International

Organizations and
Bilateral Relations
for
Civil Services Examinations

Australia • Brazil • India • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States

International © 2018 Cengage Learning India Pvt. Ltd.
Organizations and
Bilateral Relations ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be
for reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic,
Civil Services or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing,
Examinations taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.

For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all
requests online at
www.cengage.com/permissions

Further permission questions can be emailed to

India.permission@cengage.com

ISBN-13: 978-93-86858-53-5
ISBN-10: 93-86858-53-3

Cengage Learning India Pvt. Ltd.

418, F.I.E., Patparganj
Delhi 110092

Cengage Learning is a leading provider of customized learning solutions with office locations
around the globe, including Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, Singapore, United Kingdom and
United States. Locate your local office at: www.cengage.com/global

Cengage Learning products are represented in Canada by Nelson Education, Ltd.

For product information, visit www.cengage.co.in

 iii

CONTENTS

Preface xv
Acknowledgements xvii
List of Videos xix
Chapter-wise Break up of Previous Year’s Questions (Prelims) xxi

1 UNITED NATIONS 1
1 Introduction 1
2 Main Aims of UN 1
3 Official Languages of UN 1
4 Structure 1
UN General Assembly 1
Security Council 3
Secretariat 5
UN Economic and Social Council 5
Important Specialized Agencies of UN 6
International Court of Justice 18
5 Critical Evaluation of UN 20
Practice Questions 21
Perfecting Past Prelims 25

2 REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS AND GROUPINGS 27

1 International Cooperation 27
North–North Cooperation 27
North–South Cooperation 27
South–South Cooperation 28
2 Commonwealth of Nations 29
Formation 29
Charter 29
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 29
Commonwealth Games 29
Why India Joined Commonwealth? 30
iv Contents

3 South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation 30

SAARC Summits 31
South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) 31
State of SAARC 31
Recent Controversy 32
4 Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) 33
Significance of BIMSTEC 33
Limitations of BIMSTEC 33
5 South Asia Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) 35
2017 Meet 35
6 Ganga–Mekong Cooperation 35
7 Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) 35
Evaluation 35
ASEAN–INDIA Free Trade Agreement 36
ASEAN Plus Three 36
ASEAN Plus Six 37
East Asia Summit 37
8 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership 37
9 Trans-Pacific Partnership 37
10 Asean Regional Forum 37
11 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 38
APEC and India 38
12 Shanghai Cooperation Organization 38
Relevance of SCO 39
13 Indian Ocean Rim Association 39
14 Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) 40
15 Brazil Russia India China South Africa (BRICS) 41
Steps for Formation of BRICS 41
Important Facts Related to BRICS 41
BRICS Summits 42
New Development Bank (NDB) 42
Contingency Reserve Arrangement (CRA) 42
16 India Brazil South Africa (IBSA) 43
IBSA Summits 43
Comparison with BRICS 43
17 Group of 5 (G5) 44
18 Group of 8 (G8) 44
Background 44
Suspension of Russia 44
G8+5 44
19 Group of 20 (G20) 44
Evaluation of G5, G8, G14 and G20 45
 Contents v

20 Gulf Cooperation Council 45

21 Organization of Islamic Cooperation 46
Israeli–Palestinian Conflict 46
Dispute with India 47
22 Arab League 47
23 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) 47
Objective 48
Impact of OPEC 48
Headquarters 48
24 Interpol 48
25 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 49
26 Arctic Council 49
27 Nordic Council 49
28 Organization of American States 49
29 African Union 49
30 European Union 50
Beginning 51
Creation of the European Economic Community 51
Institution Mechanism 51
Treaties Taking EU to Present Level of Engagement 52
Schengen Area 53
Digital Single Market 54
BREXIT 55
Practice Questions 56
Perfecting Past Prelims 60

3 ORGANIZATIONS, TREATIES AND ASSOCIATIONS TO PROMOTE

DISARMAMENT 64
1 Disarmament 64
What Is Nuclear Disarmament? 64
2 Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 64
Three Pillars of NPT 64
Why Has India Not Signed the NPT? 65
Why Pakistan Has Not Signed the NPT? 65
Why North Korea Has Withdrawn from NPT? 65
Concern Over Nuclear Weapon Programme of North Korea 65
3 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 66
What Is Nuclear Testing? 66
Why Has India Not signed? 66
4 Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) 66
vi Contents

5 Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty 67

Evaluation of the Treaty 67
6 African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty 67
Implication of This Treaty on India 67
7 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) 68
8 Proliferation Security Initiative 68
9 Missile Technology Control Regime 68
Advantages to India of Securing MTCR Partnership 68
10 Nuclear Suppliers Group 68
India Seeking NSG Membership 69
Significance of NSG Membership for India 69
11 Nuclear Security Summit 69
Aim 70
Activities 70
Limitations 70
Bleak Future of NSS 70
12 India’s Nuclear Policy 71
Indigenous Nuclear Submarine 71
What Is a Nuclear Triad? 71
Relevance of Nuclear-Powered Submarine 71
13 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) 72
Negotiations to Strengthen Verification Regime 72
What Are Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction (BWMD)? 72
14 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) 72
Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (Opcw) 73
What Are Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction? 73
15 Geneva Protocol 73
16 Australian Group 73
17 Wassenaar Arrangement 74
18 Outer Space Treaty 74
19 Antarctic Treaty 75
Practice Questions 75
Perfecting Past Prelims 78

4 INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORGANIZATIONS 81

1 International Monetary Fund (IMF) 80
Ministerial Committees 80
The Executive Board 80
Sources of IMF 81
India’s Relation with IMF 81
Technical Assistance from IMF 82
Role of IMF 82
 Contents vii

Criticism of IMF 82
2 World Bank Group 83
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 83
International Development Association (IDA) 84
International Finance Corporation (IFC) 85
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) 85
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) 86
Criticism of World Bank 86
Reports Published by IMF and World Bank 86
3 Asian Development Bank (ADB) 86
4 Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) 87
5 Bank for International Settlements 87
6 Financial Action Task Force 87
7 WTO (World Trade Organization) 88
Broad Guidelines to Attain Objectives 88
History 89
Activities of WTO 89
Dispute Settlement 90
8 Agreements Under WTO 90
Agreement on Goods 90
Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) 90
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) 91
Intellectual Property and TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) 93
TRIMS (Trade Related Investment Measures) 97
9 Ministerial Conference 98
Outcomes of Important Meetings 98
Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) 99
Trade Facilitation in Services (TFS) 100
National Food Security Act, 2013 and AOA 100
Practice Questions 101
Perfecting Past Prelims 106

5 ORGANIZATIONS, GROUPS AND AGREEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF

ENVIRONMENT 111
1 United Nation Conference on Environment and Development 110
2 UNFCCC 110
Kyoto Protocol 110
Paris Climate Change Agreement (2015) 112
3 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 114
4 Agenda 21 115
5 Additional Protocols to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 115
viii Contents

6 Mangroves for the Future (MFF) 116

7 Montreux Record 116
8 Ramsar Convention 116
9 Vienna Convention 117
Montreal Protocol 117
Kigali Agreement 117
10 CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Flora and Fauna) 118
11 Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) (Bonn Convention) 119
12 Basel Convention 119
13 Rotterdam Convention 119
14 Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) 120
15 International Solar Alliance 120
16 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 121
17 Global Tiger Forum (GTF) 121
18 International Whaling Commission (IWC) 121
19 Sawen 121
20 Billion Tree Campaign 122
21 Bio Carbon Fund 122
22 Club of Rome 122
23 Important International Events to Protect Environment 123
Earth Day 123
Earth Hour 123
International Day of Biological Diversity 123
World Environment Day 123
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 124
International Day of Forests 124
World Habitat Day 124
Practice Questions 124
Perfecting Past Prelims 130

6 INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 137

1 Introduction 136
2 World Economic Forum (WEF) 136
3 World Social Forum (WSF) 137
4 Transparency International (TI) 137
About Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 137
About India’s Performance (2017 Report) 137
About Global Corruption Barometer 137
Comparison with Corruption Perception Index 137
5 Amnesty International 138
 Contents ix

