international institutes and organisations in news. · 2017-06-08 · international trade law...

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MAY-2016 TO MARCH-2017

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTES AND ORGANISATIONS IN NEWS.

International Institutes and Organisations in News 2

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Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

The 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) took place in Margarita, Venezuela on September 17-18,2016. India was represented by Vice President Hamid Ansari and not by the head of government (Prime Minister) as the usual practice.

About NAM :

• The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the Cold War, largely on the initiative of then-Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito,Gamal Abdel Nasir of Egypt, president Sukarno of Indonesia and Jawahar lal Nehru as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral.

• The basic concept for the group originated in 1955 during discussions that took place at the Asia-Africa Bandung Conference( 1955) held in Indonesia. Subsequently, in 1961, at Belgrade (yugoslovia), the first NAM conference was held.

• NAM does not have a formal constitution or permanent secretariat, and its administration is non-hierarchical and rotational. Decisions are made by consensus, which requires substantial agreement, but not unanimity.

• On September 17, Venezuela hosted the 17th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. Attendance at the summit has dwindled in recent years; thirty-five heads of state attended in 2012 and only ten attended in 2016. Discussions covered Palestine, the U.S.-Cuba relationship, and Venezuela’s political climate.

Members:

• The Movement recognizes three categories for participation: Full Member, Observer and Guest.

• The Bandung Principles and the Membership Criteria of the Non-Aligned Movement function as admission criteria both for new members and observers. At present, the Movement has 120 Member States, 17 Observer Countries and 10 Observer organizations.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTES AND ORGANISATIONS IN NEWS

Commonwealth of Nations

The Maldives has announced it will leave the Commonwealth after mounting pressure from the 53-nation group over corruption and deteriorating human rights in the Indian Ocean state.

• Note: It is not to be confused with the Commonwealth of Independent States.

About Commonwealth of Nations :

• The Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth), also known as simply the Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire.

• The Commonwealth operates by intergovernmental consensus of the member states, organised through the Commonwealth Secretariat and non-governmental organisations, organised through the Commonwealth Foundation.

• Member states have no legal obligation to one another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture and their shared values of democracy, free speech, human rights, and the rule of law.These values are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.

Members:

• The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 52 independent and sovereign states. Most are former British colonies or dependencies of those colonies.

• Africa- Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra, Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

• Asia - Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia Pakistan, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

• Caribbean and Americas: Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas, The, Barbados Belize, Canada, Dominica Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago.

• Europe - Cyprus, Malta and United Kingdom.

• Pacific: Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua, New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Countr Countries by region: egion



The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

• The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), also called the Russian Commonwealth (to distinguish it from the British Commonwealth of Nations), is a regional organization formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

• It was established in 1991.

• It had 9 full time members — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

• In 2005, Turmenistan withdrew from the CIS, and is now classified as an associate member.

• In 2008 Georgia also withdrew its membership from CIS.

• Although Ukraine was one of the founding countries and ratified the Creation Agreement in December 1991, Ukraine chose not to ratify the CIS Charter as it disagrees with Russia being the only legal successor to the Soviet Union. Thus it does not regard itself as a member of the CIS.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Recently ,Russia , Burundi, South Africa and Gambia have quit ICC. Kenya and Uganda , intend to follow the suit.

About ICC:

• The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague in The Netherlands.

• The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

• The ICC is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and it may therefore only exercise its jurisdiction when certain conditions are met, such as when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals or when the United Nations Security Council or individual states refer investigations to the Court.

The Rome Statute

• The ICC began functioning on 1 July 2002, the date that the Rome Statute entered into force. The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty which serves as the ICC’s foundational and governing document.

• States which become party to the Rome Statute, ratifying it, become member states of the ICC. Currently, there are 124 states which are party to the Rome Statute and therefore members of the ICC

• India is not a party to ICC.

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

Russia has lost its bid to retain a seat on the UN Human Rights Council due to allegations of war crimes in relation to its policies in Syria.

About UNHRC :

• The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations System inter-governmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world.

• Its 47 seats are filled by member states elected for three-year terms.

• The UNHRC is the successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights and is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly. The council works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and engages the United Nations’ special procedures.

Membership of the Human Rights Council:

• The Council is made of 47 Member States, which are elected by the majority of members of the General Assembly of the United Nations through direct and secret ballot. The General Assembly takes into account the candidate States’ contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.

