Korea became a nuclear weapon state. Because it misused that information. It was a signatory of NPT. It got the information of civilian nuclear technology and then misused it to develop nuclear weapons. So, for this not to happen, the IAEA has been made the watchdog. Because of this, every NPT signatory signs an agreement with the IAEA which allows the IAEA to come for surprise inspections. Two-three types of agreements are signed which allow the IAEA to come for surprise inspections of the nuclear power plants. To see that you are not using, you are misusing the know-how to develop nuclear weapons. Yes. So, when we, when we signed, now, we got a special waiver from NSG, so what did that mean? We got a special waiver from NSG, so what did that mean? Now we can do international trade in nuclear technology, nuclear equipment. The US can establish nuclear power plants in India. But what is the guarantee that India might not misuse the nuclear power plant to develop nuclear weapons? Yes, the nuclear fuel that will come to India for nuclear power plant purposes, we can use it, we can divert it for nuclear weapon purposes. What is the guarantee? So the guarantee is that we sign an agreement with the IAEA saying that you come for inspection to our nuclear power plant facility, not to the facility which we are using to develop nuclear weapons. We have those facilities. The world knows that. We have said we are a nuclear weapon state. Yes. So we have done strict separation of the civilian nuclear facility from the armed nuclear facility. And the IAEA was given the power to come and inspect the civilian nuclear power plants. Fine. So on those lines, this question was asked. Okay? So in the Indian context, what is the implication of ratifying the Additional Protocol? Because we wanted to become a part of NSG etc. So this whole discussion was going on. Of ratifying the Additional Protocol with the IAEA. Yes. What will be that the civilian nuclear reactors come under IAEA safeguards? Yes, the military nuclear installations come under inspection of the IAEA. Why will we give our nuclear facility? Why will we allow the IAEA to inspect? The country will have the privilege to buy uranium for a Nuclear Suppliers Group, right? This was not its implication. And in fact, as soon as we got the special waiver, we are engaging in nuclear trade, so we will buy uranium. Yes. In fact, countries like the US, Kazakhstan signed agreements to supply nuclear power plants to India. Nuclear uranium, right? Nuclear fuel to India. The country automatically becomes a member of NSG. This is also not true. Right? How do we automatically become a member? We are trying to become a member. Yes. So, this is incorrect. Military inspection, this is incorrect. This is also logically very, very incorrect. If anyone was regularly reading any newspaper, knows about common things, right? You knew that these three are incorrect. And the first option is only true. Yes. So, it is in this context. When these protocols are signed with the IAEA. Supplementary, additional, such protocols. It only brings the civilian nuclear reactors under IAEA safeguards. Yes. No country will bring, right? Will ensure a watchdog over its military facilities. Why do we need it? A watchdog over military facilities. Yes. You can read through this, the safeguard agreements that we sign with the IAEA. Nuclear Treaty is an organization. Recently, India signed a deal known as the Action Plan for Prioritizing a Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field, which with one of the following countries. So, it is factual information, it would have been in the newspaper at that time. The answer is Russia. Since there was not much scope for elimination. Treaties and Organizations? Look again. In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under IAEA safeguards? Yes, while others are not. Some use uranium, others use thorium. Yes. Some use imported uranium, and others use domestic supply. Some are operated by foreign enterprises, and others are operated by domestic enterprises. Is there any difference in operation? Operation is all domestic. There is no foreigner in operation. Some are state-owned. Others are privately owned. Is there any privately owned nuclear reactor? No. Yes. So you find that these two have been eliminated. Automatically eliminated. Now, some use uranium. Others use thorium. Yes. Both are nuclear fuel. Right? So, in fact, what we use more now is uranium. In our nuclear plan, it is mentioned that we will also use thorium. Because thorium is freely available. Right? Easily available in India. And then, some use imported uranium, others use domestic supplies. This is the answer, right? Because the imported uranium, which we are getting through the NSG waiver, cannot be diverted for nuclear weaponization. Yes. So, which ones will come under IAEA safeguards? The ones that we are running power plants with imported uranium. Yes. For making our nuclear bombs, we will have to use our