International institutions
Syllabus: Important International institutions, agencies and fora: their structure, mandate.
Current affairs on this topic 14
- UN adopts a declaration that rising seas will not erase island states 28 September 2026
If the sea swallows a country's land, does the country, and its ocean zone, disappear too?
- Why Japan wants the UN Charter's 'enemy state' clauses deleted 27 September 2026
Why does the UN Charter, 81 years on, still single out the defeated powers of World War II?
- Should the UN Security Council's permanent seats and veto go? 25 September 2026
Five countries can block any substantive resolution. Is that still defensible?
- India rejects the OIC contact group's remarks on Kashmir 24 September 2026
Why India engages Gulf states one by one but dismisses the OIC as a bloc.
- Op-ed: What India's smallholder farming model can teach other developing nations 16 September 2026
Most Indian farms are tiny. Can collectives, credit and data, rather than land size, make them pay?
- Op-ed: India should make the New Development Bank the core of its BRICS finance agenda 14 September 2026
BRICS holds about 40% of world GDP but little say at the IMF. Can a Shanghai-based bank change that?
- BRICS adopts a 140-paragraph New Delhi Declaration at its 18th summit 13 September 2026
Eleven members with rival interests agreed on 140 paragraphs. What did India's chairship get in?
- IAEA Board reports Iran to the UN Security Council, first time in 20 years 10 September 2026
The nuclear watchdog has sent Iran's case to the Security Council. Can the Council do anything with it?
- After a deadly glacier collapse, Nepal seeks climate compensation, not aid 9 September 2026
Nepal emits almost nothing, yet a warming world just buried its valleys. Who should pay?
- FATF warns that hawala networks are going digital, using stablecoins and AI 8 September 2026
An old, trust-based way of moving money now runs on encrypted apps and stablecoins. Can regulators keep up?
- Op-ed: India's BRICS chairship is a chance to put a divided group back together 8 September 2026
BRICS has more than doubled in size. Has it lost the consensus that made it work?
- UN General Assembly backs the Equal Earth map to show Africa's true size 6 September 2026
On a Mercator map Africa looks about as big as Greenland. It is about 14 times bigger. Does that matter?
- UNEP says 1.5°C will be crossed and maps an 'overshoot, peak and decline' path 3 September 2026
If 1.5°C can no longer be held, can the world go above it and still come back down?
- At the SCO summit in Bishkek, Modi calls for dismantling the terror ecosystem 2 September 2026
India wants a firmer SCO line on cross-border terror, and Pakistan now chairs the grouping. What can India gain?
Background from the reference shelf
Previous-year questions 14
- 2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South." Explain the role of BRICS in projecting itself as an alternative to…
- 2025 · GS2 · 15 marks "The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance." Examine and critically…
- 2025 · GS2 · 15 marks "Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India's foreign policy, and is linked with India's overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries." How would you integrate energy security…
- 2023 · GS2 · 10 marks 'Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO' In the light of the above statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems.
- 2022 · GS2 · 15 marks How will I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE and USA) grouping transform India's position in global politics?
- 2022 · GS2 · 15 marks 'Clean energy is the order of the day.' Describe briefly India's changing policy towards climate change in various international fora in the context of geopolitics.
- 2021 · GS2 · 10 marks Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples.
- 2021 · GS2 · 15 marks Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India?
- 2018 · GS2 · 15 marks What are the key areas of reform if the WTO has to survive in the present context of 'Trade War', especially keeping in mind the interest of India?
- 2017 · GS2 · 15 marks The question of India's Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India's economic progress. Analyze India's energy policy cooperation with West Asian Countries.
- 2016 · GS2 · 12.5 marks The broader aims and objectives of WTO are to manage and promote international trade in the era of globalization. But the Doha round of negotiations seems doomed due to differences between the…
- 2015 · GS2 · 12.5 marks Discuss the impediments India is facing in its pursuit of a permanent seat in UNSC.
- 2014 · GS2 · 12.5 marks India has recently signed to become a founding member of New Development Bank (NDB) and also the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). How will the role of the two Banks be different? Discuss…
- 2014 · GS2 · 12.5 marks WTO is an important international institution where decisions taken affect countries in profound manner. What is the mandate of WTO and how binding are their decisions? Critically analyse India's…