• The Council’s Membership is based on equitable geographical distribution. Seats are distributed as follows:

• African States: 13 seats.

• Asia-Pacific States: 13 seats.

• Latin American and Caribbean States: 8 seats.

• Western European and other States: 7 seats.

• Eastern European States: 6 seats.

United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

UNCITRAL has completed 50 years and the golden jubilee was hosted by India. UNCITRAL was established in 1966. India has been re-elected to the UN Commission on International Trade Law for another six years term(2016-2022).

About UNCITRAL :

• The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) was established by the United Nations General Assembly by its Resolution 2205 (XXI) of 17 December 1966 “to promote the progressive harmonization and unification of international trade law”.



• In the years since its establishment, UNCITRAL has been recognized as the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law.

• A legal body with universal membership specializing in commercial law reform worldwide for over 40 years, UNCITRAL’s business is the modernization and harmonization of rules on international business.

• UNCITRAL carries out its work at annual sessions held alternately in New York City and Vienna.

Membership :

• UNCITRAL’s original membership comprised 29 states, and was expanded to 36 in 1973, and again to 60 in 2004. Member states of UNCITRAL are representing different legal traditions and levels of economic development, as well as different geographic regions. States includes 14 African states, 14 Asian states, 8 Eastern European states, 10 Latin American and Caribbean states, and 14 Western European states. The Commission member States are elected by the General Assembly. Membership is structured so as to be representative of the world’s various geographic regions and its principal economic and legal systems. Members of the commission are elected for terms of six years, the terms of half the members expiring every three years.

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

The US president has signed an executive order formally withdrawing the country from TPP trade deal.

About TPP :

• The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), or the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States (until 23 January 2017) and Vietnam.

• The US president has signed an executive order formally withdrawing the country from TPP trade deal. US would pursue bilateral arrangements with the TPP signatories to find terms more favourable to the US.

• The finalized proposal was signed on 4 February 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand, concluding seven years of negotiations. It currently cannot be ratified due to U.S. withdrawal from the agreement on 23 January 2017.

• The TPP contains measures to lower both non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade, and establish an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism.

Members:

• Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

International Energy Agency (IEA)

In news because, India has joined the International Energy Agency as an associate member.

About IEA :

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.

• The IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics about the international oil market and other energy sectors.

• The IEA acts as a policy adviser to its member states, but also works with non-member countries, especially China, India, and Russia.

• The Agency’s mandate has broadened to focus on the “3Es” of effectual energy policy: energy security, economic development, and environmental protection.

• The IEA has a broad role in promoting alternate energy sources (including renewable energy), rational energy policies, and multinational energy technology co-operation.

• IEA member countries are required to maintain total oil stock levels equivalent to at least 90 days of the previous year’s net imports.

Members :

• The IEA is made up of 29 member countries.

• To be a member country of the IEA, a country must also be a member country of the OECD. However, membership in the OECD does not automatically result in membership in the IEA.

• Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland , Italy , Japan, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden , Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Report :

• It publishes the report : “World Energy Outlook”

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

PCA ,in the south china sea case has ruled that Beijing has no entitlement to the exclusive economic zone within 200 nautical miles of Mischief and Thomas reefs.

About PCA:

• The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization located at The Hague



in the Netherlands.

• The PCA is not a court “in the traditional sense”, but provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes between member states, international organizations, or private parties arising out of international agreements.

• The cases span a range of legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries, sovereignty, human rights, international investment, and international and regional trade.

Members:

• The PCA is constituted through two separate multilateral conventions with a combined membership of 121 states. The organization is not a United Nations agency, but PCA is an official United Nations Observer.

Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)

India is speeding up the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union, which include Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

About EAEU :

• The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an economic union of states located primarily in northern Eurasia.

• The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration. It has international legal personality and is established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union.

• The EAEU provides for free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, pursues coordinated, harmonized and single policy in the sectors determined by the Treaty and international agreements within the Union.

• The Union is being created to comprehensively upgrade, raise the competitiveness of and cooperation between the national economies, and to promote stable development in order to raise the livingstandards of the nations of the Member-States.

Members :

• The Member-States of the Eurasian Economic Union are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

India is making efforts to join APEC.

About APEC :

• The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific.

• APEC’s 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.

