Key facts

  • United Nations — Founding and Structure — Established 24 October 1945 with 51 founding member states; now 193 members
  • UN Security Council — Veto and India — 5 permanent members (P5) with veto power: US, UK, France, Russia, China
  • WTO — Trade Rules and Disputes — Founded 1 January 1995 replacing GATT (1948); 164 members; headquarters in Geneva
  • European Union — Single Market — Established by Maastricht Treaty (1993); 27 member states (UK left via Brexit, January 2020)
  • ASEAN — Southeast Asia Bloc - Founded 8 August 1967 in Bangkok;

Key Points at a Glance

  1. 1

    United Nations — Founding and Structure

    • Established 24 October 1945 with 51 founding member states; now 193 members
    • Two non-member permanent observer states: Vatican and Palestine
    • Six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat, ICJ, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council (suspended 1994)
  2. 2

    UN Security Council — Veto and India

    • 5 permanent members (P5) with veto power: US, UK, France, Russia, China
    • 10 non-permanent members elected for 2-year terms by the General Assembly
    • India served 8 times as non-permanent member; most recently 2021–22 with 184/192 votes — highest vote share ever for a non-permanent seat
  3. 3

    WTO — Trade Rules and Disputes

    • Founded 1 January 1995 replacing GATT (1948); 164 members; headquarters in Geneva
    • Resolves trade disputes via the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)
    • India's total goods trade: $1.6 trillion (2023); foundational principles: MFN and national treatment
  4. 4

    European Union — Single Market

    • Established by Maastricht Treaty (1993); 27 member states (UK left via Brexit, January 2020)
    • 20 members use Euro; headquartered in Brussels
    • Collectively the world's largest single market (GDP ~$18 trillion)
    • Key institutions: European Parliament, European Commission, European Council
  5. 5

    ASEAN — Southeast Asia Bloc

    • Founded 8 August 1967 in Bangkok; 10 members (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia)
    • Headquarters: Jakarta; guiding philosophy: ASEAN Way = consensus + non-interference
    • India-ASEAN trade: $130+ billion (2023)
  6. 6

    BRICS — Expansion to 10 Members

    • Original 5: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa; first summit 2009 (Yekaterinburg)
    • Johannesburg Summit (August 2023): 6 new members invited to join from 1 January 2024 — Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE; Argentina declined
    • Now 10 active members; largest inter-governmental bloc by population (3+ billion)
  7. 7

    G-20 — Global Economic Governance

    • Formed 1999 (finance ministers level) after Asian financial crisis; first summit 2008 (Washington D.C.)
    • 19 nations + EU + African Union (from 2023); represents 85% of global GDP, 75% of trade, 67% of population
    • India held presidency 2023 with theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"
  8. 8

    QUAD — Indo-Pacific Security Forum

    • Members: India, USA, Australia, Japan; first meeting 2007 (tsunami response); revived 2017
    • Elevated to Heads of Government summit in March 2021 (virtual) and September 2021 (Washington D.C., in-person)
    • Focus: free and open Indo-Pacific, vaccines, climate, critical technology
  9. 9

    I2U2 — West Asia Minilateral

    • India-Israel-UAE-USA; launched October 2021; first summit July 2022 (virtual)
    • Six focus areas: water, energy, transport, space, health, and food security
    • First outcome: UAE committed $2 billion food park investment in India using Israeli agri-technology
  10. 10

    AUKUS — Nuclear Submarine Pact

    • Australia-UK-USA; announced 15 September 2021
    • Core commitment: provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) using US-UK technology
    • Also covers AI, quantum, cyber; perceived as containment of China in Indo-Pacific
    • India is not a member but aligns with AUKUS objectives via QUAD
  11. 11

    DAKSHIN — Global South Initiative

    • India's proposed initiative (announced 2023) for knowledge-sharing and technology cooperation among the Global South
    • Positioned as India's contribution to a southern-hemisphere development architecture distinct from G7 frameworks
  12. 12

    New Development Bank (NDB) — BRICS Finance

    • BRICS's multilateral development bank; established 2015; headquartered in Shanghai
    • $32 billion+ committed in 100+ projects
    • New members beyond BRICS origin: Bangladesh, UAE, Egypt, Uruguay

How is the United Nations system structured, and why does UNSC reform matter for India?