6 Human Rights Watch (HRW) 138

7 International Committee Of Red Cross (ICRC) 139
8 Doctors Without Borders 139
9 Greenpeace 140
10 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 140
11 Traffic 141
12 Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) 141
13 Birdlife International 141
14 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) 142
15 Wetlands International 142
16 International Water Management Institute 142
17 Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research 142
18 Stockholm International Water Institute 143
Sub-Institutions at SIWI 143
19 Sustainable Development Solutions Network 143
20 International Union for Conservation of Nature 144
Classification of Species by IUCN 144
Practice Questions 145
Perfecting Past Prelims 147

7 REPORTS AND INDEXES 151

1 World Population Prospects Report 150
Key Highlights from 2017 Report 150
2 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) Report 150
3 Human Development Index 151
Value of HDI 152
Human Development Report 2016 152
4 Multidimensional Poverty Index 152
Calculation of the Index 154
5 Global Gender Gap Report 154
India Ranked 87 in Global Gender Gap Report, 2016 154
6 Global Competitiveness Report 154
The Global Competitiveness Report 2016–2017 155
7 Ease of Doing Business Report 155
Key Highlights of 2017 Report 155
8 Inclusive Development Index 156
9 World Happiness Report 156
2017 Report 156
10 Global Hunger Index Report 156
GHI Report 2016 157
Practice Questions 157
Perfecting Past Prelims 160
x Contents

8 COLD WAR 162

1 Introduction 161
2 Cuban Missile Crisis 161
3 Important Military Blocs That Emerged During the Cold War 162
North Atlantic Treaty Organization 162
South East Asia Treaty Organization (1954) 164
Baghdad Pact (1955) 164
Warsaw Pact 165
Collective Security Treaty Organization 165
Colombo Plan 165
4 Non-Aligned Movement 166
India’s Reasons for Joining NAM 167
Criticism of NAM 167
Contemporary Relevance 167
Last NAM Meet 167
Practice Questions 168
Perfecting Past Prelims 170

9 FUNDAMENTALS OF INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY 172

1 Panchsheel 171
2 Look East Policy 171
3 Look West Policy 171
4 Gujral Doctrine 172
5 Neighbourhood First 172
Practice Questions 173
Perfecting Past Prelims 175

10 EVOLUTION OF INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY 177

1 During the Times of Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964) 176
The 1947–48 War 177
2 India’s Stand on Important International Issues 177
Korean War 177
Indo-China Plateau 178
Suez Canal Issue 179
Hungary 179
Congo 180
Relations with USA 180
 Contents xi

Relations with Soviet Union 180

Relations with China 181
1962 War 182
3 During the Times of Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964–1966) 183
1965 War 184
4 During the First Tenure of Indira Gandhi (1966–1977) 185
Relations with America 185
1970 Elections in Pakistan: 1st General Elections in Pakistan 186
Indo-Pak War, 1971 187
Pokhran I 189
5 During the Times of Janata Government (1977–79) 189
Relations with Neighbours 189
6 During the Times of Rajiv Gandhi (1984–1991) 189
Indo-Sri Lanka Accord 189
7 During the Times of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1996–2004) 190
Pokhran-II 190
Kargil War, May 1999 191
December 1999 Plane Hijack Incident 191
Indo–Pak Relations 191
Practice Questions 192
Perfecting Past Prelims 194

11 INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS 196

1 India–Pakistan 195
Political Relations 195
Economic Relations 197
Cultural Ties 197
Transportation Links 198
Other Conflict Areas 198
River Water Sharing 199
Nuclear Arms Race 201
China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 201
2 India–Afghanistan 202
Historical Ties 202
Present Political Scenario 203
International Security Assistance Force 203
India’s Goodwill Diplomacy 203
Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline 204
3 India–Sri Lanka 206
Issue of Tamils 206
What Are the Provisions of 13th Amendment Act? 206
xii Contents

Initiatives Taken by India for Rehabilitation of Tamils in Sri Lanka 208

Fisherman Issue 208
Drift Towards China 208
4 India–Bangladesh 209
Political Relations 209
Economic Relations 209
Irritants in Bilateral Relations 210
River Water Sharing 211
Continuing Rift between Religious and Secular Sections 212
Connectivity between India and Bangladesh 213
Land Boundary Agreement, 2016 214
5 India–Nepal 214
Demands for Revision in Indo–Nepal Friendship Treaty 215
Irritants in Bilateral Relations 215
Nepal’s Drift Towards China 215
Lack of Representation to People from Terai Region 216
6 India–Bhutan 217
Political Ties 218
Indian Help for Transition to Democracy 219
Economic Relations 219
Bangladesh–Bhutan–India–Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement 219
7 India–Maldives 220
Historical Background 220
Operation Cactus 220
Political Instability in Maldives 221
8 Indo-Myanmar 221
Historical Background 221
Establishment of Democracy in Myanmar 222
Economic Relations 222
Myanmar–Bangladesh–India (MBI) Pipeline 223
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project 223
India, Thailand, Myanmar Highway 224
Issue of Rohingyas 225
9 Indo–China Relations 226
Political Relations 226
Economic Relations 230
Security Concerns 230
Water Sharing 230
Recent Issues on Which Differences Have Emerged 231
Common Stands 232
One China Policy 232
One Belt and One Road Initiative 232
What Is Silk Route Train? 234
Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Forum 235
 Contents xiii

Practice Questions 237

Perfecting Past Prelims 239

12 INDIA’S RELATIONS WITH REST OF THE WORLD 241

1 Indo–US Relations 240
Present State of Indo–US Relations 240
Economic Relations 240
Political Relations 241
Defence Relations 241
LEMOA 242
Indo–US Nuclear Deal 2008 242
Differences between India and the United States 243
Possible Impact on India on Account of Trump’s Victory 243
2 India–Russia 244
Political Relations After the Fall of USSR 244
Economic Relations 244
Energy Ties 244
Defence Ties 244
Irritants in Relationship 245
3 India–France 245
Historical Background 245
Political Relations 246
Defence Ties 246
Trade 246
Space 246
4 India–European Union 246
Contemporary Significance of EU for India 247
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and European Union 247
EU–India Summit 247
5 India–Africa 247
India Africa Forum Summit 247
Significance of Engagement with Africa for India 248
Contemporary Issues 248
6 India–Central Asia 249
Significance of Bilateral Relations with Central Asia 250
Comparison with China 250
India’s Connect Central Asia Policy 250
International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) 251
7 India–West Asia 253
Significance of West Asia for India 254
xiv Contents

India–UAE Relations 255

India–Israel Relations 255
Indo–Iran Relations 257
8 INDIA–East Asia 259
Indo–Japan 259
Indo–South Korea 259
Indo–North Korea 259
Practice Questions 260
Perfecting Past Prelims 262

13 CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL ISSUES 285

1 Israel–Palestine Issue 264
2 South China Sea Dispute 265
3 The Arab Spring 269
4 Ukraine Crisis 270
What Is The Importance of Crimea for Russia? 270
5 Syrian Conflict 271
Origin 271
Dangerous Side Effect 271
Role Played by Russia 272
Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism 272
Opposition to Draft 272
Objections by the United States 272
Objections by OIC 272
Objections by Latin American Nations 272
6 International Terrorist Organizations 272
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) 272
Boko Haram 274
Houthis 274
7 Minorities in News 275
Kurds 275
Chakma 275
Practice Questions 276
Perfecting Past Prelims 277

Solutions for Practice Questions and Perfecting Past Prelims 279

Introduction to Writing Answers for Mains 303

Previous Years’ Questions (Mains) with Solutions 311

 xv

P

If you ever happen to be walking down the streets of places where preparation for Civil Services is done,
it will not be uncommon for you to come across or make the acquaintance of ‘several’ starry eyed yet
completely committed IAS aspirants. Yet, ‘several’ would be an understatement given the number that
runs into lakhs! But when we say committed, we mean it; these young men and women are ready to
sacrifice almost all their youthful follows including sleep, comfort and even a semblance of a normal life
to achieve one goal—IAS!
Sadly, this dream remains a distant one for a large majority of these aspirants in spite of the endless
hours of study and sleep forsaken nights. When we tried to unravel WHY, the responses were almost
synchronous:

“The subject was so vast that there was too much to cover and I could never complete it.”
“I read so much but could not retain it.”
“I studied something but was quizzed on something else in the exam.”
“I kept reading but did not attempt to solve the past year papers or give a mock exam.”
“Subscribing to several sources of information/preparation such as a coaching class, the internet and
books was futile; after all there are only 24 hours in a day.”
“My almirah was full of too many books, but I could barely complete a few.”