• APEC Vietnam 2017 is the year-long hosting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Vietnam. It marks the second time Vietnam will be playing host to the APEC, having hosted the event previously in 2006.

• India is not a member of APEC.

Members.

• APEC’s 21 member economies are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; Viet Nam.

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held its first summit meeting in Jakarta on 5-7 March 2017, on the 20th anniversary of its formation.

About IORA :

• The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), formerly known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), is an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean.

• The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an international organization with 21 Member States - Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalai, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE and Yemen.

• The IORA is a regional forum, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Business and Academia, for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among them.

• It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region.

• The Coordinating Secretariat of IORA is located at Ebene, Mauritius.

• The Vice-President of India led the Indian delegation to the first Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit held on 7 March 2017 in Jakarta to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Association.

• The theme of the summit was ‘Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean’. It was attended by leaders from 21 member states of IORA.

IORA



UNFCCC

The 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference ( cop 22) was held in Marrakech, Morocco.

About UNFCCC :

• In 1992, countries joined an international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were, by then, inevitable.

• By 1995, countries launched negotiations to strengthen the global response to climate change, and, two years later, adopted the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed country Parties to emission reduction targets. The Protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The second commitment period began on 1 January 2013 and will end in 2020.

• There are now 197 Parties to the Convention and 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

• The UNFCCC is a “Rio Convention”, one of three adopted at the “Rio Earth Summit” in 1992. Its sister Rio Conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification. The three are intrinsically linked. It is in this context that the Joint Liaison Group was set up to boost cooperation among the three Conventions, with the ultimate aim of developing synergies in their activities on issues of mutual concern. It now also incorporates the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

• Preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system is the ultimate aim of the UNFCCC.

Members:

• There are now 197 Parties to the Convention.

European Union

The British government led by David Cameron held a referendum on the issue of staying or leaving EU in 2016; a majority voted to leave the European Union. On 29 March 2017, Theresa May’s administration invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union in a letter to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The UK is set to leave by April 2019.

About EU:

• The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardized system of laws that apply in all member states.

• EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development Within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished.

• A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the same currency. The EU as a whole is the largest economy in the world.

Member Countries

• Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Republic Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom (On Thursday 23 June 2016 the EU referendum took place and the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.)

• European countries which are not in the EU - Switzerland (also not in the EEA), Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.(members of EEA)

About EEA:

• The European Economic Area (EEA) is the area in which the Agreement on the EEA provides for the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the European Single Market, as well as the freedom to choose residence in any country within this area. The EEA was established on 1 January 1994 upon entry into force of the EEA Agreement.

• The EEA Agreement specifies that membership is open to member states of either the European Union (EU) or European Free Trade Association (EFTA). EFTA states which are party to the EEA Agreement participate in the EU’s internal market without being members of the EU. They adopt most EU legislation concerning the single market, however with notable exclusions including laws regarding agriculture and fisheries.

• Switzerland is a member of EFTA but has not joined either EU or EEA.

ASEAN - Association of South East Asian Nations.

The 30th ASEAN Summit was held in Manila on 29 April 2017 under the Chairmanship of the Republic of the Philippines with the theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,” which envisions an integrated, peaceful, stable and resilient ASEAN Community.

About ASEAN:

• ASEAN covers a land area of 4.4 million square kilometres, 3% of the total land area of Earth. ASEAN territorial waters cover an area about three times larger than its land counterpart. Member countries have a



combined population of approximately 625 million people, 8.8% of the world’s population. In 2015, the organisation’s combined nominal GDP had grown to more than US$2.8 trillion. If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the sixth largest economy in the world, behind the USA, China, Japan, India and Germany.

• It is a political and economic organisation of 10 SE Asian nations.

• Motto: “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.

• ‘The ASEAN Way’: Doctrine that the member countries will largely mind their own business when it comes to internal matters of member countries

Principal aims:

• Accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members.

• Protection of regional stability and the provision of a mechanism for member countries to resolve differences peacefully.

Members Countries:

• Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

• Head Quarters: Jakarta, Indonesia

India and ASEAN:

• Free trade Agreement.

• Shares land and marine boundary.

World Health Organization

India is all set to lead the global fight against epidemics as it is a key member of the newly formed Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with its headquarters at the Norwegian Institute for Public Health, in Oslo. The coalition will not focus on diseases that already have sufficient attention, but will be guided by WHO’s R&D blueprint (2016), which lists eleven illnesses to focus on, including Chikungunya, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever.

