Aspirant Academy

Polity, Governance and Current Affairs

Key Points at a Glance

Global Platforms: UN, WTO, EU, ASEAN, BRICS, G-20, QUAD, I2U2, AUKUS, DAKSHIN

Paper III · Unit 1 Section 1 of 13 0 PYQs 30 min
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Key Points at a Glance

  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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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