International Organisations & Affairs

🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.

The United Nations (UN), founded in 1945 after World War II with 51 founding members (now 193 member states), has its headquarters in New York, USA. The UN’s six principal organs are the General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, and International Court of Justice (ICJ, The Hague). India has been a member since 1945 and served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council seven times — most recently in 2022-23. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN (as of 2024) is CR Chellsiah.

The World Trade Organization (WTO, 1995, Geneva) replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, 1947). The WTO has 164 members and governs international trade rules. The World Health Organization (WHO, 1948, Geneva) is the UN agency for international public health. India has been an active participant in both.

India held the G20 Presidency in 2023, with the summit held in New Delhi in September 2023. The theme was “One Earth, One Family, One Future.” The G20 (Group of Twenty) accounts for about 85% of world GDP, 75% of global trade, and two-thirds of the world population. The BRICS grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE as full members, becoming “BRICS-10” or “BRICS+.”

⚡ Exam tip: SNAP questions focus on headquarters locations, India’s role in organisations, and the most recent summit outcomes. Note that SAARC has been largely inactive since India’s relations with Pakistan deteriorated after the 2016 Uri attacks. India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) remains a key diplomatic objective.

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🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content for students with a few days to months.

United Nations — Structure and Key Bodies

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has 193 members — each gets one vote. Resolutions require a two-thirds majority for important questions. The UN Security Council has 15 members: 5 permanent (P5 — USA, UK, France, Russia, China) with veto power, and 10 non-permanent elected for two-year terms. Any P5 vote against a substantive resolution vetoes it. The UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 in San Francisco and came into force on 24 October 1945 — now celebrated as UN Day.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ, The Hague) has 15 judges elected for nine-year terms. Its jurisdiction is consensual — both parties must agree to its jurisdiction. India vs Pakistan (Kulbhushan Jadhav case, 2019) was a significant ICJ case where India challenged Pakistan’s death sentence for alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav — the ICJ ruled in India’s favour, requiring Pakistan to review the sentence.

UN peacekeeping missions are a key function — India has contributed troops to UN missions since 1950 and is currently among the largest troop-contributing countries.

G20 — India’s 2023 Presidency

India’s G20 presidency theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future” was derived from the ancient Sanskrit phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The World is One Family). Key outcomes of the G20 New Delhi Summit included:

• Adoption of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration
• Launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) — a connectivity project linking India to Europe via the Gulf
• Acceptance of the African Union as a permanent G20 member (expanded from G20 to G21)
• Agreement on strengthening multilateral development banks

BRICS Expansion and New Development Bank

BRICS was created as a geopolitical grouping of major emerging economies. The New Development Bank (NDB, formerly BRICS Bank), headquartered in Shanghai, was established in 2014 to fund infrastructure and development projects in BRICS and other developing economies. The NDB admitted new members including Egypt, UAE, Bangladesh, Uruguay, and UAE. The grouping’s expansion reflects a shift in global economic power toward emerging markets.

SAARC and Regional Groupings

SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), founded in 1985 with Dhaka Declaration, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAARC has been largely dysfunctional since 2016 following tensions between India and Pakistan. BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), founded in 1997, is an alternative grouping of seven countries bordering the Bay of Bengal and is increasingly seen as more functional than SAARC.

Common traps in SNAP GK questions: Students confuse the headquarters of WHO (Geneva), WTO (Geneva), and the World Bank (Washington D.C.) — all are different. The WTO deals with trade rules, WHO with health, and the World Bank with development financing. India is NOT a permanent member of the UN Security Council — no Asian country is. India’s candidacy for permanent seat has been longstanding but not achieved.

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🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

World Trade Organization — Agreements and Disputes

The WTO administers trade agreements, settles trade disputes, and hosts trade negotiations. Key WTO agreements include the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). India has been involved in major trade disputes, particularly with the EU and USA over agricultural subsidies and patent issues. India’s average applied tariff rate is among the higher among major economies. The WTO’s Appellate Body has been non-functional since 2019 due to the US blocking judge appointments — a major crisis in multilateral trade governance.

World Health Organization and Global Health Governance

The WHO, founded in 1948, is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its Director-General as of 2023 is Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Ethiopia). The WHO’s key functions include disease eradication (smallpox eradicated in 1980), vaccination programmes (polio nearly eradicated), and pandemic response. The WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the global standard for disease classification. India has been an active participant in WHO programmes including COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccine Alliance). The WHO’s recent achievements include the approval of several COVID-19 vaccines under Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

India’s Foreign Policy and Key Partnerships

India’s strategic partnerships include:

• Quad (with USA, Japan, Australia) — maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific; leaders’ summit held in 2021, 2022, 2023
• I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, USA) — economic forum focused on water, energy, transportation, and space
• International Solar Alliance (ISA, 2015, HQ: Gurugram) — India and France co-launched at COP21 to promote solar energy globally, now has 99 member countries
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI, 2019) — India-led global partnership

India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy prioritises relations with immediate neighbours. Key bilateral relationships include:

• India-Pakistan: Tense, especially post-2019 Balakot air strikes and Article 370 changes in Kashmir
• India-China: Strained following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes (20 Indian soldiers killed); border tensions in Eastern Ladakh
• India-Russia: Strategic partnership; Russia is a major defence supplier (S-400 missile system); India has maintained equidistance on the Ukraine conflict
• India-USA: Comprehensive global strategic partnership; defence ties include MQ-9B drones, F-414 engine deal

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

The SCO was founded in 2001 (original members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan). India and Pakistan joined in 2017. India hosted the SCO Summit in 2023 in New Delhi (virtual/in-person format). The SCO focuses on security, counter-terrorism, and economic cooperation in Central Asia. India’s inclusion in SCO balances its strategic partnerships — it simultaneously participates in both SCO and the Quad.

ASEAN and Indo-Pacific Strategy

India’s “Act East Policy” (successor to “Look East Policy,” launched in 2014) prioritises engagement with Southeast Asia. India is a Summit-Level Partner of ASEAN and has strong defence ties with Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines. The Indo-Pacific concept — a free, open, and inclusive region spanning the Indian Ocean and Pacific — is central to India’s foreign policy. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the Quad are key frameworks. India is not a member of the Chinese-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — India opted out in 2019 citing protecting domestic industry.

UN Reforms and India’s Aspiration

India has been seeking a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for decades. The P5 nations (USA, UK, France, Russia, China) are the only permanent members with veto power. UN Security Council reform is a major agenda item — proposals include expanding permanent membership to include India, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and an African representative. India’s candidacy is supported by France, UK, Russia, and the USA, but China has been less supportive.

SNAP-specific question patterns: SNAP GK on international organisations tests headquarters locations, key recent summits, and India’s role. The G20 New Delhi Summit (2023) and its outcomes are very important. Also focus on Quad, BRICS expansion, and the location and purpose of the New Development Bank. Questions may ask which organisation a specific agreement belongs to or the current head of a major organisation.