About WHO:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

• The WHO supports the development and distribution of safe and effective vaccines, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and drugs, such as through the Expanded Program on Immunization. Since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox.

• Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable

diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and ageing; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and driving the development of reporting, publications, and networking.

• The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, a leading international publication on health, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day (7 April of every year).

Regional Offices of WHO

• Africa; HQ: Brazzaville, Congo

• Americas; HQ: Washington, DC, USA

• Europe; HQ: Copenhagen, Denmark

• Eastern Mediterranean: HQ: Cairo, Egypt

• South East Asia: HQ: New Delhi, India

• Western Pacific: HQ: Manila, Philippines.

G-20

The 2016 ,G-20 Hangzhou summit was the eleventh meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20). It was held on 4–5 September 2016 in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. It was the first ever G-20 summit to be hosted in China.

About G-20:

• It is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies.

• Its aim was to review policy decisions to enhance international financial stability

• G-20 economies account for around 85% of the gross world product (GWP), 80% of world trade (or, if excluding EU intra-trade, 75%), and two-thirds of the world population.

• The group also hosts separate meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors

• Member countries: 20 Members ( EU + 19 Countries) : Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States

• Recent Summits

Date Host coun-try

Host City

Venue Host Header

10th Novem-ber

Turkey Serik Regnum Carya Hotel Convention Centre

Recep Tayyip Er-doğan



Date Host coun-try

Host City

Venue Host Header

11th Septem-ber 2016

China Hang-zhou

Hangzhou Interna-tional Exhibition Centre

Xi Jin-ping

12th July 2017

Ger-many

Ham-burg

Hamburg Messe

Angela Merkel

13th TBD 2018

Ar-genti-na

Bue-nos Aires

TBD Mau-ricio Macri

International Monetary Fund

Finance minister Arun Jaitley has called for urgent World Bank and IMF quota reforms.

About IMF:

• HQ – Washington

• Stated goal is to assist in the reconstruction of world’s international payment system post World War II

• Countries contribute funds to a pool through a quota system from which countries with payment imbalances temporarily can borrow money and other resources.

objectives of IMF as stated in the Articles of Agreement

• To promote international economic co-operation,

• To promote international trade,

• To promote employment and exchange-rate stability,

• Make financial resources available to member countries to meet balance of payments needs

IMF Quota & Voting Rights:

• Quotas are assigned to member countries reflecting their relative economic power & credit deposit to IMF

• Subscription was to be paid 25% in gold or currency convertible into gold and 75% in the member’s own currency

• Members are provided voting rights in proportion to their quota, hence member countries with higher quota have a higher say at IMF

Special Drawing Rights:

• Special drawing rights (SDRs) are the artificial currency created by IMF in 1969 .

• SDR is not a currency, instead represents a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged.

• The value of an SDR is defined by a weighted currency basket of five major currencies: the US dollar, the euro,

the British pound, the Chinese Yuan and the Japanese yen

• Central bank of member countries holds SDR with IMF which can be used by them to access funds from IMF in case of financial crises in their domestic market

Reverse Tranche:

• A certain proportion of a member country’s quota(25%) is specified as its reserve tranche.

• The member country can access its reserve tranche funds at its discretion, and is not under an immediate obligation to repay those funds to the IMF.

• Member nation reserve tranches are typically 25% of the member’s quota.

• ( SDR and reserve tranche are the components of Indian forex reserve along with gold and foreign currencies)

IMF reform in quota:

• Higher quota gives higher voting rights and borrowing permissions, But formula is designed in such way, US has ~18% quota, G7 collectively own >40% while India and Russia have barely ~2.5% each.

• BRICS, G20 and emerging market economies are against this scheme especially after Subprime crisis and declined economic strength of USA & G7.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

India and ADB inked $80 Million Loan Agreement to Improve Urban Services in Agartala and Aizwal. ADB approved $500 million loan for bridge over Ganga River in Bihar.

About ADB:

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966

• Headquarter at Metro Manila, Philippines.

• Aimed to facilitate social and economic development of countries in Asia.

• From 31 members at its establishment, ADB now has 67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.

• The ADB was modelled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.

• At the end of 2014, Japan holds the largest proportion of shares at 15.7%. The United States holds 15.6%, China holds 6.5%, India holds 6.4%, and Australia holds 5.8%.



Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

SCO summit 2016 was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

About SCO:

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. These countries, except for Uzbekistan, had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organisation. On July 10, 2015, the SCO decided to admit India and Pakistan as full members.

• India and Pakistan signed the memorandum of obligations on 24 June 2016 at Tashkent, thereby starting the formal process of joining the SCO as full members. The acceptance process will take some months, by which they are expected to become full members by the next meeting at Astana in 2017

• Headquarters: Beijing, China

• Formation: 26 April 1996

• Activities - Cooperation on security, Military activities, Economic cooperation and Cultural cooperation

Organization of Islamic Cooperation

OIC has expressed concern over Kashmir violence.

About OIC:

• Organization of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states, with a collective population of over 1.6 billion as of 2008.

• The organization states that it is “the collective voice of the Muslim world” and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”.

• The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union. The official languages of the OIC are Arabic, English, and French.

Dispute with India:

• India has pushed against the OIC for referring to disputed areas of Kashmir as “occupied by India”. Although 13.4% of India’s population is Muslim, it has pushed for the OIC to make an exception to accept India as a member, arguing that about 11% (roughly 172 million) of the Muslims live in India. Pakistan opposes India’s entry into the OIC.

BRICS

The eighth BRICS summit was held in Goa from 15 to 16 October 2016. The summit concluded with adaptation of Goa Declaration.

About BRICS:

• BRICS is a grouping of five emerging economies namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The name was given by the then chairman of goldman sachs , Jim o’Neill.

• The BRIC grouping’s first formal summit, was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia ,on 16 June 2009

• South Africa became the full member in 2010 and attended the 2011 BRICS summit in Sanya, China.

• As of 2015, the five BRICS countries represent over 3.6 billion people, or about 40% of the world population; all five members are in the top 25 of the world by population, and four are in the top 10. The five nations have a combined nominal GDP of US$16.6 trillion, equivalent to approximately 22% of the gross world product, combined GDP (PPP) of around US$37 trillion and an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves.

• It encourages commercial, political and cultural cooperation between the BRICS nations New Development Bank is an outcome of this platform.

Financial Structure:

• Currently, there are two components that make up the financial architecture of BRICS, namely, the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

• At the Fortaleza summit, Brazil (6th summit), the BRICS nations agreed to create the New Development Bank (NDB) to allow states to pool resources for economic stabilization. The countries also set forth plans to acquire reserves of $100 billion through investment from the BRICS nations

• The BRICS bank or NDB has been started with the initial capital os $ 50 billion, every country contributing an equal amount of $10 billion each.

• The bank operates on the principle of equal voting share.

• It is headquartered in Shanghai, China and the first chairman is K.V.Kamat of India.

• The bank will provide loans to finance infrastructural and sustainable development projects in the BRICS countries initially, but other low and middle income countries can apply for loans later.

• The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is a framework for providing protection against global liquidity pressures. The CRA has a pool of $100 billion.



• Funding of CRA:

China =41%

Brazil, India, Russia= 18% each.

South Africa = 5%

Date(s) HostCountry

Location Notes

1st - 2009

Russia Yekaterin-burg

2nd - 2010

Brazil Brasília

3rd - 2011

China Sanya First summit to include South Africa alongside the origi-nal BRIC countries.

4th - 2012

India New Delhi (Taj Mahal Hotel)

The BRICS Cable announced an opti-cal fibre submarine communications cable system that carries telecommu-nications between the BRICS countries.

5th - 2013

South Africa

Durban

6th-2014

Brazil Fortaleza BRICS New Devel-opment Bank and BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrange-ment agreements signed.

7th - 2015

Russia Ufa Joint summit with SCO-EEU

8th - 2016

India Goa (Taj Exotica)

Joint summit with BIMSTEC

9th- 2017

China Xiamen (Xiamen In-ternational

UNESCO

UNESCO includes Yoga in Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

About UNESCO:

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations )based in Paris.

• It was established in 1946.

• Irina Bokova of Bulgaria is the director general of

UNESCO.

• Members=195

• Liechtenstein and Israel are members of UN but not the members of UNESCO.

• Palestine, cook islands and Niue are the non UN members, who have membership of UNESCO.

• Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.

• It is the heir of the League of Nations’ International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.

• Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy, technical, and teacher-training programmes, international science programmes, the promotion of independent media and freedom of the press, regional and cultural history projects, the promotion of cultural diversity, translations of world literature, international cooperation agreements to secure the world cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage Sites) and to preserve human rights, and attempts to bridge the worldwide digital divide.

Activities:

• Biosphere reserves, through the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB), since 1971.

• World Heritage Sites.

• UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors.

• International Literacy Day.

• International Year for the Culture of Peace.

• International Council of Science.

• GoUNESCO, an umbrella of initiatives to make heritage fun supported by UNESCO, New Delhi.

UNGA ( United nations general assembly)

Former Portuguese prime minister , Antonio Guterres has been elected as the new secretary general of the UN general assembly.

About UNGA:

• The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), the only one in which all member nations have equal representation, and the main deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the UN.

• All the UN members are represented in UNGA. Every member can send up to five representatives to UNGA but with only one vote.



Powers and functions:

• Its powers are to oversee the budget of the UN, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council, appoint the judges on ICJ in concurrence with the security council, appoint secretary general on the recommendations of the security council, receive reports from other parts of the UN and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions. It has also established numerous subsidiary organs.

Membership

• All 193 members’ states of the United Nations are members of the General Assembly. Further, the United Nations General Assembly may grant observer status to an international organization, entity or non-member state, which entitles the entity to participate in the work of the United Nations General Assembly, though with limitations.

• General Assembly Resolutions are generally non-binding on member states, but carry considerable political weight, and are legally binding towards the operations of the General Assembly. The General Assembly can also refer an issue to the Security Council to put in place a binding resolution.

UNCLOS

Why was UNCLOS in News?

• The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China memorialized the 70th anniversary of the recapture of the Xisha and Nansha Islands, the Chinese names of Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea.

• China’s assertions over the South China Sea is disputed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan

• Many countries have called for resolving the south China sea issue through peaceful means and in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

About UNCLOS:

• UNCLOS is an acronym for the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea. Sometimes referred to as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty.

• UNCLOS as the currently prevailing law of the sea is binding absolutely.

• UN does not have any major functional role in the working of UNCLOS.

• Year of Establishment: 10 December 1982

• HQ: Montego Bay, Jamaica

The classification of sea water as per UNCLOS:

Territorial waters

• Out to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres; 14 miles) from the baseline, the coastal state is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource.

• Exclusive enforcement jurisdiction for security and all other matters.

• Vessels were given the right of innocent passage through any territorial waters, with strategic straits allowing the passage of military craft as transit passage

Contiguous zone

• Beyond the 12-nautical-mile (22 km) limit, there is a further 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the territorial sea baseline limit which is the contiguous zone, in which a state can continue to enforce laws in four specific areas: customs, taxation, immigration and pollution.

Exclusive economic zones (EEZs)

• These extend upto 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres; 230 miles) from the baseline.

• Within this area, the coastal nation has sole exploitation rights over all natural resources.

GCC- Gulf Cooperation Council

Why was GCC in News?

India and Qatar have joined hands to counter radicalization. Qatar is a member of Gulf cooperation council.

About GCC:

Gulf Cooperation Council is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union.

Member states

• Bahrain

• Kuwait

• Oman

• Qatar

• Saudi Arabia

• United Arab Emirates

Year of Establishment: 25 May 1981

HQ: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objectives:

• Formulating similar regulations in various fields such as religion, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, and administration

• Fostering scientific and technical progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources

• Establishing scientific research centers

• Setting up joint ventures



• Unified military (Peninsula Shield Force)

• Encouraging cooperation of the private sector

• Strengthening ties between their people

• Establishing a common currency

MTCR- Missile Technology Control Regime

Why was MTCR in news?

India formally applied for membership to the group in June 2015, with active support from France and the United States, and officially became a member on 27 June 2016 with the consensus of the 34 member nations.

Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa (Portugal supported India’s membership)visited India on a State Visit in January. He attended the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas as the chief guest in Bengaluru.

The MTCR has 35 members

• Argentina, 1993.

• Australia, 1990.

• Austria, 1991.

• Belgium, 1990.

• Bulgaria, 2004.

• Brazil, 1995.

• Canada, 1987.

• Czech Republic, 1998.

• Denmark, 1990.

• Finland, 1991.

• France, 1987.

• Germany, 1987.

• Greece, 1992.

• Hungary, 1993.

• Iceland, 1993.

• India, 2016.

