International Organizations and Groupings For Prelims

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International Organizations and

Groupings {for Prelims}
Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies

Last Updated: July 13, 2016
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International Organizations and Groupings {for Prelims}
Contents
......................... ....... ......... .. ......... ... ................................................
United Nations ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Members of United Nations .............................................................................................................. 3
Current Leaders of United Nations .................................................................................................. 3
Four major principal aims of United Nations ................................................................................ 3
Key Principles enshrined in UN Charter ......................................................................................... 3
Veto Power in UN ............................................................................................................................... 4
Headquarters of United Nations ...................................................................................................... 4
UN as a Legal Personality .................................................................................................................. 4
United Nations System ....................................................................................................................... 5
United Nations Ofcial Languages ................................................................................................... 5
Documents of United Nations .......................................................................................................... 6
UN General Assembly (UNGA) ....................................................................................................... 6
Voting and Resolutions at UNGA .................................................................................................... 6
United Nations Security Council (UNCA) ..................................................................................... 6
United Nations Secretariat ................................................................................................................. 7
Secretary-General of the United Nations ....................................................................................... 7
Appointment of Secretary General .................................................................................................. 7
International Court of Justice ............................................................................................................ 8
International Criminal Court ............................................................................................................. 8
United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) ......................................................... 8
Specialized institutions of United Nations ...................................................................................... 9
United Nations Security Council .................................................................................................................... 10
Powers of UNSC ................................................................................................................................ 10
Permanent Members or P5 Countries .......................................................................................... 10
Non-permanent Members of UNSC .............................................................................................. 11
How the Non-members participate in activities of UNSC? ...................................................... 11
How President of the UNSC is selected? ...................................................................................... 11
Veto Power of the P5 Nations ......................................................................................................... 12
How UNSC works? ........................................................................................................................... 12
Reforms in the United Nations Security Council ........................................................................ 13
Why reforms are demanded for UNSC? ...................................................................................... 13
An Agenda for Peace By Boutros Ghali ................................................................................... 14
The G4 Bloc ....................................................................................................................................... 14
The Coffee Club ................................................................................................................................ 14
In Larger Freedom- By Ko Annan ............................................................................................... 15
United Nations General Assembly .................................................................................................................. 15
Powers of UNGA ............................................................................................................................... 15
Members of UNGA ........................................................................................................................... 15
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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 2

UNGA Resolutions ............................................................................................................................ 16

Numbering System of UNGA Resolutions ................................................................................... 16
United Nations Parliamentary Assembly ....................................................................................... 17
Budget of the United Nations ......................................................................................................................... 17
Regular Budget of United Nations ................................................................................................. 17
Peacekeeping Budget of United Nations ...................................................................................... 18
Voluntary Contributions ................................................................................................................... 18
Arrears ................................................................................................................................................. 18
International Court of Justice .......................................................................................................................... 18
Presidency of the ICJ ......................................................................................................................... 18
Judges of the ICJ ................................................................................................................................ 19
Jurisdiction of ICJ ............................................................................................................................... 19
How does ICJ work? ........................................................................................................................ 19
Sources of international law ........................................................................................................... 20
United Nations Economic and Social Council ............................................................................................. 21
Functions of ECOSOC ...................................................................................................................... 21
President of ECOSOC ....................................................................................................................... 21
Members .............................................................................................................................................. 21
How does it work? Manish ............................................................................................................................
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies 21
ECOSOC Bureau ............................................................................................................................... 22
UNESCO ............................................................................................................................................................. 22
UNESCO Ofces ............................................................................................................................... 22
Members ............................................................................................................................................. 22
Other Important Notes on UNESCO for Examinations ............................................................ 22
UNESCO Prizes ................................................................................................................................. 24
World Health Organization (WHO) .............................................................................................................. 25
Director-General ............................................................................................................................... 25
World Health Day ............................................................................................................................. 25
Functions ............................................................................................................................................. 25
Publications ......................................................................................................................................... 26
Members ............................................................................................................................................. 26
Regional ofces: ................................................................................................................................. 26
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ................................................. 26
Functions ............................................................................................................................................. 26
Reports Published: ............................................................................................................................. 27
Important Notes: ............................................................................................................................... 27
UNCTAD Conferences .................................................................................................................... 27
UNCTAD and GSP .......................................................................................................................... 27
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) .................................................................................. 28
Focus Areas ........................................................................................................................................ 28
Position in UNGA ............................................................................................................................. 28

UNDP Headquarters ........................................................................................................................ 29

Human Development Report ......................................................................................................... 29
United Nations Environment Programme ................................................................................................... 29
Headquarters ...................................................................................................................................... 29
Executive Director ............................................................................................................................. 29
Functions ............................................................................................................................................. 29
Other UN Agencies and Organizations ........................................................................................................ 30
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT) ......................................... 30
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) ..................... 31
UNIDO ................................................................................................................................................. 31
UNIT-AR ............................................................................................................................................. 31
UNESCAP ............................................................................................................................................ 31
Food and Agriculture Organization ............................................................................................... 31
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) .............................................................................. 31
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ...................................................................... 32
International Labour Organization (ILO) ..................................................................................... 32
International Maritime Organization (IMO) ............................................................................... 32
International Telecommunication Union ...................................................................................... 33
How are international telephones
Manish Jain dialling
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World Bank ......................................................................................................................................................... 33

World Banks Members .................................................................................................................... 34
World Bank President ...................................................................................................................... 34
World Bank Lending and Marshal Plan, 1947 ........................................................................... 34
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) ......................................... 35
IDA ....................................................................................................................................................... 35
International Finance Corporation ................................................................................................. 35
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency ................................................................................. 35
International Monetary Fund (IMF) .............................................................................................................. 35
Executive Board of IMF ................................................................................................................... 36
Managing Director ........................................................................................................................... 36
Membership ....................................................................................................................................... 36
Members Quota ............................................................................................................................... 36
Decision making ................................................................................................................................ 37
IMF lending Assistance .................................................................................................................... 37
Criticisms ............................................................................................................................................ 37
Washington Consensus .................................................................................................................... 38
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank .......................................................................................................... 39
Members and largest shareholders ............................................................................................... 39
What is its signicance? ................................................................................................................... 39
How India will be beneted from being a founding member of AIIB? ............................... 40
CHNHVWhat are the challenges before AIIB? .......................................................................................... 40

Asian Development Bank (ADB) .................................................................................................................. 40

Important Facts .................................................................................................................................. 41
New Development Bank .................................................................................................................................. 41
Notable Facts ...................................................................................................................................... 41
Non-alignment Movement .............................................................................................................................. 42
Basic Principles .................................................................................................................................. 42
Notable Facts: .................................................................................................................................... 42
Commonwealth ................................................................................................................................................. 42
Important Facts ................................................................................................................................. 43
Other Organizations ......................................................................................................................................... 43
Amnesty International ...................................................................................................................... 43
Andean Community ......................................................................................................................... 43
ANZUS Treaty {Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty} ............................ 43
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) ......................................................... 43
BENELUX ........................................................................................................................................... 44
INTERPOL ......................................................................................................................................... 44
Arab League ....................................................................................................................................... 44
NATO .................................................................................................................................................. 45
CSTO ...................................................................................................................................................
Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies 45
Commonwealth of Independent States ........................................................................................ 45
African Union ..................................................................................................................................... 45
OPEC ................................................................................................................................................... 46
SEATO ................................................................................................................................................ 46
G-20 .................................................................................................................................................... 46
Presidency of the G20 ..................................................................................................................... 46
Members ............................................................................................................................................. 46
G-77 and G-24 ................................................................................................................................ 47
Caribbean Community and Common Market {CARICOM} .................................................. 47
IOR-ARC ............................................................................................................................................ 47
BIMSTEC ........................................................................................................................................... 47
Objectives ........................................................................................................................................... 48
SCO {Shanghai Cooperation Organization ................................................................................. 48
Arctic Council .................................................................................................................................... 48
Nordic Council .................................................................................................................................. 48
World Economic Forum .................................................................................................................. 48
MERCOSUR ....................................................................................................................................... 49
IBSA ..................................................................................................................................................... 49
Various Indices .................................................................................................................................................. 49
Human Development Index and Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) ............................ 49
Human Capital Index ....................................................................................................................... 49
Network Readiness Index ............................................................................................................... 49

Global Peace Index ........................................................................................................................... 50

World Happiness Index .................................................................................................................... 50
Key Highlights of Report ................................................................................................................. 50
About World Happiness Report ..................................................................................................... 50
World Press Freedom Index ............................................................................................................ 51
Key facts ............................................................................................................................................... 51
About World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) ................................................................................. 51
Logistics Performance Index ............................................................................................................ 51
Key facts ............................................................................................................................................... 51
Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (GEAPI) ........................................................ 52
Key facts .............................................................................................................................................. 52
Crony-Capitalism Index ................................................................................................................... 53
Key facts .............................................................................................................................................. 53
Ease of Doing Business Rankings {October, 2015} ................................................................... 53
Key highlights of report ................................................................................................................... 53
About the Ease of Doing Business ranking ................................................................................. 53
2015 Corruption Perception Index ................................................................................................ 54
Key facts .............................................................................................................................................. 54
CHNHV

United Nations
The term United Nations was first officially used on 1 January 1942, representatives of 26 nations
pledged their governments to continue fighting together {via Atlantic Charter and Declaration by
United Nations} to defeat the Axis powers and to obtain a just peace. This was soon after entry of
America in WW-II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and Germanys declaration of
war on the United States in December 1941. The blueprint of United Nations was drawn in the
Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944. The United Nations charter was signed in 26 June 1945
and it entered into force on 24 October 1945. Its headquarters are at International territory in New
York City, USA.
Members of United Nations
With the addition of South Sudan on 14 July 2011, there are currently 193 United Nations member
states, including all fully recognized independent states apart from Vatican City. The Holy See,
which holds sovereignty over the state of Vatican City, is a permanent observer in United Nations.
Palestine is another non-state observer member.
Current Leaders of United Nations
Current leaders of United Manish
Nations are as follows:| www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
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Secretary General : Ban Ki-moon

Deputy Secretary-General : Jan Eliasson
General Assembly President: Mogens Lykketoft
Economic and Social Council President: Oh Joon
Security Council President Koro Bessho
Four major principal aims of United Nations
The four principal aims of the United Nations are as follows:
To safeguard peace and security in order to save succeeding generations from the scourge of
war.
To reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights.
To uphold respect for international law.
To promote social progress and better standards of life.
Key Principles enshrined in UN Charter
The summary of key principles of UN charter is as follows:
Sovereign equality of all its members
To enjoy rights and benefits of being a UN member, all countries shall fulfill obligations
assumed by them in good faith.

Members shall be settling international disputes by peaceful means

Members shall be refraining from threat or use of force against territorial integrity of each
other.
Members shall be giving every assistance in every need of United Nations. and shall refrain
from giving assistance to any state against which united nations is taking preventive or
enforcement
UN will ensure that the states which are not members of the United Nations act in
accordance with these principles with regard to international peace and security.
UN will not intervene in matters related to domestic matters of members.
Veto Power in UN
The UN charter had given superior powers to five of the founding members of the UN-China,
France, Great Britain, United States and USSR-that allowed them to prevent any decisions that they
viewed inimical to their interests from being made. They became the Permanent Five {P-5} of the
UN Security Council,. This strategy, it was thought, would provide the key countries, with an
incentive to remain part of the UN. It also provided them with the means of neutralizing the world
organization. Though its founders were keenly aware of the failures of the League of Nations, most
of its ideals and many structural elements were at the core of the UN Charter. Most evidently, the
UN Charter and the League Covenant cited the promotion of international security and the peaceful
settlement of disputes as key goals. But the UN Charter was different some important aspects.
Headquarters of United Nations
The headquarters UN are located at Turtle Bay neighbourhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds
overlooking the East River in a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official
headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. Thus Turtle Bay is also sometimes
called UN.
The United Nations has three additional, subsidiary, regional headquarters or headquarters districts.
These are located in Geneva (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria), and Nairobi (Kenya). These adjunct offices
help represent UN interests, facilitate diplomatic activities, and enjoy certain extraterritorial
privileges, but only the main headquarters in New York contains the seats of the principal organs of
the UN, including the General Assembly and Security Council.
All 15 of the United Nations specialized agencies are located outside New York at these other
headquarters or in other cities.
The lead architect for the headquarters building was the real estate firm of Wallace Harrison.
UN as a Legal Personality
United Nations is NOT a State. Shortly after its establishment the UN sought recognition as an
CHNHV

international legal person due to the case of Reparations for Injuries Suffered in the Service of the United
Nations with the advisory opinion delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The question
arose whether the United Nations, as an organisation, had the capacity to bring an international
claim against a government regarding injuries that the organisation alleged had been caused by that
state. The Court stated: the Organization was intended to exercise and enjoy, and is in fact exercising and
enjoying functions and rights, which can only be explained on the basis of the possession of a large measure of
international personality and the capacity to operate upon an international plane .
Thus, UNO is an international person. Legal personality and rights and duties are NOT the same as
those of a State. Being a Legal Person, UNO is a subject of international law and capable of
possessing international rights and duties, and that it has capacity to maintain its rights by bringing
international claims.
United Nations System
United Nations had six principal organs previously.
1. General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly);
2. Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security);
3. Economic and Social Council
Manish (for assisting
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com in promoting international economic and social
cooperation and development);

4. Secretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN);
5. International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ);
6. United Nations Trusteeship Council
The 6th organ Trusteeship Council suspended operations in 1994, upon the independence of Palau,
the last remaining UN trustee territory. Thus, today UN system has five principal organs. Except
ICJ, all four organs are located at the main United Nations Headquarters located on international
territory in New York City. ICJ is located in The Hague, while other major agencies are based in the
UN offices at Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi.
Other prominent UN System agencies include the World Health Organization (WHO), the World
Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF).
United Nations Official Languages
There are six official languages of United Nations viz. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and
Spanish. There are also two working languages in the secretariat viz. English and French. Four of the
official languages are the national languages of the permanent members of the Security Council (the United
Kingdom and the United States share English as de facto official language); Spanish and Arabic are
the languages of the two largest blocs of official languages outside of the permanent members

(Spanish being official in 20 countries, Arabic in 26). Five of the official languages were chosen when
the UN was founded; Arabic was added later in 1973.
Documents of United Nations
United Nations documents have a symbol, which serves as a unique identifier. Each symbol is
composed of letters and numbers, which indicates the organ to which the document is being
submitted or the organ that is issuing the document. For example, all UNGA documents start with
A/. All language versions of a document carry the same symbol.
UN General Assembly (UNGA)
This is the main deliberative assembly of the United Nations. It is composed of all members of
United Nations. It meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected from among the
member states. Over a two-week period at the start of each session, all members have the
opportunity to address the assembly. Traditionally, the Secretary-General makes the first statement,
followed by the president of the assembly. The first session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the
Westminster Central Hall in London and included representatives of 51 nations.
Voting and Resolutions at UNGA
When the General Assembly votes on important questions, a two-thirds majority of those
present and voting is required. Examples of important questions include: recommendations
on peace and security; election of members to organs; admission, suspension, and expulsion
of members; and, budgetary matters.
All other questions are decided by majority vote.
Each member country has one vote. Apart from approval of budgetary matters, resolutions
are not binding on the members.
The Assembly may make recommendations on any matters within the scope of the UN,
except matters of peace and security that are under Security Council consideration.
United Nations Security Council (UNCA)
The Security Council is charged with maintaining peace and security among countries.
Please note that while other organs of the United Nations can only make recommendations
to member governments, the Security Council has the power to make binding decisions that
member governments have agreed to carry out, under the terms of Charter Article 25.
The decisions of the Council are known as United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Thus while the UNGA resolutions are generally non-binding, UNCA resolutions are binding
as well as non-binding.
The Security Council is made up of 15 member states, consisting of 5 permanent membersChina,
France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United Statesand 10 non-permanent members,
CHNHV

currently Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Colombia, Gabon, Germany, India, Lebanon, Nigeria,
Portugal, South Africa. The five permanent members hold veto power over substantive but not
procedural resolutions allowing a permanent member to block adoption but not to block the debate of a
resolution unacceptable to it. The ten temporary seats are held for two-year terms with member states
voted in by the General Assembly on a regional basis. The presidency of the Security Council is
rotated alphabetically each month.
United Nations Secretariat
The United Nations Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international
civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations
bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council, the UN
General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other UN bodies. The United Nations
Charter provides that the staff be chosen by application of the highest standards of efficiency,
competence, and integrity, with due regard for the importance of recruiting on a wide geographical
basis.
The Secretary-Generals duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering
peacekeeping operations,Manish
organizing international
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com conferences, gathering information on the
implementation of Security Council decisions, and consulting with member governments regarding
various initiatives.
Secretary-General of the United Nations
The UNs most visible public figure is the Secretary-General, currently Ban Ki-moon of South Korea,
who is in the office since 2007. He replaced Kofi Annan and was re-elected for a second term in
2011. The second term would end in December, 2016.
Secretary-General acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the UN. Envisioned by Franklin D.
Roosevelt as a world moderator, the position is defined in the UN Charter as the organizations
Chief Administrative Officer, but the Charter also states that the Secretary-General can bring to the
Security Councils attention any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of
international peace and security, giving the position greater scope for action on the world stage. The
position has evolved into a dual role of an administrator of the UN organization, and a diplomat and
mediator addressing disputes between member states and finding consensus to global issues.
Appointment of Secretary General
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, after being recommended by the
Security Council, where the permanent members have veto power The General Assembly can
theoretically override the Security Councils recommendation if a majority vote is not achieved,
although this has not happened so far. There are no specific criteria for the post, but over the years,

it has become accepted that the post shall be held for one or two terms of five years, that the post
shall be appointed on the basis of geographical rotation, and that the Secretary-General shall not
originate from one of the five permanent Security Council member states.
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the primary judicial
organ of the United Nations. Established in 1945 by the United Nations Charter, the Court began
work in 1946 as the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice.
The Statute of the International Court of Justice, similar to that of its predecessor, is the main
constitutional document constituting and regulating the Court.
It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, sharing the building with The
Hague Academy of International Law, a private centre for the study of international law.
Several of the Courts current judges are either alumni or former faculty members of the
Academy.
Its purpose is to adjudicate disputes among states. The court has heard cases related to war
crimes, illegal state interference and ethnic cleansing, among others, and continues to hear
cases. Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC), it came into being on 1 July 2002 with the entering into
force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which was adopted on 17 July 1998. It
is the first permanent international court charged with trying those who commit the most serious
crimes under international law, including war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and the
crime of aggression (although it cannot exercise jurisdiction over this crime prior to 2017).
The ICC is functionally independent of the UN in terms of personnel and financing, but some
meetings of the ICC governing body, the Assembly of the States Parties to the Rome Statute, are held
at the United Nations.
There is a relationship agreement between the ICC and the UN that governs how the two
institutions regard each other legally.
United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) assists the General Assembly in promoting
international economic and social cooperation and development. ECOSOC has 54 members, all of
which are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term. The president is elected for a one-
year term and chosen amongst the small or middle powers represented on ECOSOC.
ECOSOC meets once a year in July for a four-week session. Since 1998, it has held another meeting
each April with finance ministers heading key committees of the World Bank and the International

Monetary Fund (IMF).

Viewed separate from the specialized bodies it coordinates, ECOSOCs functions include information
gathering, advising member nations, and making recommendations. In addition, ECOSOC is well-
positioned to provide policy coherence and coordinate the overlapping functions of the UNs
subsidiary bodies and it is in these roles that it is most active.
Specialized institutions of United Nations
Many UN organizations and agencies exist to work on particular issues. Some of the most well-
known agencies are the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Food and Agriculture
Organization, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the
World Bank and the World Health Organization. It is through these agencies that the UN performs
most of its humanitarian work. Examples include mass vaccination programmes (through the
WHO), the avoidance of famine and malnutrition (through the work of the WFP) and the
protection of vulnerable and displaced people (for example, by the UNHCR). The United Nations
Charter stipulates that each primary organ of the UN can establish various specialized agencies to
fulfil its duties.
The following table lists the UN specialized institutions:
No Acronyms Agency Headquarters Established in
1 FAO Food and Agriculture Organization Rome, Italy 1945
2 IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna, Austria 1957
International Civil Aviation

3 ICAO Montreal, Canada 1947
Organization
International Fund for Agricultural

4 IFAD Rome, Italy 1977
Development
5 ILO International Labour Organization Geneva, Switzerland 1946 (1919)
6 IMO International Maritime Organization London, United Kingdom 1948
7 IMF International Monetary Fund Washington, D.C., USA 1945 (1944)
International Telecommunication
8 ITU Geneva, Switzerland 1947 (1865)
Union
United Nations Educational, Scientic

9 UNESCO Paris, France 1946
and Cultural Organization
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No Acronyms Agency Headquarters Established in
United Nations Industrial

10 UNIDO Vienna, Austria 1967
Development Organization
11 UPU Universal Postal Union Bern, Switzerland 1947 (1874)
12 WB World Bank Washington, D.C., USA 1945 (1944)
13 WFP World Food Programme Rome, Italy 1963
14 WHO World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland 1948
World Intellectual Property

15 WIPO Geneva, Switzerland 1974
Organization
16 WMO World Meteorological Organization Geneva, Switzerland 1950 (1873)
17 UNWTO World Tourism Organization Madrid, Spain 1974
United Nations Security Council

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is a principal organ of the United Nations and is charged
with the maintenance of international peace and security. UN Security Council Chamber in New
York is also known as the Norwegian Room.
Powers of UNSC
The Powers of the UNSC are outlined in the United Nations Charter. These include:
Establishment of peacekeeping operations
Establishment of international sanctions
The authorization of military action.
The powers of UNSC are exercised through United Nations Security Council resolutions, which
are enforceable in nature, comprising both legally binding and legally non-binding nature.
Permanent Members or P5 Countries
Basic structure of the UNSC is set out in Chapter V of the UN Charter. 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.
Security Council members must always be present at UN headquarters in New York so that
the Security Council can meet at any time. This requirement of the United Nations Charter
was adopted to address a weakness of the League of Nations since that organization was often

unable to respond quickly to a crisis.

The Security Councils five permanent members have the power to veto any substantive
resolution. They are known as P5 Countries. Out of them US, UK and France are the main
victorious powers of World War II.
The Chinas seat was originally filled by the Republic of China, but due to the stalemate of the
Chinese Civil War in 1949, there have been two states claiming to represent China since
then, and both officially claim each others territory. In 1971, the Peoples Republic of China
was awarded Chinas seat in the United Nations by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758,
and the Republic of China (Taiwan) soon lost membership in all UN organizations.
Russia, being the legal successor state to the Soviet Union after the latters collapse in 1991,
acquired the originally-Soviet seat, including the Soviet Unions former representation in the
Security Council.
Please note that five permanent members of the Security Council are also the only countries recognized
as nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). However,
membership of the UN Security Council is not dependent on nuclear weapons status.
Non-permanent Members ofJain
Manish UNSC
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The 10 Non-permanent members of UNSC are elected by the United Nations General Assembly for
two-year terms starting on 1 January, with five replaced each year.
To be approved, a candidate must be receive at least 2/3 of all votes cast for that seat, which can
result in deadlock if there are two roughly evenly matched candidates; in 1979, a standoff between
Cuba and Colombia only ended after three months and 154 rounds of voting, when both withdrew
in favor of Mexico as a compromise candidate.
How the Non-members participate in activities of UNSC?
A country which is member of the UN, but neither permanent nor non-permanent member of the
Security Council, may participate in Security Council discussions in matters by which the Council
agrees that the countrys interests are particularly affected. In recent years, the Council has allowed
many countries to take part in its discussions. Non-members are routinely invited to take part when
they are parties to disputes being considered.
How President of the UNSC is selected?
The Presidency rotates monthly in alphabetical order of the Security Council member nations names
in English. This means that a President of UNSC is elected for a months period. The monthly
rotation takes place in alphabetical order of the member states official United Nations names in
English. From India B N Rau served as the President of the United Nations Security Council in 1950.