domestic supply. Nuclear weapon-free zones is a concept, right? You find that for Latin America and the Caribbean, this was implemented through the Treaty of Tlatelolco. Treaty of, right? For South Pacific, Treaty of Bangkok. Treaty of Pelindaba for Africa. There is no such treaty for South Asia because both India and Pakistan have developed nuclear weapons. Those places where they signed this treaty, they agreed that none of them will develop nuclear weapons. But that is not valid, right? For us. For the Middle East, Israel has developed it. In East Asia, North Korea has developed it. Now, what is India's nuclear doctrine? This is the official nuclear doctrine of India. No First Use policy. We will not use nuclear weapons in the first instance. Only when we are attacked by a nuclear weapon, or by chemical or biological weapon, India or Indian forces anywhere in the world, then we will use nuclear weapons. We can use nuclear weapons. And when we will use nuclear weapons, it will be for massive retaliation to cause unacceptable injury. We will do massive retaliation which will cause unacceptable injury. Then India believes in building what is known as credible minimum deterrence. What does this mean? We will not get caught in a nuclear arms race. We, it's not that if Pakistan develops 10 weapons, we have to develop 11. Right? If China develops 12, then we have to develop 15. We will not enter into a nuclear arms race. We believe that nuclear weapons are only for deterrence purposes. So, one nuclear bomb dropped effectively is sufficient deterrence. Yes. So, we believe that we will develop only as many nuclear weapons as are required for credible deterrence. And we will not become a participant in a nuclear arms race. Yes. So, that is the meaning of credible minimum deterrence. A deterrence which is credible. And can achieve credible deterrence through minimum weapons. Yes. The nuclear retaliatory attack will not be taken by the military leadership. The attack will have to be authorized by civilian political leadership through the nuclear command authority. Because the military, in the, in the moment of fury, might decide to use nuclear weapons, but civilian leadership is expected to be relatively calmer. And then, continued commitment to the goal of, even though we have developed nuclear weapons ourselves, but what is our goal? The goal of a nuclear weapon-free world through global, verifiable, non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament. We believe there should be global nuclear disarmament, which can be verified. Yes. And it should be non-discriminatory. It should not be like, yes, P5 countries, you keep your nuclear weapons. You eliminate your nuclear weapons. It has to be global, universal, and verifiable. Yes. MTCR, FMCT. What about FMCT? In FMCT, basically, the idea is they prohibit the development of the two major fissile materials, they are just banning them. Look, what is said in NPT? That do not proliferate nuclear weapons. Countries that have already developed nuclear weapons. Right? They had come out with a cut-off date like January 1, 1968, arrived at a date like this. Up to this date, whoever has developed nuclear weapons, fine. But beyond this, no more countries should develop nuclear weapons. That was the idea of NPT. CTBT tried to check nuclear development further. It said ban testing. If you cannot test, how will you develop? To develop new weapons, you will have to test. So, CTBT aims to ban nuclear weapon testing. But it has not entered into force. Many countries have signed, but the treaty has not yet entered into force. Then, going further is FMCT. Right? Now what happened? India has not signed CTBT. According to India, today, there is no need for physical testing. You can develop nuclear weapons by simulated tests in a nuclear lab. So, this treaty is not effective. So, going forward came FMCT. FMCT said, ban the fissile material itself. Uranium and plutonium, which are used for nuclear bombs, they should be banned. So, if that material is not there, how will the bomb be made? Ban the raw material itself. Yes. So, you find that even its draft has not been finalized yet. Because its, right? The goal is big. So, the draft itself has not been finalized. And the last treaty is to, right? Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. So, only the non-nuclear states have signed it. It is more of an utopia. Okay? But it has entered into force, for that matter. And then, Missile Technology Control Regime to check the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by controlling the export of goods and technology. You should read these clearly. This is their precise definition. Right? That missiles which are capable of carrying 300 kg of payload to a distance of 500 km are banned. It is precise like this. You should know those precise points. Yes. An Outer Space Treaty. It prohibits placing of nuclear weapons in space. Member. India is a member of OST. Yes. China follows, but the US does not. China is the only country in the world which has a No First Use policy doctrine. Earlier, France also had this doctrine, but France has done away with it. Today, they say that they can use nuclear weapons against terrorists if needed. They have abandoned No First Use. India has No First Use, and China has No First Use. And in fact, India borrowed this doctrine, or got inspired by China itself. China wrote it first, then we incorporated it into our doctrine. Uh, there is, these were only five points. Uh, there is one more point, that no use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states. We will not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states. This is mentioned in our nuclear doctrine. But our nuclear doctrine itself says, in case of chemical or biological attack against India, then we will use nuclear weapons. Right? So, at times, these two points are considered contradictory, that we say we will use in chemical or biological weapons. Then we say we will not use against non-nuclear weapon states. So, if a non-nuclear weapon state uses, right? Chemical or biological weapons against India, will we, or will we not use nuclear weapons? So, at times, there is this discussion on that. Yes. Right? As I was telling you, the Wassenaar. Look, what about MTCR? With a missile which is capable of carrying a payload, I said the opposite. 500 kg payload up to a range of 300 km. You have to be precise. All this should be known. Yes. Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group. Right? With the Australia Group, look, NSG is with respect to Nuclear Suppliers Group. Trade in nuclear technology. Yes. MTCR is Missile Technology. Yes. Missiles which are capable of carrying 500 kg payload and traveling up to a distance of 300 km. Their export and import has to be checked, looked into. Right? Because we cannot give it to everyone, as it can be used as a weapon of mass destruction. Then, Australia Group basically deals with the way to remember it, like how I remember it is ABC. Australia Group bans the development or use of chemical or biological weapons. It is Australia Group's relation to that. And Wassenaar Agreement is with respect to dual-use technology. Right? It seeks to regulate, right? The sale and all such things of dual-use goods and technology. Right? So, that is how you can also remember Australia Group, ABC, biological and chemical weapons. Yes. So, with this, what is this? This BrahMos missile, we are willing to sell it to. Look, they do not tell us what distance your missile should travel. That is not what the purpose of MTCR is. The purpose of MTCR is that if there is a missile that India develops, which is capable of carrying 500 kg payload and which travels a distance of 300 km, then India cannot sell that missile to any country. It can be sold to a country only which is approved by MTCR. Because there is a possibility that it might be used as an instrument of mass destruction to carry weapons to far-off areas. Right? This is sensitive technology that we cannot give access to everyone. This is its purpose. Right? You should read all this. NSG etc. Right? All this is very important. MDCR, Australia Group, Wassenaar Agreement, NSG, all these would be important. The question that came on cybersecurity. Yes, only one question. General Data Protection Regulation. Which of the following adopted a law on data protection and privacy for its citizens? Who was it? EU. So, EU is basically a favorite area from where questions are asked. Military exercise. Once asked. Mitra Shakti. Yes, yes. 2023, last year only, it was asked. Yes. The answer is D, two, three, and four. It commenced in, on the Pune Joint Response during counter-terrorism operations was the goal of this operation. Indian Air Force was part of this exercise. Yes. And it was an exercise between India and Sri Lanka. Not India and Bangladesh. Then again, they have put in this information. So, if you have referred to PT 365 etc., then maybe just go through it. Otherwise, keep only one source. Right? If there is something new, highlight it and just read that. Yes. Certain operations. Humanitarian HADR operations. Search and rescue operations. Operation Kaveri. Yes. Evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan. Questions are asked on this. UPSC asks such questions. Right? So, you go through them. Operation Ajay for medical and disaster relief. Yes. I told you. Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. This is also one favorite organization. UPSC likes to ask questions on it. Yes. Consider the following statements. So, okay, I am not going through it, but the point is, we have identified the theme. Now you will go through that topic. Yes. You should also read this. Chemical Weapons Convention. Yes. There is a need. This is important. The Chemical Weapons Convention. What is this? Basel Convention, Rotterdam Convention, these are all Stockholm Convention. Match the following questions can be asked. And many times, all these conventions are important. UPSC asks such questions, and this is factual. Guessing becomes a very difficult game there. Yes. From IOS also. Yes. The question was asked. So, the last IOS session was held in India in 2015 under the chairmanship of the Indian Navy. Yes. It was held in 2010, not in 2015. IUNS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among the navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. Yes. It is correct. Yes. So, the answer is only B, only. Yes. So, it is a voluntary initiative among the countries. Okay, okay. It was initiated in 2008, not 2010, but 2008. IORA is also a very favorite topic of UPSC. They ask from it. They have asked only one question from IOS. Yes. So, certain important infrastructure projects. Okay? India's presence in the Indian Ocean Region. Yes. You can go through it otherwise also. Right? As part of the foundation course, we had discussed this in quite detail. Okay. Yes. So, what are the constructions in Iran? Chabahar. Right? In Oman, Port of Duqm. Yes. In Seychelles, Mauritius, there is Agalega Island. In Seychelles, there is Assumption Island. UPSC has asked questions on this twice. Right? Very, very important. Assumption Island in Seychelles, that we are developing dual-use infrastructure on Assumption Island, and in Mauritius, Agalega Island. Yes. Seychelles and Assumption. SS. That is how you remember. And UPSC twice has asked questions. Match the following. It asked. Reunion Island etc. You read through it. What is in Diego Garcia? The US has a military base and it is part of the Chagos Archipelago. Diego Garcia is one island of the Chagos Archipelago, and recently the UK has decided to give the Chagos Archipelago back to Mauritius. Yes. So, Chagos Archipelago, Diego Garcia. In that context, it might just become relevant. International Diplomacy. So, basically, this is the idea that these locations, in the Indian Ocean Region, India's infrastructure initiative, India's presence is important. So, there is a lot. Sabang Port in Indonesia. Right? Changi Naval Base in Singapore. All these. And whatever recently, India and China, both for that matter, you should also be aware of China's presence in the Indian Ocean Region, which remains in the news. Yes. International Diplomacy. So, you find important terms in the news. Country watch and agreements and treaties. Two-state solution. In what context is it suggested? Israel-Palestinian issue. Yes. Which of the following are frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus? Yes. In 2015, in the context of Ebola virus, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. These were all in the newspapers. Match the country, the community in news with the country concerned. So, Kurds. Where is the Kurdish region? Turkey, Syria, right? Turkey, Syria, Iraq, that's where the Kurdish region is. Madhesh, Nepal. Correctly matched. Rohingya, Myanmar. Correctly matched. So, two and three are correct. B.R.I. in the context of China. In 2016, because in 2013 only, there was a launch. Right? These are simple questions that they ask. Yes. Consider the following statements. Vietnam has been one of the fastest-growing economies in the world in recent years. Sounds probable. Fastest-growing economy. A developing country can be the fastest-growing economy. And it is not written "fastest," but "one of the fastest," so it's fine. It's a broad statement. Vietnam is led by a multi-party political system. No, it was in the newspaper recently. Right? 50 years since their reunification. Yes. It is the Communist Party. It is a one-party system. Vietnam's economic growth is linked to its integration with global supply chains and focus on exports. Yes. Growth happened through market reforms. Right? It became part of globalization, global supply. For a long time, Vietnam's low labor cost and stable exchange rates have attracted global bulk manufacturers. Low labor cost. Yes. Stable exchange rate can be a possibility. Let's see. Vietnam has the most productive e-service sector. Unlikely. It is unlikely. Yes. Fine. So, now what we know for sure is wrong. So, eliminate two. These two are gone. After that, this, so Vietnam as one of the fastest. Fine. Vietnam's economic growth. Three is for sure correct. Yes. And now, low labor cost, productive e-service, electronic service. Where does Vietnam provide this? It is not that developed. So, the answer would be one, three, and four. Yes. Through elimination, you could arrive at this if you had some idea. Basically, the requirement is newspaper reading. Yes. What you read basically, and then newspaper reading. If you have done it, then there is a high chance. Economic survey. If you have understood and read it, then one or two questions come. Yes. If you have understood it, then you will be able to. Newspaper reading. And whatever foundation course, whatever preparation you have done for your, for the mains perspective, whatever you have prepared, then you will be in a position to secure.

