International instituitions

The ongoing discussions within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) focus on establishing a global treaty to address plastic pollution. The treaty aims to provide a comprehensive framework to reduce plastic waste, with particular attention to creating fair conditions for informal waste workers. What …

Context At COP29, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FF-NPT) gained significant momentum. Inspired by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, this initiative seeks to regulate fossil fuel production as a targeted approach to combat climate change. Activists and countries are increasingly advocating for its adoption to address the climate crisis effectively. Need …

Context: The Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) 2024 between India and the UAE has replaced the earlier Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA), aimed at fostering stronger economic cooperation between the two nations. The UAE, accounting for 3% of India’s total FDI, has invested around $19 billion in India between …

Context In October 2024, the Indian Prime Minister is attending the ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Vientiane, Laos, which marks the 10th anniversary of India’s “Act East Policy.” This engagement highlights ASEAN’s critical role in India’s foreign policy. Significance of ASEAN in India’s Foreign Policy Countering Chinese Influence: India …

Context: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has recently clarified rumors regarding additional restrictions on OCI cardholders, emphasizing that there are no new limitations being imposed. Who is an OCI? An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) is a foreign national who holds a passport from another country and is not …

Context: The sixth Quad Leaders’ Summit took place in Wilmington, Delaware, focusing on international cooperation, security, climate, health, and technological innovation. Major Discussions: UN Security Council Reform: Emphasis on making the UNSC more representative and inclusive by expanding both permanent and non-permanent members. Support for Rules-Based International Order: Reaffirmation of …

International Criminal Court Recently, an application was presented to a pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against five individuals linked to the conflict in Gaza. The five individuals are- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders Yahya …

  Concept: The UNHRC is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) responsible for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide. It was established in 2006, replacing the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), with the aim of addressing the shortcomings of its predecessor and enhancing the …

India and China share a long and complex history. Their over 4,000 km shared border has been a source of much conflict, including the humiliating Sino-Indian War of 1962 along the LAC. Despite the tensions, India and China have also sought to cooperate on a number of issues. In the …

Human Rights during the war Most of the gravest human rights violations are committed during war including the use of rape and starvation as a weapon of war, recruiting children to serve on the frontlines, launching direct attacks on civilians, etc. Some of the most serious crimes under international law …

Historical context India recognized Israel in 1950. However full diplomatic relations were established with the setting up of embassies in 1992. Initially, Indian leaders were opposed to the idea of religious nationalism as the foundation for a nation due to their experience with partition. Thus, they were fundamentally opposed to …

The CBAM has been described as a “landmark tool” to put a “fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods that are entering the EU’. Therefore, it would encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries. The reporting system under the regulation would be enforced from …

The 32nd Arab League Summit held in Jeddah was unique in multiple ways. After 12 years, all 22 Arab states got together again, with 17 of them represented at the head of state or government level. The summit readmitted Syria and heard the Ukrainian President, a special invitee. The post-summit …

Mysterious are the ways in which multilateral groupings prosper and wither away. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G-77 had their heyday in the Cold War era Later they lost their relevance, but they still exist. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summits ended in 2014, but the Secretariat …

On May 10, co-legislators at the European Commission signed the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). It has been described as a “landmark tool” to put a “fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production …

Discussions on integrated policies on sustainable forest management (SFM) and energy to meet the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) took centre stage on the fourth day of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF18). The eighteenth session of UNFF18 was held in New York. The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a high-level intergovernmental …

Most countries in Asia and the Pacific are inadequately prepared to manage the rising challenges of extreme weather events and natural disasters, according to a new study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Countries in the region lack the necessary data as well as means to support adaptation …

India leads a list of 10 countries that together account for 60 per cent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths, and 51 per cent of live births globally, a report released by the United Nations has said. The latest published estimate in the progress tracking report by the …

May Day 2023 marks a hundred years since it was first commemorated in India on May 1, 1923, in the city of Madras. M Singaravelu Chettiar, a nationalist figure, and an early cobmmunist associated with the anti-caste movement introduced May Day in India. By introducing May Day in India, Singaravelu …

India is now the most populous country in the world, having overtaken China in population, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in its State of World Population (SOWP) report, ‘8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities’, released recently. Highlights of the report Demographics: The population of the world is 8,045 million, of …