Veto Power of the P5 Nations

Under Article 27 of the UN Charter, Security Council decisions on all substantive matters require the
affirmative votes of nine members. A negative vote, or veto, also known as the rule of great power
unanimity, by a permanent member prevents adoption of a proposal, even if it has received the
required number of affirmative votes (9). Abstention is not regarded as a veto despite the wording of
the Charter. Since the Security Councils inception, China (ROC/PRC) has used its veto 6 times;
France 18 times; Russia/USSR 123 times; the United Kingdom 32 times; and the United States 82
times. Please note that procedural matters are not subject to a veto, so the veto cannot be used to
avoid discussion of an issue. The same holds for certain decisions that directly regard permanent
members.
How UNSC works?
The chapter VI & VII of the UN Charter deals with the mechanism of working of the UNSC. The
UN Charter authorizes the Security Council to take action on behalf of the members, and to make
decisions and recommendations. Charter mentions neither binding nor non-binding resolutions. Please
read the following carefully.
Under Chapter VI, which is titled Pacific Settlement of Disputes, the UNSC may investigate
any dispute, or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute. If the
UNSC determines that the situation might endanger international peace and security, it would first
recommend appropriate procedures or methods of adjustment. These recommendations are not
binding on UN members.
Under Chapter VII which titles Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of
the Peace, and Acts of Aggression if it determines that there is threats to the peace, breaches of
the peace, or acts of aggression, then Council is not limited to recommendations but may take action,
including the use of armed force to maintain or restore international peace and security. This was
the legal basis for UN armed action in Korea in 1950 during the Korean War and the use of coalition
forces in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991 and Libya in 2011. Decisions taken under Chapter Seven, such as
economic sanctions, are binding on UN members.The UNSC may also call upon other member
nations to completely or partially interrupt economic relations as well as sea, air, postal, and radio
communications, or to sever diplomatic relations.
Thus, Security Council Resolutions are legally binding if they are made under Chapter VII
(Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression)
of the Charter.
However, there is a general agreement among legal scholars outside the organization that resolutions

made under Chapter VI (Pacific Settlement of Disputes) are not legally binding. This is because they
have no enforcement mechanism, except self-help, they may not be legally binding. However it
(binding or non-binding nature) has been always a subject of discussion. In one document, UNSC
said explicitly that no UNSC resolution is Non-enforceable.
Reforms in the United Nations Security Council
There are 5 issues pertaining to the reforms in the United Nations Security Council. They are as
follows:
Categories of membership
The question of the veto held by the five permanent members
Regional representation
The size of an enlarged Council and its working methods
Security Council-General Assembly relationship.
We should note that reforms in the United Nations security council require the votes of at least two-
thirds of UN member states and that of all the permanent members of the UNSC, enjoying the veto
right.
Why reforms are demanded for UNSC?
The original design of the United Nations was a response to the desire to prevent any more wars like
those that occurred in the first half of the 20th century. To a large extent they reflected the situation
at that time and in the domain of peace and security, the victors of the World War II obtained a
privileged position within the institutional design of the United Nations. The design of the UN
system has a number of shortcomings, looking at the plethora of changes in the world order in last
60 years .The retricted number of permanent members of the Security Council and the UN body
with binding authority weakens the chances of the UN having greater legitimacy and enforcement
capacity, in particular with regard to its role in maintaining world peace and security.
Over time, some of the democratic deficiencies and imbalances of the system have been highlighted
by the corrosion of the original mandates governing certain organizations. The UNGA, which was
very active in the 1960s and 1970s, when the Security Council was paralysed due to rivalry between
the superpowers, began to play an increasingly minor role after the late 1980s when, with the end of
the Cold War, the UNSC was reactivated.
The war in Iraq and other serious recent events of worldwide concern have revealed the divorce
between certain decisions at the level of world politics and the opinion of citizens around the world,
as well as the inability of the nation states to find peaceful, collective and enduring solutions to the
grave problems affecting all of us. The international institutions must substantially improve their
capacity for conflict prevention and the maintenance of peace. This means that the organizations
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responsible for the domains of peace and security should collect all viewpoints in a balanced fashion,
accept them universally as legitimate, as well as being empowered to implement their decisions.
Global justice should be empowered in order to contribute towards eradicating international
impunity, not only with respect to criminal law, but also in the civil, economic, social and
environmental spheres. To make all this possible, steps must be taken towards a worldwide juridical
framework that would ensure the proper application of the present system of international treaties,
reinforce the already-existing international institutions, and create the necessary institutions in other
spheres with all the appropriate and necessary mechanisms.
An Agenda for Peace By Boutros Ghali
Over the decades of existence of United Nations, the imbalance between the number of seats in the
Security Council and the total number of member States has become evident and the only significant
reform of the Security Council came to pass in 1965 after the ratification of two thirds of the
membership, including the five permanent members of the Security Council (that have a veto right
on Charter changes). The reform included an increase of the non-permanent membership from six
to 10 members. With Boutros Boutros-Ghali elected as Secretary-General in 1992, the reform
discussions of the UN Security Council were launched again as he started his new term with the
first-ever summit of the Security Council and thereafter published An Agenda for Peace. His
motivation was to restructure the composition and anachronistic procedures of the UN organ
recognizing the changed world.
The G4 Bloc
By 1992, Germany and Japan had become the second and third largest contributor to the United
Nations and started to demand a permanent seat. Also Brazil (fifth largest country in terms of
territory) and India (second largest country in terms of population) as the most powerful countries
within their regional groups and key players within their regions saw themselves with a permanent
seat. This group of four countries formed an interest group later known as the G4.
The Coffee Club
On the other hand their regional rivals were opposed to the G4 becoming permanent members with
a veto power. They favoured the expansion of the non-permanent category of seats with members to
be elected on a regional basis. Italy, Spain, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Pakistan
started to form an interest group, known as the Coffee Club and later Uniting for Consensus.
Simultaneously, the African Group started to demand two permanent seats for themselves, on the
basis of historical injustices and the fact that a large part of the Councils agenda is concentrated on
the continent. Those two seats would be permanent African seats that rotate between African
countries chosen by the African group.
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The existing permanent members, each holding the right of veto on Security Council reform,
announced their positions reluctantly. The United States supported the permanent membership of
Japan and India and a small number of additional non-permanent members. The United Kingdom
and France essentially supported the G4 position, with the expansion of permanent and non-
permanent members and the accession of German, Brazil, India and Japan to permanent member
status, as well as an increase the presence by African countries on the Council. China supported the
stronger representation of developing countries, voicing support for the Republic of India. Russia,
Indias long time friend and ally has also endorsed the fast growing powers candidature to assume a
seat of a permanent member on the Security Council.
In Larger Freedom- By Kofi Annan
On March 21, 2005, the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the UN to reach a
consensus on expanding the council to 24 members, in a plan referred to as In Larger Freedom. He
gave two alternatives for implementation, but did not specify which proposal he preferred. The two
options mentioned by Annan are referred to as Plan A and Plan B. Plan A calls for creating six new
permanent members, plus three new nonpermanent members for a total of 24 seats in the council.
Plan B calls for creating eight new seats in a new class of members, who would serve for four years,
subject to renewal, plus one non-permanent seat, also for a total of 24.
United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the UN and is composed of
the representatives of all member states. UNGA is the only principal organ of UN system in
which all member nations have equal representation. Its composition, functions, powers, voting,
and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the United Nations Charter.
Powers of UNGA
Its powers are
To oversee the budget of the United Nations
Appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council
Receive reports from other parts of the United Nations
Make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions.
The General Assembly meets under its president or Secretary-General in regular yearly sessions the
main part of which lasts from September to December and resumed part from January until all issues
are addressed. It can also reconvene for special and emergency special sessions.
Members of UNGA
The members are 193, of which more than two-thirds are developing countries. Because of their

numbers, developing countries are often able to determine the agenda of the Assembly (using
coordinating groups like the G77), the character of its debates, and the nature of its decisions. For
many developing countries, the UN is the source of much of their diplomatic influence and the
principal outlet for their foreign relations initiatives.
UNGA Resolutions
Except approval of budgetary matters, including adoption of a scale of assessment, Assembly
resolutions are not binding on the members. The Assembly may make recommendations on any
matters within the scope of the UN, except matters of peace and security under Security Council
consideration. The one state, one vote power structure theoretically allows states comprising just
eight percent of the world population to pass a resolution by a two-thirds vote. This has been a
subject of concern for many countries.
The resolutions are put forth by sponsoring states. These are generally statements symbolizing the
sense of the international community about an array of world issues. Most General Assembly
resolutions are not enforceable as a legal or practical matter, because the General Assembly lacks
enforcement powers with respect to most issues. The General Assembly has authority to make final
decisions in some areas such as the United Nations budget.
A United Nations General Assembly Resolution is voted on by all member states of the
United Nations in the General Assembly.
General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority (50% of all votes plus one) to
pass. However, if the General Assembly determines that the issue is an important question
by a simple majority vote, then a two-thirds majority is required; important questions are
those that deal significantly with maintenance of international peace and security, admission
of new members to the United Nations, suspension of the rights and privileges of
membership, expulsion of members, operation of the trusteeship system, or budgetary
questions.
General Assembly resolutions are generally non-binding towards member states, internal
resolutions may be binding on the operation of the General Assembly itself, for example with
regard to budgetary and procedural matters.
Numbering System of UNGA Resolutions
From the First to the Thirtieth General Assembly sessions, all General Assembly resolutions
were numbered consecutively, with the resolution number followed by the session number in
Roman numbers (for example, Resolution 1514 (XV), which was the 1514th numbered
resolution adopted by the Assembly, and was adopted at the Fifteenth Regular Session
(1960)).

Beginning in the Thirty-First Session, resolutions are numbered by individual session (for
example Resolution 41/10 represents the 10th resolution adopted at the Forty-First Session).
United Nations Parliamentary Assembly
United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, or United Nations Peoples Assembly (UNPA), is a
proposed addition to the United Nations System that eventually could allow for direct election of UN
parliament members by citizens all over the world.
Budget of the United Nations
The General Assembly also approves the budget of the United Nations, and decides how much
money each member state must pay to run the organization.
Please note that there are two sources of funds for the United Nations and its agencies. One is
assessed contribution and another is voluntary contribution.
Assessed contributions are payments made as part of the obligations that nations undertake
when signing treaties. At the UN, assessments on member states finance the UN regular
budget and peacekeeping operations, based on each countrys ability to pay.
Voluntary contributions are left to the discretion of each individual member state. These
voluntary contributions make up more than half of total UN funding, and finance most of the
United Nations humanitarian relief and development agencies, including the UN Childrens
Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Development Program
(UNDP).
The Budget of United Nations can be studied under 4 heads viz. Regular Budget, Peacekeeping
Budget, Voluntary Contributions and Arrears.
Regular Budget of United Nations
The UNs regular budget finances the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and
Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat as well as the UNs special
political missions, the largest of which are the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and
the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).
All UN members are assessed a contribution to the regular budget largely based on per capita
income, with a floor of .001 percent to make sure that even the poorest countries contribute
something.
The UN is structured not to rely too heavily on any one member for its funds, so no states
dues are allowed to exceed 22 percent of the UNs regular budget; the United States is the only
country to have hit that ceiling.
The top 15 contributing nations supply about 84 percent of the regular budget.

Peacekeeping Budget of United Nations

The UNs peacekeeping budget finances the UNs 14 peacekeeping missions with more than 100,000
peacekeepers serving throughout the world. The UN funds its peacekeeping budget with assessments
on member states similar to those made for the regular budget but with greater discounts for poorer
nations.
The five permanent members of the Security Council (the U.S., the United Kingdom, France,
Russia, and China) make up the difference; they each have veto rights to decide on or suspend
any peacekeeping operation.
While the five members pay a higher rate, the vast majority of peacekeepers come from
developing countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Ghana.
Voluntary Contributions
Voluntary contributions are entirely up to the individual country to decide whether or not, and how
much, to contribute. These contributions finance most of the United Nations humanitarian relief
and development agencies. The activities these organizations undertake are U.S. national security
investments that would be difficult, if not impossible, for the United States to undertake alone.
Arrears
Arrears are a chronic problem for the United Nations. Many poorer nations cannot afford their full
assessment. Other countries, notably the United States in past years, have delayed or withheld
payments for reasons unrelated to their ability to pay. Under the UN Charter, member states that are
two years in arrears at the UN can lose their vote in the General Assembly. Timely payment of dues
is crucial because shortfalls in the UNs budget can cripple peacekeeping missions and delay
humanitarian aid, with costs measured in lives and human suffering.
International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice was established in 1945 via the UN Charter and its jurisdiction is
worldwide. It is located in The Hague in Netherlands and has 193 state parties. Current President
is Ronny Abraham.
The major functions of the International Court of Justice are to settle legal disputes submitted to it
by states and to provide advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized
international organs, agencies, and the UN General Assembly.
Presidency of the ICJ
The President and the Vice-President are elected by the Members of the Court every three years
by secret ballot. The election is held on the date on which Members of the Court elected at a triennial
election are to begin their terms of office or shortly thereafter. An absolute majority is required and