It's a current affairs magazine, right? If you have read the regular things, along with your newspaper reading, you are in a position, and the Economic Survey is also a very good document that comes out. Yes, you will be in a position to clear the exam.

Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement camp in northwestern Kenya. Some people who fled from the South Sudanese civil war live in Bidibidi. Some people who fled from the civil war in Somalia live in the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. Yes, this is factual. If you had read the newspaper, you would have known. Yes, in fact, statements two and three are correct. Yes, Bidibidi is located in Uganda, not in Kenya, as was mentioned. Okay?

Look, and anyway, even if you don't know much, look at the statement. Some people who fled the South Sudanese civil war live in Bidibidi. So, some people can live there. It's not talking about all people. "Some" means yes, some people who fled the civil war in Somalia live in the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. Now, whether the Dadaab refugee complex is in Kenya or not is a separate matter. But yes, according to "some people," it is correct. They can live there, absolutely. Yes.

So, from this, we understand that if two and three are correct, then this option means that. These are. I do not encourage blind guesses, right? But if there is a need, right? If you feel that you have some idea, you can make it. You can give it. You would like to take that chance, then. Now, on refugees, they have mentioned. In 2023, Israel has established diplomatic relations with some Arab states. Yes, yes. The Arab Peace Initiative, mediated by Saudi Arabia, was signed by Israel and the Arab League. The Arab Peace Initiative was articulated by Saudi Arabia. That there will be peace when Israel accepts the two-state solution. Yes.

So, statement one is correct, but statement two is incorrect. Right? When would the Arab Peace Initiative, Saudi Arabia, mediate with Israel? Any dialogue? Saudi Arabia is the leader of the Islamic world. It stands with the Palestinian cause. It does not recognize Israel as a state. Yes. So, Abraham Accords, everything, this was all in the news. Let me see what scope of elimination there is. Okay.

The Arab-Israeli conflict, right? You must be knowing this, right? Golan Heights, Sea of Galilee. This is a very important map because UPSC asks questions. It has asked about the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee. Yes. Haifa Port, which was acquired by Adani in Israel, and Haifa is an important node as far as the I2U2 corridor is concerned. Yes. And now you find Druze. Yesterday, I was telling you about the Druze community, right? They inhabit the Golan Heights, West Bank, Gaza Strip, right? The Philadelphi Corridor. We have read all this in PT 365. So, whatever has been read there is fine.

Yes. Ah, IORA, right? The first name of IORA was the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation. It was established very recently. This question came in 2015. Okay? It was established very recently in response to incidents of piracy and accidents of oil spills. Yes or no? No. It was established based on the vision of Nelson Mandela. It is not erratic, right? What is its purpose? Regional economic cooperation. It is an alliance meant for maritime security only. No. Yes. So, both statements are incorrect. I said IORA is a favorite area. UPSC has also asked about membership of IORA. Yes.