And while the candid answers stated above clearly gave us a challenging problem—we did not attempt to solve
it. We instead focused on a holistic solution—the synchronizing of effort i.e. Learning and Positive Results!
It is with this aim that we—PrepMate collaborated with Cengage India—are continuously striving to
develop a comprehensive learning model that is a combination of online and offline so as to effectively
address the issues that most aspirants grapple with.

About the Online–Offline Learning Model

The learning model initiates the process with a series of books targeted at cracking the UPSC exam. The
books stand apart from others available because of the following unique features:

 We use a conceptual approach, simple language, explain concepts with diagrams, cite sufficient
examples, pose pertinent questions in a reader friendly format—to ensure that the contents of
these books can be read and assimilated in a time-bound manner.
 The content is specially designed taking into account the trend in UPSC exams in recent years.
We have also included the previous years’ questions (with solutions) after every chapter.
 xvi Preface

 The Practice Questions at the end of each chapter are exhaustive to provide sufficient preparation
to crack the exams.
 The book series also contains additional information on ‘how to write answers’ along with what
your approach should be for the mains—here too we have explained by solving questions and
showing you the ‘preferred answering style’.
 We have tried to encapsulate all that is required to be learnt for a particular subject into a single
book.

Usually, an aspirant purchases a book, but never gets a chance to contact the authors. We believe that the
contact among aspirants and authors is important for learning and motivation of the aspirants. That is
precisely why we have developed an application and a web portal to answer your queries and provide you
with continuous support during your preparation.
It is through this online system that we provide the following services:

1. Videos covering important and difficult topics

2. Answer writing practice sessions
3. Daily prelims quiz
4. Assistance in interview preparation
5. Regular updates
6. Daily currentaffairs
7. Monthly current affairs magazine
8. Radio news analysis
9. Educational videos
10. Previous years’ papers and solutions
11. Free study materials

Looking forward to being your partner in the journey towards achieving your dream!
In case you have any specific queries or constructive feedback you can always share the same with us
via e-mail at info@prepmate.in.

PrepMate
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

“We cannot accomplish all that we want to do without working together”

The complete UPSC learning module by Prepmate has been the culmination of more than a year of
ideation and brain storming with a lot of people. It is only natural that we should gratefully acknowledge
their valuable contribution sincerely. Nirmal Singla, Ramnik Jindal, Sharat Gupta, Subhash Singla and
Vijay Singla—thank you for your continuous support and motivation.
We would also like to thank Maninder Mann, Rajinder Paul Singla and Sundeep Singh Garha who
helped us in first conceiving and later developing the synergistic online–offline model of the project—
without you we would be missing our competitive edge.
Implementation of strategy can more often than not prove challenging and the development of the
online module did prove to be tougher than we had envisaged. But our technical team was focused on
enabling our dream and delivering the best and they surely did. With a specific mention to the testing of
both the website and the application, we would like to thank Parth, Tanvir and Surabhi who did their job
patiently and effectively in spite of the road blocks.
Our videos and books could not have been possible without the help of our graphics design team—
Sandeep, Manjeet, Sukhjinder, Roshni and Uday toiled endlessly to ensure the best designed audio-
visuals.
It is an understatement to state that the sourcing and reviewing of existing content and the generation
of missing content was the most crucial part of this project and the backbone of our Learning Module.
This would just not have been possible without our team of content contributors: Isha Gupta, Shelly
Jindal, Gurdeep, Surabhi, Shantnu, Tanvir, Anmol, Kriti, Tanya, Sahil, Suraj and Dilshad, who left no
stone unturned in their pursuit of excellence—your pivotal contributions are gratefully acknowledged.
We would like to extend a special thanks to our staff members Geeta, Jitender, Manoj and Pinki, who
helped us in the most laborious job i.e. typing through the several manuscripts of our books—your
contribution is sincerely appreciated.
It is imperative that we thank Isha Gupta, Shelly Jindal, Anjum Diwan, Rajesh Goel, Shikha Sharma
and Ravinder Indoura, for their critical yet constructive feedback that identified and subsequently
rectified the errors that crept in during the development process. We will never be able to thank them
enough for this—you fortified the very foundation of our model.
We sincerely acknowledge the initiatives and support from the entire editorial team of Cengage India
in the process of publishing this book.

PrepMate
 xix

LIST OF VIDEOS

1. How to Prepare International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

2. United Nations

3. SAARC and BIMSTEC

4. Non-Proliferation Treaty

5. Indo-Pak Border

6. Issue of Tamils in Sri Lanka

7. Issue of Madhesis in Nepal

8. Indo-China Border Conflict

9. Israel–Palestine

10. ISIS
 Chapter-wise Break Up of Previous Year’s Questions (Prelims)

Chapter name 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 Total
1. United Nations 2 1 1 1 5

2. Regional Organizations, Associations and 2 5 4 2 3 4 1 21

Groupings
3. Organizations, Treaties and Associations to 1 1 1 2 5
Promote Disarmament

4. International Economic Organizations 1 4 2 1 1 5 2 1 17

5. Organizations, Groups and Agreements in the 9 3 4 1 2 1 1 21

Field of Environment

6. International (Non-Governmental 1 2 3 1 1 2 10
Organizations)
7. Reports and Indexes 1 2 3

8. Cold War 1 1

9. Fundamentals of India’s Foreign Policy 1 1

10. Evolution of India’s Foreign Policy 1 1

11. India and Its Neighbours 1 1 2

12. India’s Relations with the Rest of the World 1 1 1 1 4

13. Contemporary International Issues 1 1

Total 10 25 14 9 0 0 7 11 10 4 2 92
 Number of Questions Asked in International Organizations and Bilateral Relations
30
25
25

20

14
15
11
10 10
9
10 7
4
5 2
0 0
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
 1

U
Chapter
1 N
1 INTRODUCTION
United Nations is an international organization which was established on 24 October 1945 after World
War II to prevent another such conflict and promote international cooperation. The organization
replaced the ineffective ‘League of Nations’.
League of Nations was the first international organization whose principal aim was to maintain world
peace. It was formed in the year 1920 after World War I.

2 MAIN AIMS OF UN
1. To maintain international peace and security.
2. To promote friendly relations and coordination amongst nations.
3. To provide humanitarian aid in case of natural disaster, armed conflict, etc.
4. To safeguard human rights, foster social and economic development, protect environment, etc.
Headquarter: New York, the United States.

3 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF UN
There are six official languages of UN, namely Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

4 STRUCTURE
The UN system is based on five principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Secretariat and the International Court of Justice. There
was a sixth organ, namely Trusteeship Council which suspended its operations in November 1994, upon
the independence of Palau which was the last colony. Trusteeship Council was established to oversee the
transition of colonies into independent nations and to ensure that these territories were administered in
the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security.

UN General Assembly
General Assembly is the main deliberative body of UN. It has representation of 193 members of which
South Sudan is the latest addition. It is based on the principle of equality and, thus, all nations have a
single vote. However, major decisions are taken on the basis of consensus.
 2 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

United Nations

General United Nations Economic and International

Secretariat
Assembly Security Council Social Council Court of Justice

How a nation becomes the member of the UN?

The UN Charter dictates who can become member of the UN. It states that: ‘Membership in the United
Nations is open to all peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter
and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations. The
admission of any such state for membership in the United Nations will be affected by the decision of the
General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.’
Only sovereign states can become UN members. Although today all UN members are fully sovereign
states, four of the original members (Belarus, India, Philippines and Ukraine) were not independent at
the time of their admission.
Some entities may be considered sovereign states but are not members due to the fact that the UN
does not consider them as such. These, as well as international organizations and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), can only become United Nations General Assembly observers, who are allowed
to speak but not vote in General Assembly meetings.

Independent Nation States Which Are Not Members

of the UN
1. Taiwan—Taiwan left the UN when the Republic of China got its seat. Taiwan claims itself as
original China.
2. Kosovo—Kosovo has gained independence from Serbia. Its independence is recognized by
some nations of the world.
3. Vatican City—The Vatican City is an observer state at UN with all the rights of full membership
except voting.
4. Palestine—In 2012, Palestine was granted the status of non-member observer state. It has not
been admitted to the UN as a full member till now.