there are no conditions with regard to nationality. The President and the Vice-President may be re-
elected.
The President presides at all meetings of the Court; he/she directs its work and supervises its
administration, with the assistance of a Budgetary and Administrative Committee and of various
other committees, all composed of Members of the Court. During judicial deliberations, the
President has a casting vote in the event of votes being equally divided. In The Hague, where he/she
is obliged to reside, the President of the Court takes precedence over the doyen of the diplomatic
corps.
Judges of the ICJ
The ICJ is composed of fifteen judges elected to nine year terms by the UN General Assembly
and the UN Security Council from a list of persons nominated by the national groups in the
Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Judges serve for nine year terms and may be re-elected for up to two further terms.
Elections take place every three years, with one-third of the judges retiring (and possibly
standing for re-election) each time, in order to ensure continuity within the court.
All States parties toManish
the Jain
Statute of the Court
| jatf.manish@gmail.com have the right to propose candidates.
Judges must be elected from among persons of high moral character, who possess the
qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial
offices, or are jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law.
The Court may not include more than one national of the same State. Moreover, the Court as
a whole must represent the main forms of civilization and the principal legal systems of the
world.
Jurisdiction of ICJ
The International Court of Justice acts as a world court. The Court has a dual jurisdiction. First, it
decides in accordance with international law, disputes of a legal nature that are submitted to it by
States. This is called jurisdiction in contentious cases. Second, ICJ gives advisory opinions on legal
questions at the request of the organs of the United Nations or specialized agencies authorized to
make such a request. This is called advisory jurisdiction.
How does ICJ work?
As mentioned above, The International Court of Justice entertains two kinds of cases viz. legal
disputes between States submitted to it by them (contentious cases) and requests for advisory
opinions on legal questions referred to it by United Nations organs and specialized agencies (advisory
proceedings).
Only States (States Members of the United Nations and other States which have become

parties to the Statute of the Court or which have accepted its jurisdiction under certain
conditions) may be parties to contentious cases.
The Court is competent to entertain a dispute only if the States concerned have accepted its
jurisdiction by entering into a special agreement to submit the dispute to the Court or by
virtue of a jurisdictional clause, i.e., typically, when they are parties to a treaty containing a
provision whereby, in the event of a dispute of a given type or disagreement over the
interpretation or application of the treaty, one of them may refer the dispute to the Court.
The country can also enter into its jurisdiction through the reciprocal effect of declarations
made by them under the Statute whereby each has accepted the jurisdiction of the Court as
compulsory in the event of a dispute with another State having made a similar declaration. A
number of these declarations, which must be deposited with the United Nations Secretary-
General, contain reservations excluding certain categories of dispute.
Advisory proceedings before the Court are open solely to five organs of the United Nations
and to 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations family.
The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council may request advisory opinions
on any legal question. Other
Manish Jain United Nations
| jatf.manish@gmail.com organs and specialized agencies which have
been authorized to seek advisory opinions can only do so with respect to legal questions
arising within the scope of their activities.
Sources of international law
When deciding cases, the Court applies international law as summarised in Article 38 of the ICJ
Statute provides that in arriving at its decisions the Court shall apply international conventions,
international custom, and the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations.
It may also refer to academic writing (the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists
of the various nations) and previous judicial decisions to help interpret the law, although
the Court is not formally bound by its previous decisions under the doctrine of stare decisis.
Article 59 makes clear that the common law notion of precedent or stare decisis does not
apply to the decisions of the ICJ.
The Courts decision binds only the parties to that particular controversy. Under 38(1)(d),
however, the Court may consider its own previous decisions. In reality, the ICJ rarely departs
from its own previous decisions and treats them as precedent in a way similar to superior
courts in common law systems. Additionally, international lawyers commonly operate as
though ICJ judgments had precedential value.

United Nations Economic and Social Council

ECOSOC was established under the United Nations Charter as the principal organ to coordinate
economic, social, and related work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, functional commissions and
five regional commissions. The Council also receives reports from 11 UN funds and programmes.
Functions of ECOSOC
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) serves as the central forum for discussing international
economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member
States and the United Nations system. It is responsible for:
promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress;
identifying solutions to international economic, social and health problems;
facilitating international cultural and educational cooperation; and
Encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
It has the power to make or initiate studies and reports on these issues. It also has the power to assist
the preparations and organization of major international conferences in the economic and social and
related fields and to facilitate a coordinated follow-up to these conferences. With its broad mandate
the Councils purview extends to |over
Manish Jain 70 per cent
jatf.manish@gmail.com of the human and financial resources of the entire
UN system.
President of ECOSOC
The current president of ECOSOC is Mr. Oh Joon of South Korea. The president is elected for a
one-year term and chosen among the small or middle powers represented on ECOSOC.
Members
The Council has 54 member states which are elected by the United Nations General Assembly for
overlapping three-year terms. Seats on the Council are based on geographical representation with
fourteen allocated to African States, eleven to Asian States, six to Eastern European States, ten to
Latin American and Caribbean States, and thirteen to Western European and other States.
How does it work?
The Council holds several short sessions and many preparatory meetings, round tables and panel
discussions with the members of civil society throughout the year, to deal with the organization of its
work. It holds a four-week substantive session in July, alternating between New York and Geneva ,
which is organized in four segments (High-level, Coordination, Operational Activities,
Humanitarian Affairs and General Segments). At the High-level Segment, national cabinet ministers
and chiefs of international agencies and other high officials discuss major economic, social and
environmental policy issues. A Ministerial declaration is generally adopted on the theme of the High-
level Segment, which provides policy guidance and recommendations for action. The official

languages of the Economic and Social Council are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and
Spanish. The year-round work of the Council is carried out in its subsidiary and related bodies.
ECOSOC Bureau
The Bureau of ECOSOC includes one Government from each of five world regions Latin America
and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, East Europe, and West Europe and the other developed countries.
Each year, a representative from a different region is chosen to head the Council as its President.
UNESCO
UNESCO {established 16 Nov. 1945} is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its predecessor
was International Committee on Intellectual Co-operation (ICIC) which was created in January 1922. Its
main objective contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through
education, science, and culture. 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; 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. It is also a member of the United Nations
Development Group. Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
UNESCO implements its activities through the five programme areas of Education, Natural Sciences,
Social and Human Sciences, Culture, and Communication and Information.
UNESCO Offices
UNESCO has offices in many locations across the globe; its headquarters are located at Place de
Fontenoy in Paris. UNESCOs field offices are categorized into four primary office types based upon
their function and geographic coverage: cluster offices, national offices, regional bureaux and liaison
offices.
Members
It is successor of the League of Nations International Commission on Intellectual Cooperation.
UNESCO has 196 Member States including Palestine that was given its membership in November
2011 and eight Associate Members. Kindly note that three UNESCO member states are not UN member
states viz. Cook Islands, Niue and Palestine (Palestine is a non-member observer State since November 29,
2012), while one UN member state (Liechtenstein) is not a UNESCO member.
Other Important Notes on UNESCO for Examinations
In 1956, South Africa withdrew from UNESCO claiming that some of the Organizations
publications amounted to interference in the countrys racial problems. South Africa
rejoined the Organization in 1994 under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.
The earliest UNESCO project in field of education was in Marbial Valley, Haiti, started in

1947, Afghanistan in 1949.

In 1948, UNESCO recommended that Member States should make free primary education
compulsory and universal.
Arid Zone programming, 19481966, is another example of an early major UNESCO project
in the field of natural sciences.
In 1968, UNESCO organized the first intergovernmental conference aimed at reconciling the
environment and development, a problem which continues to be addressed in the field of
sustainable development. The main outcome of the 1968 conference was the creation of
UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere Programme.
In 1990 the World Conference on Education for All, in Jomtien, Thailand, launched a global
movement to provide basic education for all children, youths and adults.
The 2000 World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal, led member governments to
commit to achieving basic education for all by 2015.
UNESCO launched its Nubia Campaign in 1960 to move the Great Temple of Abu Simbel
to keep it from being swamped by the Nile after construction of the Aswan Dam. During the
20-year campaign, Manish
22 monuments and architectural
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com complexes were relocated. This was the
first and largest in a series of campaigns.

Other campaigns of UNESCO include Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan), Fes (Morocco), Kathmandu
(Nepal), Borobudur (Indonesia) and the Acropolis (Greece).
In 1972, Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
was adopted due to efforts of UNESCO in the field.
In 1976, The World Heritage Committee was established and the first sites inscribed on the
World Heritage List in 1978. Since then important legal instruments on cultural heritage and
diversity have been adopted by UNESCO member states in 2003 (Convention for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage) and 2005 (Convention on the Protection
and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions).
In 1954, European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) was established as an outcome of
the decisions taken at intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris in December 1951.
UNESCO Chairs is an international network of 644 UNESCO Chairs, involving over 770
institutions in 126 countries.
Education for All Global Monitoring Report is published by UNESCO.
UNESCO ASPNet is an international network of 8,000 schools in 170 countries
Seville Statement on Violence was an statement adopted by UNESCO in 1989 to refute the

notion that humans are biologically predisposed to organised violence.

International Network of Geoparks or Global Geoparks Network (GGN) is a UNESCO
programme established in 1998. Managed under the bodys Ecological and Earth Sciences
Division, the GGN seeks the promotion and conservation of the planets geological heritage,
as well as encourages the sustainable research and development by the concerned
communities. A GEOPARK is a nationally protected area containing a number of geological
heritage sites of particular importance, rarity or aesthetic These Earth heritage sites are part
of an integrated concept of protection, education and sustainable development. There are 54
Geoparks worldwide. No Geopark is located in India.
In 2007, UNESCO launched the City of Literature title and first city to be given this title
was Edinburgh, the site of Scotlands first circulating library. In 2008, Iowa City, Iowa
became the City of Literature. The other cities of literature are Dublin, Ireland (2010) and
Reykjavik, Iceland (2011).
In 1998, the decade 20012010 was declared by UN as International Decade for the
Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.
May 3, each year isManish
declared by UNESCO| www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com as World Press Freedom Day to promote freedom
of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right and as crucial components of
any healthy, democratic and free society.
Since 1998, UNESCO and the Free Software Foundation have jointly funded this project
cataloguing free software known as Free Software Directory.
Botany 2000 is a UNESCO programme supporting taxonomy, and biological and cultural
diversity of medicinal and ornamental plants, and their protection against environmental
pollution.
UNESCO Prizes
UNESCO currently awards 22 prizes in education, science, culture and peace. Important among
them are:
Flix Houphout-Boigny Peace Prize
LOral-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science
UNESCO/King Sejong Literacy Prize
UNESCO/Confucius Prize for Literacy
UNESCO/Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science
UNESCO/Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation
Michel Batisse Award for Biosphere Reserve Management

UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights

UNESCO Prize for Peace Education
UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence
UNESCO/International Jos Mart Prize
UNESCO/Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science
UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize for the Promotion of Social Science Research in Latin America
and the Caribbean
Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture
IPDC-UNESCO Prize for Rural Communication
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize
World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a
coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, it succeeded the
Health Organization, which was an agency of the League of Nations. It is a member of the United
Nations Development Group and its headquarters are located at Geneva. WHO flag features the Rod
of Asclepius as a symbol for healing.

Director-General
The head of the organization is the Director-General (DG), appointed by the World Health
Assembly. The current DG is Margaret Chan, who was appointed on 9 November 2006 {her term is
2006 to 2017}.
World Health Day
Jawaharlal Nehru had given an opinion to start WHO. The World Health Organization (WHO)
came into existence on first World Health Day, (7 April 1948), when it was ratified by the 26th
member state.
Functions
WHO coordinates international efforts to control outbreaks & sponsors programs to prevent and
treatment of infectious diseases such as SARS, malaria, tuberculosis, influenza, and HIV/AIDS, the
WHO also such diseases. The WHO supports the development and distribution of safe and effective
vaccines, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and drugs, such as through the Expanded Program on
Immunization. After over two decades of fighting smallpox, the WHO declared in 1980 that the
disease had been eradicated the first disease in history to be eliminated by human effort. The WHO
aims to eradicate polio within the next few years.
CHNHV

Publications
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal
Human Resources for Health, journal published in collaboration with BioMed Central
Pan American Journal of Public Health
World Health Report, series of global health policy reports
Members
The WHO has 193 Member states, including 192 members of the UN (all except Liechtenstein), the
Cook Islands and Niue. Non-state territories of UN Member States may join as Associate Members
(with full information but limited participation and voting rights) if approved by an Assembly vote:
Puerto Rico and Tokelau are Associate Members. Palestine, Holy See, Order of Malta and Republic
of China (Taiwan, under the name of Chinese Taipei) are observers. Non-members of the WHO
are Liechtenstein and the rest of states with limited diplomatic recognition.
Regional offices:
Africa; HQ: Brazzaville, Congo
Americas; HQ: Washington, DC, USA
Europe; HQ: Copenhagen, Denmark
Eastern Med.; HQ: Cairo, Egypt
South East Asia; HQ: New Delhi, India
Western Pacific; HQ: Manila, Philippines
The above 6 Regional Offices of the WHO enjoy remarkable autonomy. Each Regional Office is
headed by a Regional Director (RD), who is elected by the Regional Committee for a once-renewable
five-year term. The name of the RD-elect is transmitted to the WHO Executive Board in Geneva,
which proceeds to confirm the appointment. It is rare that an elected Regional Director is not
confirmed.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD)
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964. It
was meant for the integrated treatment of trade and development and related issues in the areas of
investment, finance, technology, enterprise development and sustainable development. There are
193 members.
Functions
UNCTAD functions as a forum for intergovernmental deliberations, supported by
discussions with experts and exchanges of experience, aimed at consensus building.

It undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection for the debates of government
representatives and experts.
It provides technical assistance tailored to the specific requirements of developing countries,
with special attention to the needs of the least developed countries and of economies in
transition. When appropriate, UNCTAD cooperates with other organizations and donor
countries in the delivery of technical assistance.
Reports Published:
The Trade and Development Report
The Trade and Environment Review
The World Investment Report
The Economic Development in Africa Report
The Least Developed Countries Report
UNCTAD Statistics
The Information Economy Report
The Review of Maritime Transport
The International Accounting and Reporting Issues Annual Review
Important Notes:
UNCTAD is an organ of UN General Assembly.
UNCTAD Objective is to maximize the trade, investment and development opportunities of
developing countries and assist them in their efforts to integrate into the world economy on
an equitable basis.
UNCTAD grew from the view that existing institutions like GATT (now WTO), the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank were not properly organized to handle
the particular problems of developing countries.
UNCTAD Conferences
The Conference ordinarily meets once in four years. The first conference took place in Geneva in
1964, second in New Delhi in 1968. The latest {14th} UNCTAD conference is presently underway at
Nairobi Kenya {17-22 July 2016}.
UNCTAD and GSP
One of the principal achievements of UNCTAD has been to conceive and implement the Generalised
System of Preferences (GSP). It was argued in UNCTAD, that in order to promote exports of
manufactured goods from developing countries, it would be necessary to offer special tariff
concessions to such exports. Accepting this argument, the developed countries formulated the GSP
Scheme under which manufacturers exports and some agricultural goods from the developing

countries enter duty-free or at reduced rates in the developed countries. Since imports of such items
from other developed countries are subject to the normal rates of duties, imports of the same items
from developing countries would enjoy a competitive advantage.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNs global development network, an
organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and
resources to help people build a better life. UNDP got birth after the merging of the United Nations
Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance, created in 1949, and the United Nations Special Fund,
established in 1958. UNDP was established in 1965 by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Focus Areas
UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to global and national
development challenges. UNDPs work is concentrated on four main focus areas:
Poverty Reduction and Achievement of the MDGs
Democratic Governance
Crisis Prevention and Recovery
Environment and Energy for Sustainable Development
UNDP provides expert advice, training, and grant support to developing countries, with increasing
emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. To accomplish the MDGs and encourage
global development, UNDP focuses on poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, democratic governance,
energy and environment, social development, and crisis prevention and recovery. UNDP also
encourages the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women in all of its programs.
Today 128 countries are receiving UNDP support for democratic governance, while 60 countries
receiving election assistance from UNDP. 95% of UNDPs partners consider the organization to be a
critical partner in contributing to the MDGs. 103 countries receiving support from UNDP for anti-
corruption efforts.
Position in UNGA
UNDP is an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. The UNDP
Administrator is the third highest ranking official of the United Nations after the United Nations
Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General. UNDP is at the centre of the UNs efforts to reduce
global poverty. At the global level, UNDP chairs the United Nations Development Group (UNDG),
which includes the UNs key players in international development. UNDP is also helping to reinforce
joint action on development in such forums as the Economic and Social Council, and the General
Assembly of the United Nations. At the country level, UNDP plays two important roles, one as a

partner for development work and the other as manager of the Resident Coordinator system.
UNDP coordinates the development activities of the United Nations. It plays a key role in helping to
reform the UN as part of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG). UNDP is also helping to
reinforce joint action on development in such forums as the Economic and Social Council, and the
General Assembly of the United Nations. UNDPs support for the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) makes it an important international organization.
UNDP Headquarters
Headquartered in New York City, the UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from
member nations. The organization has country offices in 177 countries, where it works with local
governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity. Additionally, the UNDP
works internationally to help countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Human Development Report
UNDP Human Development Report Office publishes an annual Human Development Report (since
1990) to measure and analyse developmental progress. The annual Human Development Report is
UNDPs flagship independent publication. Its editorial autonomy is guaranteed by a special
resolution of the General Assembly (A/RES/57/264), which recognizes the Human Development
Report as an independent intellectual exercise and an important tool for raising awareness about
human development around the world.
United Nations Environment Programme
UNEP, established in 1972, is the voice for the environment within the United Nations system.
UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable
development of the global environment. To accomplish this, UNEP works with a wide range of
partners, including United Nations entities, international organizations, national governments, non-
governmental organizations, the private sector and civil society.
Headquarters
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was founded as a result of the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
UNEP also has six regional offices and various country offices.
Executive Director
UNEPs current Executive Director is Achim Steiner, who succeeded previous director Klaus Tpfer
in 2006.
Functions
The activities of UNEP cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere, marine and
terrestrial ecosystems, environmental governance and green economy.
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It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions,

promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can be
implemented in conjunction with policy, working on the development and implementation
of policy with national governments, regional institutions in conjunction with environmental
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
UNEP has also been active in funding and implementing environment related development
projects.
UNEP has aided in the formulation of guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade
in potentially harmful chemicals, transboundary air pollution, and contamination of international
waterways.
The World Meteorological Organization and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. UNEP is also one of several Implementing Agencies for
the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of
the Montreal Protocol, and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.
UNEP work encompasses:
Assessing global, regional
Manish Jain and national environmental
| jatf.manish@gmail.com conditions and trends
Developing international and national environmental instruments

Strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment
Facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology for sustainable development
Encouraging new partnerships and mind-sets within civil society and the private sector.
UNEP also hosts several environmental convention secretariats including the Ozone Secretariat and
the Montreal Protocols Multilateral Fund, CITES (the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), the Convention on Biological Diversity, the
Convention on Migratory Species, and a growing family of chemicals-related agreements, including
the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and the recently
negotiated Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
Other UN Agencies and Organizations
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT)
UN-HABITAT was established in 1978 and has its headquarters at the UN office in Nairobi, Kenya.
It is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It runs two major worldwide campaigns the
Global Campaign on Urban Governance, and the Global Campaign for Secure Tenure. Through these
campaigns and by other means the agency focuses on a range of issues and special projects which it
helps implement.

United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)

UNICRI is one of the five United Nations Research and Training Institutes. Its headquarters are
located at Turin, Italy.
UNIDO
UNIDO helps developing countries and countries with economies in transition in their fight against
marginalization in todays globalized world. It mobilizes knowledge, skills, information and
technology to promote productive employment, a competitive economy and a sound environment.
UNIT-AR
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNIT-AR) was established in 1965. It is an
autonomous body within the United Nations with the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the
Organization through appropriate training and research.
UNESCAP
The regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region is the United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). It is located in
Bangkok, Thailand.
Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a child
Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com organization of ECOSOC and was established on
16 October 1945 in Quebec City, Canada. Currently, it is located in Rome, Italy, in the former seat of
the Department of Italian East Africa. One of the most notable features of the building was the Axum
Obelisk which stood in front of the agency seat, although just outside of the territory allocated to
FAO by the Italian Government. It was taken from Ethiopia by Benito Mussolinis troops in 1937 as
a war chest, but was returned to Ethiopia on 18 April 2005. Its motto is in Latin Fiat Panis (Let
there be bread). Objective is to lead international efforts to defeat hunger.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
IAEA seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military
purpose, including nuclear weapons. Established on 29 July 1957, it is an autonomous organization,
not under direct control of the UN, but the IAEA does report to both the UN General Assembly and
Security Council.
Its headquarters are in Vienna, Austria and two Regional Safeguards Offices are located in
Toronto, Canada, and in Tokyo, Japan. IAEA has three laboratories located in Vienna and
Seibersdorf, Austria, and in Monaco.
The IAEA has three main bodies: the Board of Governors, the General Conference, and the
Secretariat. Its main functions are:
the inspection of existing nuclear facilities to ensure their peaceful use,

providing information and developing standards to ensure the safety and security of nuclear
facilities, and as a hub for the various fields of science involved in the peaceful applications of
nuclear technology.
In 2004, the IAEA developed a Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT). PACT
responds to the needs of developing countries to establish, to improve, or to expand radiotherapy
treatment programs. The IAEA is raising money to help efforts by its Member States to save lives
and to reduce suffering of cancer victims.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
ICAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its predecessor was International Commission
for Air Navigation (ICAN). It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and
fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its
headquarters are located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ICAO defines an International Standard
Atmosphere (also known as ICAO Standard Atmosphere), a model of the standard variation of
pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity with altitude in the Earths atmosphere. This is useful in
calibrating instruments and designing aircraft. ICAO standardizes machine-readable passports
worldwide and publishes Doc
Manish9303, Machine Readable
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com Travel Documents, the technical standard for
machine-readable passports. A more recent standard is for biometric passports. These contain
biometrics to authenticate the identity of travellers.
Both ICAO and IATA have their own airport and airline code systems. ICAO uses 4-letter airport codes (vs.
IATAs 3-letter codes).
International Labour Organization (ILO)
ILO deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. It was established as an
agency of the League of Nations following the Treaty of Versailles. Its headquarters are in Geneva,
Switzerland. Its secretariat the people who are employed by it throughout the world is known
as the International Labour Office. ILO had received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. The ILO is a major
provider of labour statistics.
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), formerly known as the Inter-Governmental
Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), was established in Geneva in 1948 and came into in
1959. The IMCO name was changed to IMO in 1982. It is headquartered in London, United
Kingdom It has 169 Member States and three Associate Members. Associate members are: Faroe
Islands, Hong Kong and Macao. Non-members are generally the Landlocked countries. IMOs
primary purpose is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and
its remit today includes safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation,

maritime security and the efficiency of shipping.

IMO is governed by an Assembly of members and is financially administered by a Council of
members elected from the Assembly. The work of IMO is conducted through five committees and
these are supported by technical subcommittees.
International Telecommunication Union
International Telegraph Union was founded at Paris in 1865 on the initiative of the French
government. Today, it is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for
information and communication technologies.
ITU coordinates the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in
assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing
world and establishes worldwide standards.
The ITU is active in areas including broadband Internet, latest-generation wireless technologies,
aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, convergence in
fixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice, TV broadcasting, and next-generation networks.
ITU is based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a member of the United Nations Development Group and its
membership includes 193ManishMember States and around 700 Sector Members and Associates. It is
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
headed by Secretary-General, who is elected to a four-year term by the member states at the
plenipotentiary conference.
How are international telephones dialling codes assigned to countries?
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recommendation defines the international public
telecommunication numbering plan used in the PSTN. It also defines the format of phone numbers.
As per these recommendations, numbers can have a maximum of 15 digits and are usually written
with a + prefix. CCITT, the predecessor of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector,
developed the first formal list of telephone country codes. It was included in the 1964 CCITT Blue
Book. The list was organised by creating nine zones. Zone 1 for US, Canada, Bermuda and other
Caribbean nations; Zone 2 for Africa and other Atlantic Islands; Zone 3 for Europe; Zone 4 for
Europe; Zone 5 for Mexico, South America, Caribbean, and Central America; Zone 6 for Oceania
and South-East Asia; Zone 7 for Russia, former Soviet Union; Zone 8 for East Asia and other special
services; Zone 9 for South, Central, West Asia and Middle East.
World Bank
World Bank, which has official goal of reduction of poverty, provides loans to developing countries
for capital programmes. World Bank comprises only two institutions viz. the International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).