The International Solar Alliance was launched at a UN Climate Change Conference in 2015, the Paris Climate Change Conference. Yes. The International Solar Alliance was co-founded, co-launched by India and France during the Paris Summit, the Paris COP. Okay. Then, the alliance includes all member countries of the UN. No. Yes. Only statement one is correct. This was quite at that time, right? I don't know when it was asked. So, it was launched in 2015. Much in the news, quite a lot in the news. Yes. You can go through this. The International Solar Alliance is still relevant today, right? You can expect a question. So, you can go through the facts they have shared. Yes.

Then, these match-the-following questions. I was telling you, they ask about conventions and so on in match-the-following. Yes. Ten statements will be given, and the statement is correct or incorrect. Yes. So, Alma-Ata Declaration, healthcare of the people. Yes, healthcare of the people. Yes, it is correct. Hague Convention, biological and chemical weapons. No, right? I also don't know. I am also looking at it here. And the Talanoa Dialogue was a dialogue on global climate change. Yes. Read through all of it. Yes. These conventions are important, and they repeat the themes.

Then, the right to the city is an agreed human right, and Human Habitat monitors commitments made by each country. Yes, it is an agreed human right. And Human Habitat monitors commitments made by each country in this regard. Now, Human Habitat monitors commitments made by. Okay, fine. Let's look at the next one. The right to the city gives every occupant of the city the right to reclaim public spaces and public participation in the city. Right? Right to the city means. Okay. You can reclaim. Public spaces are for everyone. Not just for one person. The right to the city means the state cannot deny any public service or facility to unauthorized colonies in other states. This is also correct. The state cannot deny public services to unauthorized colonies. Yes.

So, you find what is the answer? The answer is two and three. And statement one happens to be incorrect. Yes. It has its origin in the writings of the French philosopher. It prioritizes collective rights over individual rights to urban space. Therefore, statement two is correct. Right to the city further implies responsibility on the government and people to claim, defend, and protect this right. Acknowledging this means that the state can no longer deny shelter, provision of services such as water to those who are living in unauthorized slums. Yes.

It was one of the most contentious issues during the series of negotiations in the run-up to the one in the 20-year UN Housing and Sustainable Urban Development Conference. India has opposed the inclusion of the right to the city in the draft New Urban Agenda. Because we do not want to provide essential services to these people, right? People who are living in unauthorized slums. Yes. Similarly, civil society groups point out that resistance from EU countries is a result of the migrant crisis in Europe. The EU's official stated position is that it is not an agreed human right recognized by international human rights instruments, right? So, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, right? Socio-economic and Cultural Rights. That is the UN Human Rights Declaration, right? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and so on. It is not an accepted human right. So, statement one, therefore, becomes incorrect. Yes.

Consider the following statement. Recently, all countries of the UN. Yes, these are. Now, GCM, right? Global Compact. This was in the news, right? So, a question came from this context. Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, Regular Migration. Now, migration as a topic, in fact, has been much in the news. Yes. You will go through this question on your own. Yes. In fact, migration will still remain relevant, for that matter, because migration is once again much in the news. Ah, yes. It was in the news because of the successful conclusion of the first International Migration Review Forum. Fine. So, that is it. And with it, we complete our discussion on this document. I have. I hope you have just got some ideas about the questions we can expect, and accordingly, you should have prepared. Yes.

Ah, fine. On that note, we are concluding today's class. With this, this session also gets over. Yes. The purpose was only this, that you get an idea with respect to the type of questions that can be asked, and we have, in the process, also discussed past year questions because UPSC tends to repeat themes. And the relevant content in this, it's a big document, a very big document, 193 pages. You did not go through the entire document. Yes. Maximum 10-12 pages, whatever you find relevant. Yes. You need to go through those. Those who have some time, those who are not appearing this year, maybe by reading, you identify whatever is important, underline it. Just that much you have to go through. Yes. Not the entire document in its entirety. Yes. Fine. With that, we are concluding the class. Thank you.