Functions of UNGA
1. It considers the activities of various organizations and agencies of UN and approves budget for
them.
 United Nations 3

2. It discusses any question relating to international peace and security and makes recommendations
thereon, except where a dispute or situation is currently being discussed by the Security Council.
3. It considers reports from the Security Council and other United Nations organs and agencies.
4. It discusses other issues of importance for various nations of the world.

Security Council
The Security Council is primarily charged with maintaining peace and security amongst nations. The
Security Council consists of fifteen member states, five permanent members—China, France, Russia,
the United Kingdom and the United States—and 10 non-permanent members which are elected for a
two-year term.
The non-permanent members are chosen from regional groups which are as follows:
 African Group: 3 members
 Asia-Pacific Group: 2 members
 Eastern European Group including Russia: 1 member
 Latin American and Caribbean Group: 2 members
 Western European, North America, Australia and New Zealand Group: 2 members; at least one
of these must be from Western Europe
One of the non-permanent members of the council is an Arab country, alternately from the African
or Asia-Pacific groups.
Every year the UN General Assembly elects five new members for a two-year term; these elections
always begin in October and continue until the two-third majority for countries of each region has been
reached. Re-election is allowed, but the term must not be consecutive.

Decision making at UNSC

Decisions at Security Council require vote of at least nine members. Each member of the Security Council
has one vote. Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote
of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members.
The creators of the United Nations Charter conceived that five permanent members have important
role in the maintenance of international peace and security. Thus, they were granted a special voting
power known as the ‘right to veto’ along with the special status of Permanent member states at the
Security Council. ‘Right to veto’ means that if one of the five permanent members cast a negative vote
in the 15-member Security Council, the resolution or decision would not be approved. ‘Right to veto’ is
available to the permanent member when UNSC makes recommendation for appointment of Secretary
General or for entry of new nation in UN.
If a permanent member does not fully agree with the proposed resolution and does not wish to cast
a veto, it may choose to abstain, thus allowing the resolution to be adopted if it obtains the required
number of nine favourable votes.
The five permanent members of the Security Council are the only countries recognized as nuclear-
weapon states under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While other organs of the UN can only make
‘recommendations’ to member states, the Security Council has the power to take binding decisions.
 4 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

The Charter distinguishes, however, between votes on ‘procedural matters’ and votes on ‘all other
matters’. Procedural matters are matters of routine nature. It stipulates that when voting on procedural
matters, a negative vote cast by a permanent member does not invalidate a decision; it stands if it scores
nine affirmative votes. Procedural matters include:

 submission to the General Assembly of any questions relating to the maintenance of international
peace and security;
 request to the General Assembly to make a recommendation on the dispute or situation which
is under consideration of UNSC;
 request to the Secretary-General for the convocation of a special session of the General
Assembly;
 approval of annual reports of the General Assembly;
 holding of meetings at places other than the seat of the UN; or
 establishment of subsidiary organs the Council deems necessary for the performance of its
functions.

Why Does India Seek Permanent Seat of

UNSC with Veto Power?
India seeks permanent seat of UNSC with veto power on the following grounds:
1. Representation of Population: One-sixth of global population resides in India.
2. Faith in UN: India has shown considerable faith in UN and abided by its values such as anti-
colonization, anti-racism, international peace and security, etc.
3. Size of economy: India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world. India has the
third largest GDP in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).
4. Contribution to UN peace keeping missions: India has been the largest troop contributor to
UN peacekeeping missions since its inception. India has contributed nearly 180,000 troops, the
largest number from any country. Indian troops have participated in more than 44 missions
out of the 69 UN peacekeeping operations mandated so far and 158 Indian peacekeepers have
been killed on UN missions. Even presently, India is amongst the largest troop contributors
with around 8000 personnel deployed with ten UN Peacekeeping Missions, including the first
Female Police Unit under the UN.

International Response to India’s Demands

G-4: It is the group of four nations, namely India, Japan, Brazil and Germany. These nations
support each other’s claim for permanent membership of UNSC with veto power.
Coffee club: It is a group of coffee exporting nations headed by Pakistan and Italy. Coffee club is
against the increase in Permanent members of UNSC but supports expansion of non-permanent
members of UNSC.
 United Nations 5

Secretariat
The Secretariat is the administrative body of UN. It has an important role in setting the agenda for the
UN’s deliberative and decision-making bodies (the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council,
and Security Council), and the implementation of the decision of these bodies.
To elaborate, the mandate of the secretariat is a wide one. An ex-secretary general described the role
of UN secretariat as follows:
‘It can introduce new ideas. It can, in proper forms, take initiatives. It can put the findings before member
governments which will influence their actions.
The United Nations Department of Political Affairs, which has a role analogous to the ministry of foreign
affairs, is a part of the secretariat. The department of United Nations Peace Keeping Operations is also a part
of the secretariat.
The secretariat is the main source of economic and political analysis for the General Assembly and Security
Council; it administers operations initiated by UN’s deliberative organs, operates political missions, prepares
assessments that precede peacekeeping operations, appoints the heads of peacekeeping operations, conducts
surveys and research.
It communicates with non-state actors such as media and non government organizations, and is responsible
for publishing all of the treaties and international agreements.’

Secretary General
The Secretariat is headed by Secretary General. He serves as the UN’s top diplomat. The current
Secretary-General is António Guterres, who replaced Ban Ki-moon in 2017.
The Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendations of the
Security Council. In other words, there is a two-stage process for appointment of Secretary General: a
recommendation by the Security Council followed by the decision of General Assembly.
The UN Charter does not specify the term of Secretary General. When adopting its resolution, the
practice of the Council has been to specify the term of office for its recommended candidate. Similarly,
the assembly while adopting the resolution for appointment of Secretary General specify the term. Except
for some adjustments during the early years of the United Nations, the terms of office of Secretaries-
General have been fixed at five years.

UN Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) coordinates the work of the UN’s specialized agencies,
functional commissions, regional commissions, and UN funds and programmes.
The ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues
and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations system.
A number of non-governmental organizations have been granted consultative status to the Council to
participate in the work of the United Nations. ECOSOC’s purview extends over 70% of the human and
financial resources of the entire UN system.
 6 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

The ECOSOC consists of 54 member states, elected by the General Assembly with two-third majority
for three-year term. In carrying out its mandate, ECOSOC consults with academics, business sector
representatives and more than 2,500 registered non-governmental organizations.

Chief Executives Board for Coordination

The Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) is the highest level coordination forum in the
United Nations comprising the leadership of 31 member organizations.
The underlying premise behind CEB is that an institutional mechanism was needed to coordinate the
activities of various specialized bodies working under UN.
CEB meets are held twice a year under the chairmanship of the UN Secretary -General. It reports to
ECOSOC and General Assembly.

Economic and
Social Council
(ECOSOC)

Specialized Funds and Functional Regional

Agencies Programs Commissions Commissions

Specialized agencies
Specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations and with each other
through the coordinating machinery of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Specialized
agencies may or may not have been originally created by the United Nations, but they are incorporated
into the United Nations System by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. At present, the UN
has total 15 specialized agencies that carry out various functions on behalf of the UN. The specialized
agencies are listed below:

Important specialized agencies of UN

1. Food and Agriculture Organization: It helps developing countries and countries in transition to
modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fishery practices, ensuring good nutrition and
food security to all. Its motto is ‘let there be bread’.
2. International Labour Organization: The Organization aims at promoting social and economic
progress and improving labour conditions. It sets labour standards for adoption of member nations
 United Nations 7

such as hours of work and minimum wages. Some of these labour standards are recommendatory,
while others are mandatory. If a member nation does not follow the mandatory standard, then it is
required to give explanation for the same. It also creates awareness about labour issues and conducts
research in these issues.
3. International Maritime Organization: A specialized agency of the United Nations that is
responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent
marine pollution from ships. The IMO’s objectives can be best summed up by its slogan—‘Safe,
secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans’.
4. International Monetary Fund (IMF): The IMF plays three major roles in the global monetary
system. The Fund surveys and monitors economic developments, lends funds to countries with
balance-of-payment problems and provides technical assistance and training for countries
requesting it.
5. World Bank Group: The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations
that provide loans and other assistance to member nations to facilitate social and economic progress.
The five organizations are as follows:
a. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
b. The International Development Association (IDA)
c. The International Finance Corporation (IFC)
d. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
e. The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
6. World Health Organization: The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for directing
and coordinating health. WHO has come to play a vital role as an actor in the field of international
public health and international public health policy.
WHO publishes World Health Report (WHR) annually or biennially in multiple languages; each
report includes an expert assessment of a specific global health topic, relating to all countries
that are member states of the organization. The main purpose of the WHR is to provide policy-
makers, international organizations and others with the information they need to help them make
appropriate health policy and funding decisions.
7. World Intellectual Property Organization: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
carries out a wide variety of tasks related to the protection of Intellectual Property Rights. These
include

 assisting governments and organizations to develop the policies, administration and skills
needed to protect their intellectual property;
 administering Intellectual property related treaties;
 running global registration systems for intellectual property;
 delivering dispute resolution services; and
 providing a forum for informed debate and for the exchange of expertise.
 8 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