In contrast, World Bank Group comprises three more viz. International Finance Corporation
(IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement
of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
World Bank is one of five institutions created at the Breton Woods Conference in 1944. World Bank
is part of the United Nations system, but its governance structure is different. World Banks
headquarter is situated at Washington DC.
World Banks Members
Kindly note that for a country to be a member of the World Bank, it is a must to be a member of
International Monetary Fund. Total member countries in each institution are as follows:
1. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has 189 members.
2. The International Development Association (IDA) has 173 members.
3. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has 184 members.
4. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) has 181 members.
5. The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has 161 signatory
and contracting states.
World Bank President Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
The first president of World Bank was Eugene Meyer. Current President is Jim Yong Kim. The
president chairs meetings of the Boards of Directors and is responsible for overall management of
the Bank. By tradition, the Bank president is a U.S. national and is nominated by the United States, the
Banks largest shareholder.
World Bank Lending and Marshal Plan, 1947
The first recipient of World Bank aid was France. Initially the lending of World Bank was low and it
increased later on. The Marshall Plan of 1947 caused lending by the bank to change as many
European countries received aid that competed with World Bank loans. The Marshall Plan or
European Recovery Program was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the
United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World
War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four
years beginning in April 1948.
After that, the emphasis of World Bank was shifted to non-European countries and until 1968; loans
were earmarked for projects that would enable a borrower country to repay loans (such projects as
ports, highway systems, and power plants).
From 1968 onwards, World Bank President Robert McNamara shifted bank policy toward measures
such as building schools and hospitals, improving literacy and agricultural reform. This led to rise in

the third world lending. This system was changed from 1980 by A.W. Clausen.
The countries with most voting power in World Bank are now the United States (15.85%), Japan
(6.84%), China (4.42%), Germany (4.00%), the United Kingdom (3.75%), France (3.75%), and India
(2.91%).
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
IBRD provides commercial or concessional loan to only sovereign states or projects backed by
sovereign states. Its loans are aimed to improve transportation and infrastructure, education,
domestic policy, environmental consciousness, energy investments, healthcare, access to food and
potable water, and access to improved sanitation.
IDA
Established in 1960, International Development Association (IDA) helps the worlds poorest
countries and aims to reduce poverty by providing interest-free loans {called IDA Credits} and grants
for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve peoples living
conditions.
There is no interest on IDA Credits and their repayment term is stretched over 35-40 years,
including a 10 year grace period. IDA also provides grants to countries at risk of debt distress. Since
its inception, around 50 percent IDA credits have been given to Africa.
International Finance Corporation
IFC was created in 1956 to foster private sector investment in developing nations. It finances the
private sector investment, mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and providing
advisory services to businesses and governments. By doing so, IFC helps companies and financial
institutions in emerging markets create jobs, generate tax revenues, improve corporate governance
and environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities. The goal is to improve
lives, especially for the people who most need the benefits of growth.
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
As a member of the World Bank Group, MIGAs mission is to promote foreign direct investment
(FDI) into developing countries to help support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve
peoples lives.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established with stated objectives to promote international
economic cooperation, international trade, employment, and exchange rate stability, including by
making resources available to member countries to meet balance of payments needs. Its headquarters
are in Washington, D.C.
It was conceived on July 22, 1944 in the Brettonwoods Conference, New Hampshire, United
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States, originally with 45 members and came into existence on December 27, 1945 when 29
countries signed the agreement, with a goal to stabilize exchange rates and assist the reconstruction
of the worlds international payment system. Countries contributed to a pool which could be
borrowed from, on a temporary basis, by countries with payment imbalances. The IMF works to
improve the economies of its member countries.
Current members are 187 members of UN and Kosovo. Cuba left it in 1964 and Taiwan was ejected
& replaced by China in 1980. The other non-members are North Korea, Andorra, Monaco,
Liechtenstein, Nauru, Cook Islands, Niue, Vatican City, and the rest of the states with limited
recognition.
Executive Board of IMF
There is a 24-member executive board in IMF, which are the general owners of the IMF and can
control major decisions within the organization, but all other member countries are represented on
the population, economic scale. Out of the 24 members, 5 are appointed by the five members with
the largest quotas and 19 executive directors are elected by the remaining members. All members
appoint a governor to the IMFs board of governors.
Managing Director Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
On June 28, 2011, Christine Lagarde was named Managing Director of the IMF, replacing
Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Membership
The powers of the other countries within the organization are represented on a proportional scale to
their population and economic rank in the world.
Please note that all members of the IBRD are also IMF members, and vice versa. A country which
wants to become a member will apply and application will be considered first by the IMFs executive
board. After its consideration, the board will submit a report to the board of governors of the IMF
with recommendations in the form of a membership resolution. These recommendations cover the
amount of quota in the IMF, the form of payment of the subscription, and other customary terms
and conditions of membership. After the board of governors has adopted the membership
Resolution, the applicant state needs to take the legal steps required under its own law to enable it to
sign the IMFs Articles of Agreement and to fulfil the obligations of IMF membership. Any member
country can withdraw from the Fund, although that is rare.
Members Quota
A members quota in the IMF determines the amount of its subscription, its voting weight, its access
to IMF financing, and its allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
A member state cannot unilaterally increase its quotaincreases must be approved by the

Executive Board of IMF and are linked to formulas that include many variables such as the
size of a country in the world economy.
For example, in 2001, China was prevented from increasing its quota as high as it wished,
ensuring it remained at the level of the smallest G7 economy (Canada). However, in
September 2005 the IMFs member countries agreed to the first round of ad-hoc quota
increases for four countries, including China.
Under existing arrangements, the industrialized countries (including Mexico) hold more than half of
the IMF votes.
But the financial crisis has tilted control away from heavily indebted mature economies, such
as the United States and the United Kingdom, in favour of the fast-growing, cash-rich, so-
called BRIC economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
United States has by far the largest share of votes (approx. 17 percent) amongst IMF
members.
Decision making
In IMF, major decisions require an 85 percent supermajority. The United States has always been the
only country able to block Manish
a supermajority on its own.
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
IMF lending Assistance

IMF lends only to Member countries. Member states with balance of payments problems, which
often arise from these difficulties, may request loans to help fill gaps between what countries earn
and/or are able to borrow from other official lenders and what countries must spend to operate,
including to cover the cost of importing basic goods and services. In return, the states are needed to
launch so called Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs), which have often been dubbed the
Washington Consensus.
Criticisms
Financial aid is always bound to so-called Conditionalities, including SAPs. The economic
performance targets have been established as a precondition for IMF loans and it has been alleged
that such conditionalities retard social stability and hence inhibit the stated goals of the IMF, while
Structural Adjustment Programs lead to an increase in poverty in recipient countries.
Sometimes IMF favours austerity programmes in the borrowing countries. The austerity
programmes include cutting public spending and increasing taxes even when the economy is weak,
in order to bring budgets closer to a balance, thus reducing budget deficits.IMF usually asks the
countries to lower their corporate tax rate. Thus, IMF is criticized for its more monetarist approach
and that the purpose of the fund is no longer valid.
Developed countries have a more dominant role and control over less developed countries (LDCs)

primarily due to the Western bias towards a capitalist form of the world economy with professional
staff being Western trained and believing in the efficacy of market-oriented policies.
Fund worked on assumption that all payments disequilibria are caused domestically. In the aftermath
of the 1973 oil crisis, the then LDCs found themselves with payments deficits due to adverse changes
in their terms of trade, with the Fund prescribing stabilisation programmes similar to those
suggested for deficits caused by government over-spending. Faced with long-term, externally-
generated disequilibria, the Group of 24 argued that LDCs should be allowed more time to adjust
their economies and that the policies needed to achieve such adjustment are different from demand-
management programmes devised primarily with internally generated disequilibria in mind.
It has been alleged that effects of Fund policies has been anti-developmental. The deflationary effects
of IMF programmes quickly led to losses of output and employment in economies where incomes
were low and unemployment was high. Moreover, it was sometimes claimed that the burden of the
deflationary effects was borne disproportionately by the poor.
Washington Consensus
Washington Consensus is a collective term used for 10 economic policy prescriptions as a part of a
standard reform package promoted for crisis-wracked developing countries. Washington
Consensus was advocated by Washington, D.C.-based institutions viz. International Monetary Fund
(IMF), World Bank, and the US Treasury Department. The prescriptions encompassed policies in
such areas as macroeconomic stabilization, economic opening with respect to both trade and
investment, and the expansion of market forces within the domestic economy. The term was coined
in 1989 by John Williamson. It included the following:
1. Fiscal policy discipline, with avoidance of large fiscal deficits relative to GDP
2. Redirection of public spending from subsidies toward broad-based provision of key pro-
growth, pro-poor services like primary education, primary health care and infrastructure
investment
3. Tax reform, broadening the tax base and adopting moderate marginal tax rates
4. Market determined interest rates.
5. Competitive exchange rates
6. Liberalization of trade
7. Liberalization of inward FDI
8. Privatization of state enterprises.
9. Deregulation and
10. Legal security for property rights.

Some of these implementations were imposed as a condition for receiving loans from the IMF and
World Bank. The results of these reforms are much debated. They have been widely criticized. Most
criticism has been focused on trade liberalization and the elimination of subsidies, and criticism has
been particularly strident in the agriculture sector. Though, in nations with substantial natural
resources, criticism has tended to focus on privatization of industries exploiting these resources.
Some critics focus on claims that the reforms led to destabilization. Some critics have also blamed the
Washington Consensus for particular economic crises such as the Argentine economic crisis
(19992002), and for exacerbating Latin Americas economic inequalities. The IMF and World Bank
started softening their insistence on these policies in the 2000s largely due to political pressures
surrounding globalization, but any reference of these ideas as a consensus essentially ended in the
wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, as market fundamentalism lost favour. This is called end of
Washington Consensus.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has been launched by the Chinese President Xi
Jinping on 16 January, 2016. The AIIB, which will start its operations in second quarter of 2016, is
expected to lend 10-15 billion dollars a year for the initial five or six years.
Members and largest shareholders

The AIIB has a total of 57 members including 37 regional and 20 non-regional prospective founding
members. Many US allies including Australia, Britain, German, Italy, the Philippines and South
Korea have joined it. The United States and Japan, two of the worlds biggest economies, decided not
to join. China and India are among the largest shareholders with a 30.34 per cent, 8.52 per cent share
respectively and their voting shares are calculated at 26.06 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively. The
share of non-Asian countries is restricted to a maximum of 30 per cent. JinLiqun from China is the
current President of AIIB. Presently AIIB will lend in US dollars rather than Chinas currency, the
renminbi, and its official language will be English.
What is its significance?
While the Chinese idea of funding critical projects in Asia seems to be good, the question is why it is
required when there is already a multilateral lender, the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Chinas
official answer is that there is a large gap in Asia in funding infrastructure projects that cannot be
fulfilled by the existing lenders. The ADB has estimated that there is a funding requirement of $8
trillion between 2010 and 2020. Presently, the capital base of ADB is $160 billion and that of World
Bank is $223 billion. Though, the initial capital base of AIIB is $50 billion only, an amount that may
be small when compared to the requirement, but it still provide a boost. The AIIB, which is hailed as

a rival to the World Bank and the ADB, will concentrate only on infrastructure projects when the
World Bank and the ADB lend for all kinds of projects. Though, the World Bank and the ADB are
cautious about AIIB, they see a space for collaboration.
The Chinese initiative has other objectives too. When America has asked its allies not to join the
AIIB, China has persuaded them to sign up. America cited that the bank may fail to ensure
environmental and labour standards that are essential requirement for lending. China has assured
that AIIB will adopt standards followed by organisations such as the World Bank. But the real
concern is that China will use its capital to fund the projects and play a greater role in economic
development of the region along with its growing economic and political clout.
The reason for Chinas move to fund a new development bank rather than funding the existing
lenders is that China wants to change the unwritten rules of global development finance. While
reforms at the World Bank and the IMF are progressing slowly, the ADB is continued to be
dominated by Japan. Japans share in ADB is more than double that of China. China is impatient with
the existing global economic governance. A successful AIIB would be a diplomatic triumph for
China.
How India will be benefited
Manishfrom being a founding
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com member of AIIB?
India is founding member of both IMF and the AIIB. Indias share of Special Drawing Rights (SDR)
is 2.28% only whereas India is second largest shareholder of AIIB with 8.52% shares that gives India
an opportunity to present its views. AIIB gives an opportunity to India break away from IMF as it is
difficult to lend form IMF considering the western hegemony. AIIB will provide an opportunity for
Indian corporates to expand their operations. Development of transportation corridors across Asia
will be a win-win situation for all countries of the region. AIIB is a positive step to fight at IMF for
early reforms considering the changes in the global economic order.
What are the challenges before AIIB?
Considering the role played by the AIIB, there are numerous challenges before it. Critics argue that
the new bank may not consider environmental, social and anticorruption while funding the
development projects. AIIB has to prove that its critics are wrong. AIIB also differs from other
multilateral lenders such as World Bank and the Asian Development Bank as it focuses only on
infrastructure projects rather than prioritizing poverty reduction. There is a risk of misallocation of
funds to mega-projects that have little impact on inclusive economic growth. Finally, running a
multilateral organisation having different national interests will not be easy.
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ADB is multilateral lending agency based in Manila, Philippines. It is dedicated to reduce poverty in