• Republic of Ireland, 1992.

• Italy, 1987.

• Japan, 1987.

• Luxembourg, 1990.

• Netherlands, 1990.

• New Zealand, 1991.

• Norway, 1990.

• Poland, 1997.

• Portugal, 1992.

• South Korea Republic of Korea, 200.

• Russian Federation, 1995.

• South Africa, 1995.

• Spain, 1990.

• Sweden, 1991.

• Switzerland, 1992.

• Turkey, 1997.

• Ukraine, 1998.

• United Kingdom, 1987.

• United States, 1987.

What is the MTCR?

The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is an informal political understanding among states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology.

The MTCR does not impose any legally binding obligations on members.

Rather, it is an informal political understanding among states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology.

When was the MTCR established?

The regime was formed in 1987 by the G-7 industrialized countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the United States).

What is the purpose of the MTCR?

• The MTCR was initiated by like-minded countries to address the increasing proliferation of nuclear weapons by addressing the most destabilizing delivery system for such weapons.

• In 1992, the MTCR’s original focus on missiles for nuclear weapons delivery was extended to a focus on the proliferation of missiles for the delivery of all types of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), i.e., nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

• Such proliferation has been identified as a threat to international peace and security.

• One way to counter this threat is to maintain vigilance over the transfer of missile equipment, material, and related technologies usable for systems capable of delivering WMD.

• The MTCR seeks to limit the risks of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by controlling exports of goods and technologies that could make a contribution to delivery systems (other than manned aircraft) for such weapons.

• In this context, the Regime places particular focus on rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km and on equipment, software, and technology for such systems.



How does the MTCR achieve its objectives?

• Export Controls.

• Meetings.

• Dialogue and Outreach.

EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY

Why in news?

• Recently India announced a line of credit of $ 100million to Kenya.

• Kenya is a member of EAC.

What is EAC and who are its members?

• The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of six countries in the African Great Lakes region in eastern Africa: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

• The EAC is an integral part of the African Economic Community.

• EAC launched its own common market for goods, labour, and capital within the region, with the goal of creating a common currency and eventually a full political federation.

• Year of Establishment: 1967

• HQ: Arusha,Tanzania.

About ISA:

• ISA is a group of solar resource rich countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

• The initiative was launched by Modi at the India Africa Summit, and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. The Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance opened for signatures in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016, and 121 countries have joined.

• Most of these countries are geographically located for optimal absorption of the sun’s rays.

• There is a great amount of sunlight year-round which can lead to cost effective solar power and other end uses with high insolation of almost 300 sunny days in a year.

• Many countries face gaps in the potential solar energy manufacturing eco-system. Absence of universal energy access, energy equity and affordability are issues common to most of the solar resource rich countries.

ISA-INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE

Objective:

• Parties hereby establish an International Solar Alliance, through which they will collectively address key common challenges to the scaling up of solar energy in line with their needs.

• Year of establishment: 2015

• HQ: Gwal Pahari, Gurugram, Haryana, India.

Indian Ocean Rim Association

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held its first summit meeting in Jakarta on 5-7 March 2017, on the 20th anniversary of its formation.

• The organisation was first established as Indian Ocean Rim Initiative in Mauritius on March 1995 and formally launched on 6–7 March 1997 by the conclusion of a multilateral treaty known as the Charter of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC).

The objectives of IORA are as follows:

• To promote sustainable growth and balanced development of the region and member states.

• To focus on those areas of economic cooperation which provide maximum opportunities for development, shared interest and mutual benefits.

• To promote liberalization, remove impediments and lower barriers towards a free and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim.

Members:

• The IORA membership includes India, Indonesia, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Iran, Kenya, The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held its first summit meeting in Jakarta on 5-7 March 2017, on the 20th anniversary of its formation.

• The organisation was first established as Indian Ocean Rim Initiative in Mauritius on March 1995 and formally launched on 6–7 March 1997 by the conclusion of a multilateral treaty known as the Charter of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC).

The objectives of IORA are as follows:

• To promote sustainable growth and balanced development of the region and member states.

• To focus on those areas of economic cooperation which provide maximum opportunities for development, shared interest and mutual benefits.

• To promote liberalization, remove impediments and lower barriers towards a free and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim.



Members:

• The IORA membership includes India, Indonesia, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

• The Coordinating Secretariat of IORA is located at Ebene, Mauritius.