8. International Telecommunication Union (ITU): The ITU promotes international cooperation

in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing
world and assists in the development and coordination of worldwide technical standards.
9. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): The purpose of
UNESCO is to enhance international cooperation in education, science and culture. It strengthens
the ties between nations and societies, and mobilizes the wider public so that each child and citizen:
 has access to quality education;
 may grow and live in a cultural environment rich in diversity and dialogue;
 can fully benefit from scientific advances;
 and can enjoy full freedom of expression.
10. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): The ICAO works with the Convention’s 191
member states and industry groups to reach consensus on international civil aviation Standards and
Recommended Practices (SARPs) and policies in support of a safe, efficient, secure, economically
sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector.
11. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): The IFAD was established as an
international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food
Conference. It is dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.
Seventy-five per cent of the world’s poor live in rural areas of developing countries.
12. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO): The Organization’s primary
objective is the promotion and acceleration of industrial development in developing countries and
countries undergoing transition (changing from a centrally planned economy to a market economy)
and the promotion of international industrial cooperation.
13. Universal Postal Union (UPU): UPU is the primary forum for cooperation among postal sector
players and provides technical assistance where needed. It sets the rules for international mail
exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail, parcel and financial services
volume and improve quality of service for customers.
14. World Meteorological Organization (WMO): WMO is the agency of the United Nations for
meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. It
provides a global scale framework for international cooperation for the development of meteorology,
including satellite meteorology, as well as for the attainment of the benefits deriving from its
applications.
15. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): The UNWTO is the United Nations’ agency responsible
for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It promotes tourism
as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers
leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
 United Nations 9

Related Organizations
Some organizations have a relationship with the UN defined by an arrangement different from the
agreements between the specialized agencies and the UN. They are not incorporated into the United
Nations system, yet perform functions which further the agenda of UN. These organizations are as
follows:
1. Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission
The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization,
CTBTO Preparatory Commission, was established by the states that signed the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996. Its purpose is twofold: to promote the entry into force of
the CTBT, which bans all nuclear explosions, and to establish a global verification regime to ensure
that all nuclear tests are detected.
2. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
It seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and inhibit the use of nuclear material for any
military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It oversees the nuclear trade to ensure that nuclear
fuel, technology and equipment are traded for civilian purposes and not for military purposes.
3. International Organization for Migration (IOM)
IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and
society. As the leading international organization for migration, IOM acts with its partners in the
international community to assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration
management, advance understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic
development through migration and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.
4. Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The organization verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention which prohibits the
use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction. The verification consists both of evaluation
of declarations by member states and on-site inspections.
5. World Trade Organization (WTO)
The objective of WTO is to promote free trade amongst nations of the world to facilitate economic
development. It deals with trade in goods as well as services. It also calls upon member nations to
remove restrictions on foreign investment and protect intellectual property.

Funds and programmes

The Funds and Programmes were created by the United Nations General Assembly to meet the needs
not envisaged at formation of UN, such as Palestine refugees, development assistance, food aid, or the
environment.
They are subordinate to the United Nations, but since they are immediately controlled by distinct
intergovernmental bodies and derive most of their financial resources from sources other than the
United Nations budgets, they are somewhat more akin to specialized agencies than to ‘subsidiary organs’.
 10 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

Moreover, as their activities are more operational and carried out at field level, they have needs dictated
by an environment quite different from that of headquarters-centred administrations. The Programmes
and Funds apply UN rules and regulations in the realm of administration and personnel.
1. International Trade Centre: The International Trade Centre (ITC) is the joint technical cooperation
agency of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
ITC has the following objectives:

 Strengthen exporters: Strengthen the international competitiveness of enterprises in

developing countries and transition economies.
 Develop trade support institutions: Develop the capabilities of trade service providers to
support exporters
 Support policymakers: Support policymakers in integrating the private sector into the global
economy.
ITC’s regular programme is financed in equal parts by WTO and the UN. ITC also implements
projects, at the demand of beneficiary countries, with voluntary contributions from donor
governments and civil society institutions.
2. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Its principal functions are to provide international protection to refugees and other persons of
concern, including stateless people, and to seek durable solutions for them. Protection includes
preventing refoulement (the involuntary return of a refugee or a person of concern to a country
where he or she may have a well-founded fear of persecution) and ensuring that host countries
follow international norms in the treatment of refugees.
While its mandate specifically covers refugees, UNHCR also protects and assists internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in conflict-generated emergencies.
3. UN Women
UN Women was established in July 2010, by the General Assembly, to improve the coordination
work related to gender equality and empowerment of women across the UN system.
It consolidates the work of four UN gender entities: the UN Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on
Gender Issues and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of
Women. It has an additional role of leading, coordinating and promoting the accountability of the
UN system in its work on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
4. UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
The UNICEF was established by the General Assembly to provide emergency assistance to children
in war-ravaged countries following World War II. Thereafter, the UN General Assembly charged it
with addressing the needs of children in developing countries. Its role was extended to programmes
giving long-term benefits to children everywhere, particularly those in developing countries, and
changed the organization’s name to the United Nations Children’s Fund but retained the UNICEF
 United Nations 11

acronym. The Fund also continued to provide relief and rehabilitation assistance at the time of
emergencies.
5. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
UNCTAD promotes the integration of developing countries into the world economy. The
organization functions as a forum for intergovernmental deliberations aimed at consensus building;
undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection for informing government representative;
and provides technical assistance to developing countries, with special attention to the needs of the
least developed countries and of economies in transition.

UNCTAD Brought into Effect Two Systems for Facilitating

Trade Amongst Nations
1. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Under GSP, developed nations may give trade
concessions to developing nations in order to promote their exports.
2. Generalized System of Trade Preferences (GSTP): Under GSTP, developing nations may
give trade concessions to other developing nations to promote their exports.
Though WTO requires non-discriminatory trade regime amongst nations, GSP and GSTP are
permitted under WTO rules.

6. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The UNDP is the United Nations’ lead agency for the UN development system. Its objective is to
build inclusive, sustainable and resilient societies. It provides expert advice, training and financial
support. Special attention is paid to the needs of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and
countries emerging from conflict.
UNDP’s focus is on working with developing countries to find solutions to the challenges of:

 Democratic governance
 Poverty reduction
 Crisis prevention and handling
 Environment and energy
 HIV /AIDS
7. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
The UNEP was established following the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It
aims to provide leadership and encourage partnerships to protect environment.
In 1997, the Governing Council adopted the Nairobi Declaration on the Role and Mandate of the
UN Environment Programme, which established the following core mandate for UNEP:
 12 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

 Analyse the state of the global environment and assess global and regional environmental
trends, provide policy advice and early warning information on environmental threats, and
promote international cooperation and action, based on the best scientific and technical
capabilities available
 Further the development of international environmental law aimed at sustainable development
 Stimulate cooperation on emerging environmental challenges
 Strengthen its role in coordinating environmental activities in the UN system
 Promote greater awareness of and facilitate effective cooperation in implementing the
international environmental agenda
 Serve as an effective link between the scientific community and policy-makers at national and
international levels
 Provide policy and advisory services in key areas of institution-building to governments and
other relevant institutions.

United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

(Stockholm Conference)
The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm
Conference) was an international conference convened under United Nations held in Stockholm,
Sweden, in 1972. It was the UN’s first major conference on international environmental issues, and
marked a turning point in the development of international environmental politics.

8. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

UN-HABITAT is charged with coordinating human settlement activities within the UN system and
facilitating the global exchange of information on shelter and sustainable urban development. It
also assists countries with policy and technical advice in solving their human settlement problems.