Asia and the Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth,
and regional integration.
Important Facts
ADB has 67 members 48 from the Asia-Pacific region including India and is collectively
owned by these 67 members. The non Asia pacific region members are only developed
countries.
Most of the ADBs lending (~80%) is concentrated public sector lending in five operational
areas viz. Education; Environment, Climate Change & Disaster Management; Finance Sector
Development; Regional Cooperation & Integration and Private sector lending.
It provides finance to both sovereign countries as well as private parties. It provides hard
loans to middle income countries while soft loans to poorer countries.
Creative Productivity Index is released by the Economic Intelligence Unit of Asian
Development Bank and is used to study Asian knowledge economies on different parameters.
New Development Bank
New Development Bank (NDB) {previously BRICS Development Bank} has been established by the
BRICS countries to provide Manishsupport public or | private
Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com projects through loans, guarantees, equity
www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
participation and other financial instruments. It is headquartered at Shanghai in China. Its first regional
office will come up in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The idea was proposed by India in 2012 in 4th BRICS summit in New Delhi. The agreement for
NDB was signed in July 2014 in 6th BRICS summit at Fortaleza, Brazil. A separate agreement for
BRICS currency reserve pool worth $100 billion was also signed in the same summit. In May 2015,
K V Kamath was appointed as President of the Bank. The agreement on NDB entered into force in
7th BRICS summit in July 2015. In April 2016, the bank approved its first package of loans worth
811 million dollars for four renewable energy projects in Brazil, China, South Africa and India.
Notable Facts
The authorized capital for NDB is $100 Billion while initial subscribed capital is $50 billion.
Initial subscribed capital was equally distributed among the founding members {$10 billion

each}. Voting power of each member is equal to the number of its subscribed shares in capital
stock.
The logo of the New Development Bank is inspired by Mobius loop / stripwhich symbolizes
the idea of continuous transformation.
Non-alignment Movement
In the aftermath of WW-II, USA and the USSR emerged as superpowers; and cold war between
these two powers set off due to differences in their ideologies. They created two military alliances
viz. NATO and CSTO. Indias ideology was to keep a distance from both these blocks. Hence, in
1956, Jawaharlal Nehru put forth his concept of nonalignment for the common aspirations of the
newly independent countries of Africa and Asia. Via Nonalignment, Nehru proposed that India
should avoid entering into other peoples quarrels. In this venture, he was supported by the
President of Yugoslavia, (Marshal Tito), President of Indonesia, (Sukarno) and President of Egypt,
(Nassar). In 1955, a conference was held at Bandung (Indonesia) and NAM took its birth there. NAM
formally came into being in 1961 at the first NAM Summit held in the former Yugoslavia at
Belgrade. Today, NAM has lost its significance.
Basic Principles Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
The basic principles of NAM are:

To keep away from the power blocks
To keep close terms of friendship with all countries.
To have friendship and cooperation with both USA and the former USSR.
The basic thrust of the movement was in favour of peace, disarmament, development,
independence, eradication of poverty and illiteracy.
Notable Facts:
The phrase non-aligned was first used by V K Krishna Menon at the United Nations General
Assembly in 1953
Latest NAM summit was announced to be held in Caracas, (Venezuela) in 2015 but no
information is available about the same.
Commonwealth
The term commonwealth was first used by British Historian Alfred Eckhard Zimmern for the loose
association of components of British colonial empire. However, the term became popular after the
books the Commonwealth of Nations and Problem of the Commonwealth published by Lionel
George Curtis in early part of 20th century.

Important Facts
Today, it is a voluntary association of 54 independent sovereign states, out of which one
Fijis membership is suspended. Out of these 54 members, India is largest in terms of
Population and Canada is largest in terms of Area.
Out of these 54 members 19 are from Africa, 8 are from Asia, 3 are from Europe, 12 are from
North America, 11 from Oceania (Including Fiji, the suspended member) and One is from
South America. So the decreasing order of number of Commonwealth Nations is
Africa>North America >Oceania>Asia>Europe>South America.
32 nations of Commonwealth are island Countries.
The population of all the countries is above 2 Billion.
Nauru is currently the only Commonwealth member in arrears which does not benefit from
technical assistance from the Commonwealth Secretariat and cannot attend CHOGM.
All but two (Mozambique and Rwanda) of these countries were formerly part of the British
Empire.
Mozambique was a Portuguese colony and Rwanda was a Belgian Colony.
Other Organizations
Amnesty International
Its a Non-profit NGO founded in July 1961 by Peter Benenson in the United Kingdom. Its Global
International Secretariat is in London, United Kingdom. Its objective is to conduct research and
generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those
whose rights have been violated.
Andean Community
The Andean Community is a customs union comprising the South American countries of Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The trade bloc was called the Andean Pact until 1996 and came into
existence when the Cartagena Agreement was signed in 1969. Its headquarters are in Lima, Peru. Its
objective is to end trade barriers among member nations and create a common market.
ANZUS Treaty {Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty}
ANZUS is a loose military alliance which is pledged to respond to aggression against any of its
members viz. Australia, New Zealand, United States. It provides that an armed attack on any of
the three parties would be dangerous to the others, and that each should act to meet the common
threat. It set up a committee of foreign ministers that can meet for consultation.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is being negotiated amongst the ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) trading bloc Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia,

Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, Bangkok and Philippines with six of its partner countries
China, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. RCEP negotiations were formally
launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.
BENELUX
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Benelux Parliament was established by an agreement
signed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg on November 5, 1955. To achieve complete
economic union of its members, the Benelux Union was signed on February 3, 1958.
INTERPOL
Interpol is a large network of police forces from 190 countries across the world. It is an organization
which helps to combat and track crime and criminals which cross borders. Every member country
has a dedicated office for Interpol. Interpol has both police and civilians as its staffers and thus is very
effective against handling crime. Civilians are usually employed in finance, legal concerns and HR.
The total number of people who can be employed at one time are 650 from across 90 different
countries. Each member should have essential knowledge of atleast one of the four essential
languages viz. English, French, Arabic and Spanish.
Interpol is able to identify, trace and catch international criminals who are on a run by using a secure
police internet known as I-24/7. The police can access this through an I-link portal. This portal is
also used to see the most wanted list of Interpol and raise alerts.
Another notable hub of Interpol is CCC i.e. its Command and Control Centre which works
24/7/365. It is like a central control room which coordinates all the activities of Interpol. It has
regional centres at Lyon, France and Argentina. The next branch is due to open in Singapore. The
staff at CCC are operating all the year round exchanging vital information by sending messages and
alerts across the globe.
Arab League
The Arab League is a regional organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa, the Horn
of Africa and Arabia.
Objectives
Provide economic, political, cultural, scientific and social programmes designed to promote
the interests of the Arab world.
Draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between
them.
Safeguard their independence and sovereignty and to consider in a general way the affairs and
interests of the Arab countries.
Founded

on 22 March 1945 in Cairo in Cairo by six members viz. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi
Arabia, and Syria.
Members
Currently, the League has 22 members including Syria whose participation has been
suspended since November 2011.
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO is intergovernmental military alliance based on the
North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of
collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual Defense in response to an attack by any
external party. NATOs headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium. The combined military spending of all
NATO members constitutes over 70% of the worlds defence spending.
CSTO
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is an intergovernmental military alliance which was
signed on 15 May 1992. On 7 October 2002, the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed a charter in Tashkent founding the CSTO. The CSTO
charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force.
Signatories would not be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states, while
aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all. To this end, the
CSTO holds yearly military command exercises for the CSTO nations to have an opportunity to
improve inter-organisation cooperation. The 7 member states of CSTO are Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Commonwealth of Independent States
CIS is a confederation of independent states which were formerly the constituent republics of the
Soviet Union. Commonwealth of independent states was established in 1991 following a summit in
the Belo-Russian city of Bela-Russia (Belarus), Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova
(Moldavia), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The administrative
headquarters of the CIS is in the Belo-Russian city of Minks.
African Union
African Union (AU) is the successor of Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and came into existence
in 2002 at Durban summit in South Africa. Its headquarters are Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As pan-
African organization, AU aims at promoting unity and cooperation among African nations. It also
strives to spread democracy and good governance in the continent. At present the African Union has
a total of 54 members. Morocco is the only African country which is not the part of the Union. Its
motto is A United and Strong Africa. In January 2015, Zimbabwes President Robert Mugabe has been

appointed as Chairman of African Union (AU).

OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an intergovernmental
organization of twelve oil-producing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq,
Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
OPEC has twelve member countries: six in the Middle East, four in Africa, and two in South
America. Every member of OPEC is a net exporter of Oil.
Indonesia withdrew in 2008 after it became a net importer of oil, but stated it would likely
return if it became a net exporter again.
Ecuador joined the organisation in 1973 and left it in 1991, while Gabon, which joined the
group in 1975, dissociated with it in 1995.
OPEC was formed by Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Venezuela in Baghdad in 1960. The
organisation controls nearly 40 per cent of the international crude oil trade.
SEATO
In 1954 South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was signed on September 8, 1954 and
established formally in Bangkok in 1955. The prime objective was to stop communalism in South
West Asia. The members were Australia, France , New Zealand , Thailand , Pakistan, Philippines
United Kingdom , United States. It was basically a Southeast Asian version of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). Pakistan withdrew from it in 1973 and the organization was dissolved
in 1977. India was neither interested in SEATO type of blocs and nor did it show any keenness in
joining ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) at the time of its formation in 1967.
G-20
G20 is the premier forum (It is not an organisation) for global economic and financial cooperation.
Being a forum it does not have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative
structure.
It was established in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors on
member countries in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The forum brings together 20
nations that represent worlds major advanced and emerging economies, representing around 85 per
cent of global GDP.
Presidency of the G20
Every year one nation holds the chair of G20 known as Presidency which rotates annually
among its member groups.
The presidency establishes a temporary secretariat for the duration till it holds the Chair.
Members

Brazil, China, Russia, India, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Canada, France, Indonesia,
Germany, Italy, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Korea, United Kingdom (UK), United
States (US) and European Union (EU).
G-77 and G-24
G-77 is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members
collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United
Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but by November 2013 the
organization had since expanded to 134 member countries. Thailand holds the Chairmanship for
2016. This group fosters south-south cooperation and represents a block of developing countries.
Out of them 24 countries created a G-24 as a chapter of G-77 in 1971 to coordinate the positions
of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issues {including
matters related to International Monetary Fund}.
Caribbean Community and Common Market {CARICOM}
It is an economic coalition of Caribbean countries viz. Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Haiti, St
Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica,
Montserrat, St Kitts- Nevis, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago. Its objective is to coordinate economic
policies and development of member states and to aid the less developed member countries.
IOR-ARC
The Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), launched in Mauritius in
March 1997, is a grouping of nineteen Indian Ocean-rim states, whose aims are to facilitate trade and
investment in the region.
Member states include Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, the Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania,
Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. China, Egypt, France, Japan and the United
Kingdom are Dialogue Partners, while the Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation is an Observer.
IOR-ARC activities include several on-going topical projects and work programs conducted by
member countries of shared interests, all of which under the umbrella of 3 separate working groups,
namely the Working Group on Trade and Investment (WGTI), the Indian Ocean Rim Business
Forum (IORBF), and the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG). The Association holds a
Council of Ministers meeting once every two years.
BIMSTEC
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is the
sub-regional group of seven countries in South Asia and South East Asia.
They are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka (from South Asia) and Myanmar, Thailand

(from South East Asia).

It was established on 6 June 1997 and is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Objectives
Key objective of BIMSTEC is Technological and economical cooperation among south Asian and
south East Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
It also covers cooperation in commerce, technology, investment, agriculture, tourism, human
resource development, fisheries, transport and communication, textiles, leather etc.
SCO {Shanghai Cooperation Organization
SCO is a Eurasian economic, political and military organisation with its headquarters in Beijing
China. It was established in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders 6 countries viz. China, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
It is an outcome of Shanghai Five grouping established in 1996 by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia and Tajikistan. SCOs first enlargement was in 2001 with addition of Uzbekistan and second
enlargement was in July 2015 with addition of 2 new members India and Pakistan. Since 2005, India
was having an Observer status of SCO and had applied for full membership in 2014. India has
become a full member of SCO in July 2015.
Arctic Council
Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic
governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic. It was set up in 1996. It has eight member
nations viz. Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and United States. There
are 12 non-arctic countries with Observer status in Arctic Council viz. China, France, Germany,
India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom.
Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the
Nordic countries-which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their
associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and land. It promotes co-operation between
parliaments (Denmark) den and governments of Nordic States.
World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international institution founded by Klaus Schwab, that works
to improve the state of the world through public-private cooperation. It was established in 1971 and
is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is an independent not-for-profit organization that works
closely with other international organizations. It also works with leaders in the field of politics,
business, academia to set global, regional and industrial agenda.

