Key Points at a Glance

United Nations — Founding and Structure

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

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 — India's strongest non-permanent-seat mandate

WTO — Trade Rules and Disputes

• Founded 1 January 1995 replacing GATT (1948); 166 members after Comoros and Timor-Leste joined in August 2024; 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

European Union — Single Market

• Established by Maastricht Treaty (1993); 27 member states (UK left via Brexit, January 2020)
• 21 members use the euro after Bulgaria's 2026 entry; headquartered in Brussels
• Collectively one of the world's largest single markets (GDP around $18 trillion)
• Key institutions: European Parliament, European Commission, European Council

ASEAN — Southeast Asia Bloc

• Founded 8 August 1967 in Bangkok; 11 members after Timor-Leste's 2025 admission (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste)
• Headquarters: Jakarta; guiding philosophy: ASEAN Way = consensus + non-interference
• India-ASEAN trade: $130+ billion (2023)

BRICS — Expansion to 11 Members

• Original 5: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa; first summit 2009 (Yekaterinburg)
• Johannesburg Summit (August 2023): 6 new members were invited; Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE joined the expansion cycle, Argentina declined, and Indonesia was admitted under the 2024-25 expansion track
• Now 11 active members by the 2025 Brazilian Presidency listing; largest inter-governmental bloc by population (3+ billion)

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, more than 75% of trade, nearly two-thirds of population
• India held presidency 2023 with theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"

QUAD — Indo-Pacific Security Forum

• Members: India, USA, Australia, Japan; first meeting 2007 (after the four countries' 2004 tsunami-response coordination); 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

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

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 some AUKUS objectives via QUAD

DAKSHIN — Global South Initiative

• India's Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative for Global South cooperation, proposed in 2023 and launched as the Global South Centre of Excellence later that year
• Positioned as India's contribution to a southern development architecture distinct from G7 frameworks

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