APMCHUD
APMCHUD (Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development) is a
consultative mechanism on the promotion of sustainable housing and urban development amongst
Asia Pacific countries.
It was established under the aegis and support of UN-Habitat. The theme of the first conference,
i.e. 2006 New Delhi APMCHUD conference, was ‘A vision for sustainable urbanization in the Asia-
Pacific by 2020’. The second conference was held in Tehran, Iran.
The sixth edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development
(APMCHUD) was held in New Delhi in 2016. The theme of this conference was ‘Emerging Urban
Forms-Policy Reforms and Governance Structures in the Context of New Urban Agenda’.
 United Nations 13

9. World Food Programme (WFP)

The WFP was established by the General Assembly and UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) as the UN System’s food assistance organization. The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian
agency fighting hunger worldwide.
The Programme also administers the International Emergency Food Reserve (IEFR), established by
the General Assembly with a minimum target of 500,000 tonnes of cereals.
10. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is a United Nations development agency that promotes the right
of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports
countries in using population data for policies and programmes.
As part of the UN humanitarian system, UNFPA takes the lead in providing supplies and services
to protect reproductive health, with an emphasis on the special needs and vulnerabilities of women
and young people. The Fund supports various data collection activities, including censuses, to
provide detailed information for planning and rapid health assessments to allow for appropriate,
effective and efficient relief.
11. United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
The UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation
of its partners’ peace-building, humanitarian and development projects around the world.
12. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
The UNODC is the secretariat of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime and its three supplementary protocols include: Trafficking in
Persons, especially Women and Children; Smuggling of Migrants; and illicit Manufacturing of and
Trafficking in Firearms. It is also the secretariat of the Conference of the State Parties to the UN
Convention against Corruption. UNODC promotes the ratification and implementation of all of
these conventions and protocols through capacity building, training and technical assistance.
13. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established
by the General Assembly following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, to carry out direct relief and work
programmes for Palestine refugees. In the absence of a solution to the Palestine refugee situation,
the General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate.

Functional commissions
In order to perform all the functions within the ECOSOC agenda, a number of functional commissions
have been established. These bodies are deliberative bodies whose role is to consider and make
recommendations on issues in their areas of responsibility and expertise. The Functional Commissions
are required to report annually to the ECOSOC on their activities submitting draft resolutions and
recommendations to the Council.
 14 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

1. United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

The UNHRC is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world. Its 47
seats are filled by member states elected for three-year term.
The UNHRC is the successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). The council
works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The General Assembly established the UNHRC by adopting a resolution in 2006, in order to replace
the previous CHR, which was ineffective in protection of human rights.
The UNHRC addresses human rights-related situations in all UN member states. The UNHRC also
addresses important human rights issues such as freedom of association, freedom of expression,
freedom of belief and religion, women’s rights, LGBT rights, and the rights of racial and ethnic
minorities.
The UNHRC holds regular sessions three times a year, in March, June and September. The UNHRC
can decide at any time to hold a special session to address human rights violations and emergencies,
at the request of one-third of the member states.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

Human Rights (OHCHR)
UNGA established the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote and protect
the effective enjoyment by all people of all civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights,
including the right to development.
It further held that the High Commissioner should function as the UN official with principal
responsibility for global human rights efforts. The High Commissioner acts under the direction
and authority of the Secretary-General.
OHCHR represents the world’s commitment to universal human rights and is the principal UN
office mandated to promote and protect the human rights of all people. OHCHR also serves as the
secretariat to the Human Rights Council.
The High Commissioner is appointed by the Secretary-General and approved by the General
Assembly, with regard to geographical rotation. Appointments are for a fixed term of four years,
with the possibility of one renewal for another fixed term of four years.

2. Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)

The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was constituted to oversee
the outcomes of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development/Earth
Summit. It was replaced in 2013 by the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development,
which meets under the General Assembly every four years and the ECOSOC during remaining
three years.
 United Nations 15

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (known as the Global Goals) are a set of targets relating
to future international development. They have replaced the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) after their expiry in 2015. The SDGs were first formally discussed at the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 (Rio+20). SDGs are
further divided into 17 categories as against the MDGs which were divided into 8 categories.
SDGs have target year of 2030. The goals are interconnected—often the key to success on one
goal involves issues associated with another goal. The SDGs provide clear guidelines and targets
for all the countries in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of
the world at large.
Sustainable development goals are as follows:
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable
agriculture
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all the people at all the ages
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment
and decent work for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and
foster innovation
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and amongst countries
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to
justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for
sustainable development
 16 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

3. UN Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW)

CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of
women. Every year, representatives of member states gather at United Nations headquarters in New
York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate
concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.
Amongst its activities, the CSW has drafted several conventions and declarations, including the
Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1967 and formed women-
focused agencies such as the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement
of Women (INSTRAW) and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which
was merged with other elements of the United Nations system into a new organization, UN
Women, in January 2011.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women, commonly known as UNIFEM, was established
in 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the
International Women’s Year. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes
and strategies that promote women’s rights, political participation and economic security.
Voluntary Fund for the UN Decade for Women was given an expanded mandate by the General
Assembly in February 1985 and was renamed as United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM). UNIFEM became an autonomous organization, working closely with UNDP.
In January 2011, UNIFEM was merged with International Research and Training Institute for the
Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI),
and Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW). The collective body came to be called UN
Women.

Beijing Platform for Action (1995)

During the fourth ‘World Conference for Women’ held at Beijing, the delegates prepared
a Declaration and Platform for Action aimed at achieving greater equality and opportunity for
women which came to be known as Beijing Platform for Action.
Mission: The Platform for Action is an agenda for women’s empowerment and it aims at
removing all the obstacles to women’s active participation in all spheres of public and private life
through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making. It places
a special emphasis on reproductive rights through its legislation regarding family planning, which
states that it is the right of all women ‘to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable
and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other methods of their choice
for regulation of fertility which are not against the law’.

What is World Conference for Women?

World Conference for Women is an event organized by UN CSW aimed at achieving gender
 United Nations 17

equality and women empowerment. So far, four such conferences have been organized. The
locations were Mexico City in 1975, Copenhagen in 1980, Nairobi in 1985 and Beijing in 1995.

United Nation Forum on Forests

It was established in 2000 with the objective of management, conservation and development of all types
of forests.
The Forum has universal membership, and is composed of all member states of the United Nations
and its specialized agencies.
Principal functions:

 To facilitate implementation of forest-related agreements and foster a common understanding

on sustainable forest management;
 To provide for continued policy development and dialogue amongst governments, international
organizations, etc.
 To enhance cooperation as well as policy and programme coordination on forest-related issues.
 To foster international cooperation.
 To strengthen political commitment to the management, conservation and sustainable
development of all types of forests.
Other functional commissions

 UN Commission for Social Development

 Commission on Narcotic Drugs
 Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
 Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD)
 Commission on Population and Development
 UN Statistical Commission

Regional commissions
Regional Commissions are the regional outposts of the United Nations and represent an integral part of
the regional institutional landscape. Stationed in five regions of the world, they share the key objectives of
aiming to foster economic integration at the sub-regional and regional levels and promoting the regional
implementation of internationally agreed development goals, including the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
 18 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)

 United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
 United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
 United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
 United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (also called World Court) is the judicial branch of the United Nations.
It is located at Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands.
It settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions to the UN and its specialized
agencies. Only a state can sue another state in ICJ. Neither State can sue an individual /organization nor
an individual /organization can sue the state in ICJ.

Composition
The International Court of Justice is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term of office by
the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. These organs vote simultaneously but
separately. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes in both
bodies. This sometimes makes it necessary for the number of rounds of voting to be carried out. Elections
are staggered, with five judges elected every three years to ensure continuity within the court. If a judge
dies in office, the practice has generally been to elect a judge in a special election to complete the term.
There is a provision that every sitting judge should be from a different nation. All judges of ICJ should be
elected regardless of their nationality amongst persons of high moral character, who are either qualified
for the highest judicial office in their home states or known as lawyers with sufficient competence in
international law.
There is an informal understanding that the seats will be distributed by geographic regions so that
there are five seats for Western countries, three for African states, two for Eastern European states, three
for Asian states, and two for Latin American and Caribbean states. The five permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council (France, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and the United States)
always have a judge on the Court, thereby occupying three of the Western seats, one of the Asian seats
and one of the Eastern European seats.