MERCOSUR
Mercosur is a custom union in South America. Its member countries are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay,
Uruguay and Venezuela. Its associate countries are Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Observer countries are New Zealand and Mexico. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid
movement of goods, people, and currency.
IBSA
IBSA is a trilateral, developmental initiative between India, Brazil and South Africa to promote
South-South cooperation and exchange.
In the aftermath of discussions between the Heads of State and/or Government of the IBSA
countries at the G-8 meeting that took place in Evian in 2003, and following ongoing trilateral
consultations, the Foreign Ministers of the respective countries met in Brasilia on June 6, 2003. At
this meeting between Ministers Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma from South Africa, Celso Amorim from
Brazil and Yashwant Sinha from India, the launching of the IBSA Dialogue Forum was formalized
through the adoption of the Brasilia Declaration.
Various Indices
Human Development Index and Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of human development. It measures the
average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development:
A long and healthy life
Access to knowledge
A decent standard of living.
The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices measuring achievements in each dimension,
viz. Life Expectancy Index, Education Index, GNI Index. This report is published by UNDP every
year. Indias rank is 130 in {Details given here}
Human Capital Index
The Human Capital Index of World Economic Forum measures countries ability to nurture, develop
and deploy talent for economic growth. It is based on 46 indicators about how well countries are
developing and deploying their human capital, focusing on education, skills and employment. The
WEF report of HCI presents an analysis by focusing on a number of key issues that can support
better design of education policy and future workforce planning. Indias rank is 105 in 2016 index.
Network Readiness Index
India was placed at 91st position in the recently released 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by
World Economic Forum (WEF). The index was released as the part of the WEFs Global
Information Technology Report. It measures countries success in creating the necessary

conditions for a transition to a digitised economy and society. Top-ten countries in 2016
NRI: Singapore (1st) while Finland (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Norway (4th), United States (5th),
Netherlands (6th), Switzerland (7th), UK (8th), Luxembourg (9th) and Japan (10th).
Global Peace Index
GPI is an annual report published by the Sydney (Australia) based Institute for Economics and Peace
(IEP) since 2007. GPI uses 22 indicators to measure levels of world peace. Indicators range from a
nations level of military expenditure to its relations with neighboring nations and the percentage of
prison population in 162 countries. It also includes safety and security in society, extent of domestic
and international conflict. The IEP is an international and independent think tank dedicated to draw
the worlds attention towards peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-
being and development. In 2016 Index,
India was ranked 141 out of 163 countries, making it less peaceful country.
World Happiness Index
India ranked 118th out of 157 countries on the United Nations World Happiness Index (WHI) 2016
published by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the UN.
Key Highlights of Report
Top 10 countries:Denmark (1st), Switzerland (2nd), Iceland (3rd), Norway (4th) and Finland
(5th), Canada (6th), Netherlands (7th), New Zealand (8th), Australia (9th) and Sweden (10th).
5 Least happiest countries:Rwanda (152nd), Benin (153rd), Afghanistan (154th), Togo
(155th), Syria (156th) and Burundi (157th).
Among BRICS:Brazil (17th), Russia (56th), China (83rd), South Africa (116th) and India
(118th).
Indias Neighbours:Nepal (78th), China (83rd), Bhutan (84th), Pakistan (104th), Bangladesh
(110th), Sri Lanka (117th) and Afghanistan (154th).
For the first time, the report has given a special role to the measurement and consequences of
inequality in the distribution of well-being among countries and regions.
Countries where there was less inequality were happier overall. Top five countries have
strong social security systems
About World Happiness Report
The report aims at influencing government policy and is prepared based upon study undertaken by
Gallup World Poll. The World Happiness Index ranks nations based upon score of different
variables on a scale running from 0 to 10. These variables include real GDP per capita, healthy life
expectancy, corruption levels and social freedoms. India was ranked 111th in 2013 and 117th in
2015.

World Press Freedom Index

In recently released 2016 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), India ranked 133rd out of 180
nations surveyed worldwide in terms of press freedom in 2015. In this edition, India with a score of
43.17 has jumped three spots from the 136th position it had in 2015. The Index was published by
Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Key facts
Top 10 Countries:Finland (Rank 1st), Netherlands (2nd), Norway (3rd), Denmark (4th),
New Zealand (5th), Costa Rica (6th), Switzerland (7th), Sweden (8th), Ireland (9th) and
Jamaica (10th).
Finland with the score of 8.76 has retained its top spot for the sixth consecutive year.
Indias Neighbours:Bhutan (94), Nepal (105), Afghanistan (120), Sri Lanka (141),
Bangladesh (144), Pakistan (147) and China (176).
The report has highlighted hat there has been a deep and disturbing decline in respect for
media freedom at both the regional and global levels.
About World Press Freedom Index (WPFI)
WPFI is compiled and produced by France-based international non-governmental
organization Reporters Without Borders (RWB), or Reporters Sans Frontires (RSF).
It aims to promote and defend freedom of information and freedom of the press.
The index ranks the performance of countries according to index calculated based upon
various parameters.
Some of these parameters include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety
and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment
in which the media operate.
Logistics Performance Index
In the recently released bi-annual Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016 of World Bank Group,
India ranked 35th among 160 countries.
The index was published in the World Bank bi-annual report Connecting to Compete 2016: Trade
Logistics in the Global Economy. For the third time, Germany has topped in LPI.
Key facts
Top 5 countries in 2016 LPI:Germany (score: 4.23 points), Luxembourg (4.22), Sweden
(4.20), Netherlands (4.19) and Singapore (4.14).
India related facts:In the 2016 report, India has increased its LPI score to 3.42 compared to
LPI score of 3.08 in 2014.
In 2016 edition of LPI, India has improved its ranking by jumping 19 positions compared to

54th rank in 2014 LPI.

Improvement in Indias ranking demonstrates Union Governments commitment to make it
easy to do business in India.
Note: The LPI analyses countries across six components. They are (i) quality of trade and transport
infrastructure, (ii) competence and quality of logistics services, (iii) efficiency of customs and border
management clearance, (iv) ease of arranging competitively priced shipments, (v) ability to track and
trace consignments and (vi) frequency with which shipments reach consignees within scheduled or
expected delivery times.
Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (GEAPI)
India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries on the basis of their ability to deliver
secure, affordable and sustainable energy. It was revealed by Global Energy Architecture
Performance Index (GEAPI) Report compiled by World Economic Forum (WEF).
Key facts
Top 10 countries in GEAPI Report:Switzerland (1st), Norway (2nd), Sweden (3rd), France
(4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and
Uruguay (10th). Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies
Among the BRIC nations: Brazil (25th), Russia (52nd), India (90th) and China (94th).
The report has noted that major global economies have performed less well on the index with the
exception of France which was placed at the 4th place.
It also mentioned that large emerging economies are pressed both by the build resilient and
sustainable energy architecture and need to support economic growth.
Over the last decade, world energy production and imports rose by 3,200 million tonnes of oil
equivalent and was driven by boom in the Asian economies and led by China and India.
Fuel trade patterns: They have dramatically changed during the last decade.
Asia accounted for 35% of the world fuel trades in 2014, increased by 15% as compared to 20% of the
world fuel trades in 2004.
Regarding India: The report has noted that India is facing a vast array of challenges in the power
sector in order to meet its growth targets.
However electrification appears to have progressed in India. The proportion of the population
covered in electrification in the past 6 years has increased by 4% points to 79%.
GEAPI Report: It was prepared in collaboration with Accenture. It has explored the energy
architecture of 126 countries. It is based on their ability to provide energy access across three
dimensions of energy triangle viz. affordability, security, environmental sustainability and access.

Crony-Capitalism Index
India is ranked ninth in 2015 Crony-Capitalism Index with crony sector wealth accounting for 3.4
per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The index was based on new study by The Economist which had used data from a list of the worlds
billionaires and their worth published by Forbes. In this study each individual is labelled as crony or
not based on the source of their wealth.
Key facts
As per the index in India, the non-crony sector wealth amounts to 8.3 per cent of the GDP. In 2014
rankings too, India stood at the ninth place.
Top countries in the list: Russia (1st), Malaysia (2nd), Philippines (3rd) and Singapore (4th). Top
ranking in the list indicates countries are engaged more in crony capitalism.
Russia ranks worst in the index, wealth from the countrys crony sectors amounts to 18 per cent of
its GDP. Germany was ranked lowest and was found out to cleanest country, where just few of the
countrys billionaires derive their wealth from crony sectors.
Ease of Doing Business Rankings {October, 2015}
India has been placed at 130th position among the 189 countries in the recently released World
Banks 2016 rankings of Ease of Doing Business Report. In this edition of list, India has moved up by
four spots in the global rankings compared to earlier 134th rank in recalculated 2015 rankings.
Key highlights of report
India is one of the countries that have made the most improvement, capturing the initiative
of the government in a separate section.
It has made the biggest improvement among the South-Asian countries in business
regulations.
India has made large improvements in two indicators, starting a business (155th rank) and
getting electricity (70th rank).
Top 10 Countries:Singapore (1st), New Zealand (2nd), Denmark (3rd), South Korea (4th),
Hong Kong (5th), United Kingdom (6th), United States (7th), Sweden (8th), Norway (9th)
and Finland (10th).
BIRCS Nations:India ranks lowest in Doing Business among the BRICS nations. Russia (51),
South Africa (73), China (84), Brazil (116) and India (130).
Indias Neighbours:Bhutan (71), China (84), Nepal (99), Sri Lanka (107), Maldives (128),
Pakistan (138), Bangladesh (174).
About the Ease of Doing Business ranking
It is annually released by World Bank in its Doing Business Report. Ranking of country in this list is

based on index averages the countrys percentile rankings on 10 indicators each having equal
weightage. A higher ranking of country in this list means that its regulatory environment is more
conducive and favourable for the starting and operation of firms.
10 indicators are: business, getting electricity, dealing with construction permits, registering
property, protecting investors, getting credit, employing workers, trading across borders, paying
taxes, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.
2015 Corruption Perception Index
India has been ranked 76th out of 168 countries in the recently released 2015 Corruption Perception
Index (CPI). The 2015 CPI was the 21st edition of the annual index and was published by the Berlin-
based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).
Key facts
In this edition, India has scored 38 on a scale from 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt).
This score is same as 2014 edition indicating that country is showing lack of improvement.
India has improved in its ranking compared to earlier position of 85 and 94 in 2014 and 2013,
respectively.
Top 5 Countries:Denmark (score 91), Finland (score 90), Sweden (89 score), New Zealand,
Netherlands (87 score) and Norway (87 score).
Bottom 5 Countries:Angola (rank 163), South Sudan (rank 163), Sudan (rank 165),
Afghanistan (rank 166), North Korea (rank 167) and Somalia (rank 167).
BRICS Countries:South Africa (rank 61), India (76), Brazil (rank 76), China (rank 83) and
Russia (rank 119).
SAARC Countries:Bhutan (rank 27), India (rank 76), Sri Lanka (rank 83), Pakistan (rank
117), Nepal (rank 130) and Bangladesh (rank 139) and Afghanistan (rank 166).
Since 2012, the CPI methodology has been updated to provide for year-over-year precise
comparisons. The watchdog uses data to compile the perceptions of the scale of public sector
corruption from international institutions like World Bank, the African Development Bank and
business school IMD etc.


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Manish Jain | jatf.manish@gmail.com | www.gktoday.in/module/ias-general-studies

International Organizations and

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 2

UNGA Resolutions ............................................................................................................................ 16

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 3

UNDP Headquarters ........................................................................................................................ 29

World Bank ......................................................................................................................................................... 33

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 4

Asian Development Bank (ADB) .................................................................................................................. 40

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 5

Global Peace Index ........................................................................................................................... 50

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 6

Secretary General : Ban Ki-moon

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 3

Members shall be settling international disputes by peaceful means

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 4

cooperation and development);

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 5

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 6

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 7

International Criminal Court

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 8

Monetary Fund (IMF).

No Acronyms Agency Headquarters Established in

1 FAO Food and Agriculture Organization Rome, Italy 1945

2 IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna, Austria 1957

International Civil Aviation

International Fund for Agricultural

5 ILO International Labour Organization Geneva, Switzerland 1946 (1919)

6 IMO International Maritime Organization London, United Kingdom 1948

7 IMF International Monetary Fund Washington, D.C., USA 1945 (1944)

United Nations Educational, Scientic

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 9

No Acronyms Agency Headquarters Established in

United Nations Industrial

11 UPU Universal Postal Union Bern, Switzerland 1947 (1874)

12 WB World Bank Washington, D.C., USA 1945 (1944)

13 WFP World Food Programme Rome, Italy 1963

14 WHO World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland 1948

World Intellectual Property

16 WMO World Meteorological Organization Geneva, Switzerland 1950 (1873)

17 UNWTO World Tourism Organization Madrid, Spain 1974

United Nations Security Council

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 10

unable to respond quickly to a crisis.

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 11

Veto Power of the P5 Nations

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 12

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 13

Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 14

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Target 2016: Integrated IAS General Studies 15