The United Nations system is built around the General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat, ICJ, ECOSOC and Trusteeship Council, while India's main concern is that the Security Council still reflects 1945 power realities rather than today's demographic and geopolitical balance. According to the UN Dag Hammarskjold Library, there were 51 Founding Members of the United Nations in 1945.

1.1 History and Structure

The UN was born from the failures of the League of Nations (1919-1946) — which lacked the US and the USSR, had no enforcement mechanism, and failed to prevent World War II. The UN Charter was signed at San Francisco Conference on 26 June 1945 and entered into force on 24 October 1945 — now observed as UN Day.

Founding purpose (Charter Preamble):

  • Save succeeding generations from the scourge of war
  • Reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights
  • Maintain justice and respect for treaty obligations
  • Promote social progress and better standards of life

Six principal organs:

Organ Location Function
General Assembly (GA) New York All 193 members; one state, one vote; recommendations (not binding)
Security Council (UNSC) New York Primary responsibility for peace and security; binding resolutions; veto power
Secretariat New York UN's administrative organ; headed by Secretary-General
International Court of Justice (ICJ) The Hague Disputes between states; 15 judges elected for 9-year terms
ECOSOC New York Coordination of economic and social work; 54 elected members
Trusteeship Council New York Supervised trust territories; suspended 1994 (all territories independent)

Current Secretary-General: António Guterres (Portugal) — serving second term (since 2017; reappointed 2021 for 2022-2026).

1.2 UN Security Council

Composition and Veto Power

Composition: 5 permanent members (P5) + 10 non-permanent members (elected by GA for 2-year terms; 5 elected each year).

Veto power: Any P5 member can block any substantive resolution with a single negative vote. The veto has been used 300+ times since 1945.

  • Russia/USSR used it most frequently (140+ times)
  • US second (90+ times)
  • China's veto use has increased significantly since the 2000s

India and UNSC Reform

India is part of the G4 group (Germany, Brazil, Japan, India) campaigning for permanent seats. India's argument for reform rests on several grounds:

  • World's most populous country and largest democracy
  • 4th-largest defence budget
  • Served 8 non-permanent terms — more than any non-P5 state
  • Major UN peacekeeping contributor

Structural obstacles to reform:

  • The "Uniting for Consensus" bloc (led by Italy, Pakistan) opposes expanding permanent membership; supports expanding only non-permanent seats
  • African Union's C-10 (Common African Position) demands 2 permanent seats for Africa
  • Any UN Charter amendment requires approval by 2/3 GA members AND ratification by all P5 members — giving P5 a structural interest in the status quo

India in UNSC (2021-22)

  • Elected with 184 out of 192 votes — India's strongest non-permanent-seat mandate
  • Key themes championed: maritime security, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping reform, UNSC process reform
  • India presided over UNSC in August 2021 (maritime security) and December 2022

1.3 Key UN Specialized Agencies Relevant to India

Agency Full Name Mandate India's Relevance
UNESCO UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Education, science, culture Heritage sites, Yoga Day
WHO World Health Organisation Global public health COVID-19, vaccine diplomacy
UNICEF UN Children's Fund Child rights and welfare Poshan Abhiyan convergence
UNDP UN Development Programme HDI, SDG monitoring India's development indicators
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation Food security, agriculture India's food policy
ILO International Labour Organisation Labour rights, standards India's labour code reforms
UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees Refugee protection Myanmar Rohingya, Afghanistan

PREDICTED Predicted RAS Questions

Based on PYQ trends and 2026 syllabus analysis

1 5M What is QUAD? Mention its members and current focus areas. 5 marks · 50 words

Model Answer

~50 words • 5 marks