Criticism of ICJ
1. ‘Compulsory’ jurisdiction is limited to cases where both parties have agreed to submit to its decision.
According to the principle of sovereignty in international law, there is no entity that could force the
states into practice of the law or punish the states, in case any violation of international law occurs.
Thus, membership in the UN and ICJ does not give the court automatic jurisdiction over the
member states, but it is the consent of each state to follow the jurisdiction that matters.
2. Organizations, private enterprises and individuals do not have access to International Court. This
also means that the potential victims of crimes against humanity, such as minor ethnic groups or
indigenous people cannot go to International Court.
 United Nations 19

UN agencies likewise cannot bring up a case except in advisory opinions (a process initiated by the
court and non-binding).
3. Other international courts such as the International Criminal Court are not under the umbrella of
the International Court. Numerous international courts sometimes makes it hard for the courts to
engage in effective and collective jurisdiction.
4. The International Court does not enjoy a full separation of powers, with permanent members of the
Security Council being able to veto enforcement of cases, even those to which they consented to be
bound.
For instance, after the court ruled that the United States covert war against Nicaragua was in violation
of international law (Nicaragua vs. United States), the United States withdrew from compulsory
jurisdiction in 1986 to accept the court’s jurisdiction only on a case-by-case basis. Chapter XIV of
the United Nations Charter authorizes the UN Security Council to enforce Court rulings. However,
such enforcement is subject to the veto power of the five permanent members of the Council, which
the United States used in the Nicaragua case.

Conclusion
It is to be noted that though almost all states have signed the treaty to create the International Court of
Justice, only a third of them have subjected themselves completely to its jurisdiction. It is for the same
reason that states have not approached the court on many occasions and hence, only around 10 cases are
filed every year and approximately 100 judgements have been delivered by ICJ so far.
Thus, the ICJ has not been able to resolve major disputes amongst enemy nations. However, its
judgements have been adhered to by friendly nations on issues of secondary importance.
There are two other international judicial bodies i.e. International Criminal Court (ICC) and
Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).

International Criminal Court

ICC is an international tribunal which has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international
crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. ICC is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The ICC is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and thus, it exercises jurisdiction
only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals or when the United Nations
Security Council or individual states refer situations to the Court. The ICC began functioning on 1 July
2002, the date when the Rome Statute entered into force.
The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty which serves as the ICC’s foundational and governing
document. States which become party to the Rome Statute become member states of the ICC. Currently,
there are 124 states which are party to the Rome Statute.
India has not signed the Rome Statute and, thus, preferred to stay outside the purview of ICC.
Following are the reasons given by India for not signing the Rome Statute:

 India argues that the statute brings several crimes under the purview of the Court, which are
subject to national jurisdiction and thus affects state sovereignty.
 The statute does not include terrorism as a crime against humanity.
 20 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

 The statute gives special and discriminatory powers to the UN Security Council to refer or
block the consideration of cases.

Difference between ICC and ICJ

1. The International Court of Justice has no jurisdiction to try individuals accused of war crimes or
crimes against humanity. However, the ICC tries individual people for genocide, crimes against
humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.
2. All UN member states are automatically members of the ICJ, whereas nations must individually
become members of ICC by ratifying Rome Statute.
3. ICJ is an organ of UN, whereas ICC is independent of UN.

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

The PCA is not a court in the traditional sense, but provides services of arbitration tribunal to resolve
disputes between member states, international organizations, or private parties arising out of international
agreements. PCA does not have permanent judges. The PCA is a permanent bureaucracy that assists
temporary tribunals to resolve disputes amongst states (and similar entities), intergovernmental
organizations, or even private parties arising out of international agreements. PCA was established by
treaty at the First Hague Peace Conference, the Netherlands, in 1899.
Parties to the Convention on the Pacific Settlement of disputes of 1899 (71 member states) and 1907
(101 member states) are automatically parties to the PCA. As 51 member states are parties to both
conventions, the PCA has 121 member states: 119 members of the United Nations, as well as Kosovo and
Palestine. India is a party to the PCA according to the Hague Convention on 1899.
PCA undertakes a variety of cases spanning legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries,
sovereignty, human rights, international investment and trade. The order is binding on countries as
there is no appeal process in the UN tribunal.
The Peace Palace was built from 1907 until 1913 for PCA in The Hague. In addition, Hague Academy
of International Law, Peace Palace Library and the International Court of Justice also share the same
building.

5 CRITICAL EVALUATION OF UN
1. There has been criticism that the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council,
who are all nuclear powers, have created an exclusive nuclear club that addresses the strategic
interests and political motives of the permanent members.
2. Critics call the UN undemocratic, representing the interests of the governments of the nations who
form it and not necessarily the individuals, organizations and groups within those nations.
3. UN has failed to achieve its economic and social development goals successfully due to paucity of funds.
It is also alleged that the expenses incurred by UN bodies are high because of high salaries of officials.
4. On the positive side, it is to be noted that UN has been successful in achieving coordination of
activities and setting standards in various fields.
 United Nations 21

Practice Questions
1. Which of the following statements (a) Five (b) Ten
regarding the ‘veto’ power in the Security (c) Fifteen (d) Twenty
Council is correct according to the
United Nations Charter? 4. Which of the following statements about
the United Nations organs is correct?
(a) Any permanent member of the
Security Council can prevent any (a) Decisions of the General Assembly
decision from being accepted, by are binding on all members.
vetoing it. (b) The term of the non-permanent
(b) Any permanent member of the members of the Security Council is
Security Council can prevent any for three years.
decision on non-procedural matters (c) International Court of Justice has
from being accepted, by vetoing it. 20 Judges elected for a period of five
(c) All the permanent members of the years.
Security Council enjoy veto power (d) The Trusteeship Council has been
but only on resolutions affecting suspended since 1 November 1994.
their national security.
5. Consider the following statements:
(d) Any non-permanent member of the
Security Council can prevent any 1. Only the five permanent members of
resolution from being passed by the Security Council have been given
voting against it. the veto power.
2. As the concurrence of five permanent
2. Which of the following statements about members is essential, they can use veto
‘Veto Power’ with regard to United power even in procedural matters.
Nations is correct? Which of the statements give above is/
(a) One veto can stall a Security Council are correct?
resolution. (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(b) It is a kind of positive vote power. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(c) The Secretary General uses this
6. Which are the official languages of the
power when not satisfied with any
UN?
decision of the Council.
(d) All the members of the Security (a) English, French and Russian
Council possess the veto power. (b) English, French, German and
Russian
3. How many non-permanent members (c) English, French, Russian, Chinese
are there of United Nations Security and Hindi
Council? (d) English, French, Chinese, Russian,
Arabic and Spanish
22 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

7. When did the United Nations 10. Consider the following statements:
Organization come into existence? 1. The five permanent members of
(a) 24 October 1945 the Security Council are the only
(b) 24 October 1943 countries recognized as nuclear-
(c) 26 November 1945 weapons states under the Nuclear
(d) 26 November 1943 Non-Proliferation Treaty.
2. The term of non-permanent
8. The Secretary General of the United members of the Council is five years.
Nations is appointed Which of the statements given above is/
(a) by the General Assembly upon are correct?
recommendation of United (a) I only
Nations Secretariat (b) 2 only
(b) from amongst the officers of the (c) Both 1 and 2
permanent secretariat of United (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Nations on the principle of
seniority and merit 11. With reference to the Security Council
(c) by the General Assembly upon the of United Nations, which of the
recommendations of the Security following statements is/are correct?
Council 1. It has 15 members.
(d) by the Security Council 2. Its non-permanent members are
chosen by United Nations General
9. In the context of Antonio Guterres Assembly.
election as United Nations Secretary 3. Retiring members are not eligible for
General recently, consider the following immediate re-election.
statements: Select the correct answer using the
1. Secretary General of United Nations codes given below:
is elected by the United Nations (a) 1 only
Security Council. (b) 2 and 3 only
2. The post of Secretary-General of (c) 1 and 3 only
United Nations is not as powerful (d) 1, 2 and 3
even though he serves as the UN’s top
diplomat and chief administrative 12. Consider the following organizations:
officer. 1. International Bank for
Which of the statements given above is/ Reconstruction and Development
are correct? 2. International Finance Corporation
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 3. International Fund for Agricultural
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Development
4. International Monetary Fund
 United Nations 23

Which of these are agencies of the Which of the statements given above is/
United Nations? are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 (a) 1 only
(b) 3 and 4 (b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2 and 4 (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