WTO

India has recently asked WTO for expediting the negotiation process for a global services pact.

About WTO:

• World Trade Organization, as an institution was established in 1995. It replaced General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) which was in place since 1946.

• WTO came to existence through Marrakesh treaty.

• WTO as an organization intends to supervise and liberalize international trade

• WTO currently has 160 members and India is a founding member of WTO.

• It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Major agreements of WTO

• Agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures – SCM.

• Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

• Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMS).

• Agreement on agriculture(AOA) etc.

• It releases the World Trade Report that aims to deepen understanding about trends in trade, trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system.

Indus Water Commission

Officials from India and Pakistan recently discussed problems relating to Indus Basin at the two-day Indus Water Commission meeting in Lahore after a gap of nearly two years.

About Indus water commission:

• The Permanent Indus Commission is a bilateral commission of officials from India and Pakistan, created to implement and manage goals of the Indus Waters Treaty.

• The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by World Bank, was signed by the then-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan in 1960.

• It administers how Indus River and its tributaries would be utilized.

• The treaty specifies that India is allowed to use 20% of Indus water for irrigation, power-generation, and transportation.

• According to this agreement, control over the three “eastern” rivers — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej — was given to India, while control over the three “western” rivers — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum — to Pakistan.

BIMSTEC

The first meeting of National Security Chiefs of BIMSTEC Member States was hosted by India in New Delhi on 21 March 2017.

About BIMSTEC:

• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia.

• The main objective of BIMSTEC is technological and economical cooperation among South Asian and South East Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

Members:

• The BIMSTEC comprises of seven countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

• The headquarters of BIMSTEC is in Dhaka.

SAARC

Pakistan recently succeeded in getting its official elected to the post of Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Pakistan recently succeeded in getting its official elected to the post of Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

About SAARC:

• In 1985, the heads of state of seven south Asian nations viz Bangladesh, Bhutan ,Maldives ,India, Nepal, Pakisthan , and Srilanka held a summit at Dhaka and unanimously decided to create SAARC.

• It is an economic & geopolitical organization of 8 countries that are primarily located in South Asia.

• SAARC policies aim to promote welfare economics, collective self- reliance among the countries of South Asia, and to accelerate socio-cultural development in the region.

Members:

• Its members are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal,



Bhutan, Sri lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan.( Afghanistan became a member in 2007).

• SAARC has nine observer countries viz Australia , China , E.U , Iran , Japan , Mauritius , South Korea and U.S.A

• Its secretariat is in Kathmandu, Nepal.

UNSC

In news because North Korea’s repeated missile tests and Netherlands recently backing India’s bid for permanent UNSC seat.

About UNSC:

• United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is a principal organ of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.

• It is described as the enforcement wing of the UN.

• Security council is the only UN organ which is vested with power to take decision which are binding on the member states.

• There are 15 members of the Security Council, consisting of five veto-wielding permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and 10 elected non-permanent members with two-year terms and non permanent members are not eligible for immediate re-election.

International Court of Justice

India recently took Pakistan to the ICJ in relation to the death sentence awarded to Kulbushan Jadhav in Pakistan. ICJ stayed the execution of Jadhav and ordered Pakistan to grant consular access to Jadhav.

About ICJ:

• It is the official court of U.N, commonly known as “World Court”.

• It is the primary judicial branch of United Nations and settles legal disputes and provides advisory opinions submitted to it by its member states

• The court does not enjoy enforcement power.

• The court consists 15 judges elected by UN general assembly and security council. The judges are elected for a period of 9 years.

• No two judges from the same country can be elected.

• English and French are the official languages of ICJ.

Members:

• States that ratify the U.N. Charter become parties to the ICJ Statute. Non-UN member states can also become parties to the ICJ by ratifying the ICJ Statute.

• Its headquarters is in Peace Palace, Hague, Netherlands.

UN-Habitat

Recently in May 2017, India has been unanimously elected as the President of the UN-Habitat .

About UN-Habitat:

• The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976.

• It is an inter-governmental policy making and decision making body.

• The Governing Council of UN-Habitat seeks to promote integral and comprehensive approach to human settlements

• It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

• Its headquarters is at Nairobi, Kenya.

• It releases the World Cities Report which is an analysis of urban development of the past twenty years

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international institutes and organisations in news. · 2017-06-08 · international trade law...

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