13. Consider the following statements with 15. Consider the following statements
respect to United Nations Commission about the UNO:
on Sustainable Development: 1. The UN was formed to avoid
1. The United Nations Commission war amongst nations and resolve
on Sustainable Development was international disputes through
constituted in 1992 during United peaceful means.
Nations conference on Environment 2. The Charter of the UN explicitly
and Development. mentions that UNSC permanent
2. The United Nations Commission members shall carry nuclear weapons
on Sustainable Development was to safeguard the global community.
replaced in 2013 by the High Level 3. The UN has resolved all the major
political forum on Sustainable global disputes including the
Development. Palestine dispute.
Which of the statements given above is/ Which of the statements given above is/
are correct? are correct?
(a) 1 only (a) 1 and 2 (b) 1 and 3
(b) 2 only (c) 2 and 3 (d) 1 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 16. What is the ‘World Conference for
Women’?
14. Consider the following statements 1. World conference for women is an
about UN women: event organized by United Nations
1. UN Nations Development fund to discuss issues related to women.
for women was merged with other 2. So far, five such conferences have
dedicated agencies under the UN taken place. The last one was held at
system for welfare of women to form Beijing.
UN women in 2011. Which of the statements given above is/
2. UN women was formed as single are correct?
agency under UN to deal with women (a) 1 only
related issues in order to ensure (b) 2 only
coordination amongst activities (c) Both 1 and 2
related to welfare of women. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
24 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

17. With reference to the United Nations (a) 1 only

Human Settlements Programme (b) 2 and 3 only
(UN-Habitat), which of the following (c) 1 and 3 only
statements is/are correct? (d) 1, 2 and 3
1. UN-Habitat is charged with
19. Consider the following organizations:
coordinating human settlement
activities within the UN system. 1. International Criminal Court
2. Its aim is to build 10 million 2. United Nations Human Rights
households every year. Council
3. It also assists countries with policy 3. International Court of Justice
and technical advice in solving their Which of the above given agencies has
human settlement problems. jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for
Select the correct answer using the the international crimes of genocide,
codes given below: crimes against humanity, and war
(a) 1 only crimes?
(b) 2 and 3 only (a) 1 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 (c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
18. With reference to The International
Court of Justice (also called World 20. Consider the following statements:
Court), which of the following 1. Permanent Court of Arbitration
statements is/are correct? provides services of arbitration
1. It settles legal disputes between states tribunal to resolve disputes between
and gives advisory opinions to the member states, international
UN and its specialized agencies. organizations or private parties
2. Only state can sue another state arising out of international
in ICJ. Neither State can sue an agreements.
individual/organization nor an 2. PCA is a court and has 15 permanent
individual/organization can sue the judges.
state in ICJ. Which of the statements given above is/
3. The ICJ is composed of 15 judges are correct?
with a nine year term. There is a (a) 1 only
provision that every sitting judge (b) 2 only
should be from a different nation. (c) Both 1 and 2
Select the correct answer using the (d) Neither 1 nor 2
codes given below:
 United Nations 25

PERFECTING PAST PRELIMS

1. With reference to the United Nations, (c) An agenda for women’s
consider the following statements: empowerment, an outcome of a
(2009) World Conference convened by the
1. The Economic and Social Council United Nations.
(ECOSOC) of UN consists of 24 (d) A strategy to combat wildlife
member states. trafficking, a declaration of the East
2. It is elected by a 2/3rd majority of the Asia Summit.
General Assembly for a 3-year term.
4. With reference to ‘Asia Pacific
Which of the above statements is/are
Ministerial Conference on Housing and
correct?
Urban Development (APMCHUD)’,
(a) 1 only
consider the following statements:
(b) 2 only
(2017)
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 1. The first APMCHUD was held in
India in 2006 on the theme ‘Emerging
2. Which of the following is not related to Urban Forms—Policy Responses and
United Nations? (2010) Governance Structure’.
(a) Multilateral Investment Guarantee 2. India hosts all the Annual Ministerial
Agency Conferences in partnership with
(b) International Finance Corporation ADB, APEC and ASEAN.
(c) International Centre for Settlement Which of the statements given above is/
of Investment Disputes are correct?
(d) Bank for International Settlements (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
3. ‘Beijing Declaration and Platform for (c) Both 1 and 2
Action’, often seen in the news, is (2015) (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) A strategy to tackle the regional
5. With reference to the role of UN-Habitat
terrorism, an outcome of a meeting
in the United Nations programme
of the Shanghai Cooperation
working towards a better urban future,
Organization.
which of the statements is/are correct?
(b) A plan of action for sustainable
(2017)
economic growth in the Asia-
Pacific Region, an outcome of the 1. UN-Habitat has been mandated
deliberations of the Asia—Pacific by the United Nations General
Economic Forum. Assembly to promote socially and
 26 International Organizations and Bilateral Relations

environmentally sustainable towns promote access to safe drinking

and cities to provide adequate shelter water and basic sanitation.
for all. Select the correct answer using the
2. Its partners are either governments code given below:
or local urban authorities only. (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
3. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall (b) 1 and 3 only
objectives of the United Nations (c) 2 and 3 only
system to reduce poverty and to (d) 1 only

 ANSWER KEYS

Practice Questions Perfecting Past Prelims

1. (b) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (a) 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (b)
6. (d) 7. (a) 8. (c) 9. (b) 10. (a)
11. (c) 12. (d) 13. (c) 14. (c) 15. (d)
16. (a) 17. (c) 18. (d) 19. (a) 20. (a)
 Solutions for
Practice
Questions and
Perfecting Past
Prelims
Introduction
to Writing
Answers for
Mains
 Introduction to Writing Answers for Mains 305

A good answer is based on the following aspects

Content analysis Presentation

analysis

Is your answer Does your Should answers Should you cover

addressing answer require be written the complete space
the question? a conclusion? in points or given for attempting
paragraph? answer?

Have you Is there any Should you

Does your need to
attempted adhere to
answer require underline?
all the subparts word limit?
an introduction?
of question?
Previous Years’
Questions
(Mains) with
Solutions
 Previous Years’ Questions (Mains) with Solutions 313

1. In respect of India–Sri Lanka relations, by Tamils such as construction of houses,

discuss how domestic factors influence railway line, assistance in agriculture, etc.
foreign policy. (2013) Another important issue between India and
Sol. Sri Lanka which is guided by domestic factors
is the fishermen issue. Indian fishermen
Analysis of Question have tendency to drift in Sri Lankan waters.
Discuss Write about the topic Consequently, Sri Lankan navy takes actions
in detail, taking into against them such as seizure of boats, arrest,
account different and even shoot at sight. The strong fishermen
issues or ideas. community of India influences the Indian
Number of sub-parts One government to seek release of fishermen and
their boats. Fishermen community even seeks
Mode of presentation Paragraph direct hotline between Sri Lankan authorities
Importance of Required and Indian authorities to resolve the issue of
conclusion arrest, etc., on real time basis.

Conclusion
Introduction
The two vital issues between India and Sri
Domestic factors play a significant influence
Lanka–issue of Tamils and fishermen are
on foreign policy. Such influence is profound
strongly guided by domestic factors.
in context of Indo-Sri Lanka relations.

Body 2. What is meant by Gujral doctrine? Does it

Tamils in Sri Lanka face multiple discrimi- have any relevance today? Discuss. (2013)
nations. The regions inhabited by Tamils are Sol.
less developed as compared to other regions,
their language has been recognized as offi- Analysis of Question
cial language only recently and Sri Lanka Discuss Write about the topic
has unitary structure; thus, the Tamils lack in detail, taking into
powers of self-determination. account different issues
Tamils in India share strong ethnic ties with or ideas. The directive
Tamils in Sri Lanka. Thus, there is a strong is attached with the
support among Tamils in India for cause of second sub-part.
Sri Lankan Tamils. Government of India Number of sub-parts Two parts
considers the sentiments of Indian Tamils in Part I—What is meant
conducting its affairs with Sri Lanka. by Gujral doctrine?
Government of India adopts two-fold Part II—Does it have
strategy. Firstly, continuous dialogue with Sri any relevance today?
Lanka and discussion on steps taken by Sri Mode of presentation Point form
Lanka to address the Tamil issue. Secondly, Importance of Merged in part II of
direct welfare activities in areas inhabited conclusion the answer