International organisations, groupings and India's relations: previous-year questions
73 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 31 of them came in the last five papers.
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Questions per year, counted from the official papers.
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Consider the following statements with respect to the AI Impact Summit, 2026 held in New Delhi :
- 1. The Summit’s intellectual framework was based on three foundational Sutras : People, Planning, and Progress.
- 2. The Preamble of the Summit stresses Democratising AI Resources, which acknowledges the Charter for Democratic Diffusion of AI as a binding framework to support locally relevant innovation and strengthen resilient AI ecosystems while respecting national laws.
- 3. The New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact was structured around seven Chakras (Pillars), which included Access for Social Empowerment, AI for Science, and Secure and Trusted AI.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Only statement 3 is correct (d). Statement 3 is right: the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact was built around seven chakras (pillars), including access for social empowerment, AI for science and secure and trusted AI. Statement 1 is wrong: the three sutras were People, Planet and Progress, not "Planning". Statement 2 is wrong: the Charter for Democratic Diffusion of AI is voluntary, not binding. So options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice the event: the AI Impact Summit was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in February 2026, the first global AI summit in the Global South. It followed the summits at Bletchley Park (2023), Seoul (2024) and Paris (2025). At home, the IndiaAI Mission (2024) funds shared GPU computing.
Statement 1 changes one word, Planet to Planning. Statement 2 changes voluntary to binding.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following connectivity projects is/are a part of cooperation between India and the ASEAN member countries ?
- 1. Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project
- 2. IMT Trilateral Highway
- 3. Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Projects 1 and 2 involve ASEAN members (a). Item 1 is right: the Kaladan Multi-Modal project links Kolkata to Sittwe port and on to Mizoram through Myanmar. Item 2 is right: the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway runs from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand. Myanmar and Thailand are both ASEAN members. Item 3 is wrong: the Agartala–Akhaura rail line links Tripura with Bangladesh, which is not in ASEAN. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the policy: these projects are the backbone of India's Act East Policy (2014), which upgraded the Look East Policy (1991). ASEAN has 11 members since Timor-Leste joined in 2025. Bangladesh links fall under BBIN and BIMSTEC instead.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (Project Supported by India) | List II (Country)
| A. Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project | 1. Maldives
| B. Restoration of Stor Palace | 2. Afghanistan
| C. District Hospital at Dickoya | 3. Bhutan
| D. Institute of Security and Law Enforcement Studies | 4. Sri Lanka
Code :
Answer (b) & explanation
The correct match is A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 (b). Mangdechhu (720 MW) is an India-built hydro project in Bhutan (A-3). India restored the Stor Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan (B-2), opened in 2016. The Dickoya hospital is in the hill country of Sri Lanka (C-4), serving the Indian-origin Tamil community. The Institute of Security and Law Enforcement Studies was built for the Maldives police (D-1). Options (a), (c) and (d) mix these up.
Notice the pattern: India's Neighbourhood First policy relies on such development partnership projects. In Afghanistan, India also built the Parliament building and the Salma Dam (Afghan–India Friendship Dam). Bhutan's hydropower, including Chukha and Tala, sells surplus power to India.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements about platforms for multilateral co-operation :
- 1. The ‘Colombo Process’ is a regional consultative process in which member states take binding decisions by consensus.
- 2. The ‘Abu Dhabi Dialogue’ is a voluntary non-binding consultative process among Asian countries of labour origin and destination to facilitate regional cooperation on contractual labour mobility.
- 3. The ‘Global Forum for Migration and Development’, created upon the proposal of a former UN Secretary General, is a voluntary forum whose decisions are non-binding in nature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (c). Statement 2 is right: the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (2008) is a voluntary, non-binding forum of Asian labour-origin and destination countries on contractual labour mobility. Statement 3 is right: the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) grew from Kofi Annan's proposal in 2006 and its outcomes are non-binding. Statement 1 is wrong: the Colombo Process (2003) is also non-binding; "binding decisions" makes it false. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice India's stake: it is the world's largest receiver of remittances, over $125 billion a year, much of it from the Gulf. India is a member of both the Colombo Process and the Abu Dhabi Dialogue. The eMigrate portal protects Indian workers abroad.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following UN organisations/agencies :
- 1. World Food Programme
- 2. United Nations Children’s Fund
- 3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- 4. International Labour Organisation
How many of the above has/have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only one of these won the Nobel Peace Prize twice (a). Item 3 is right: the UNHCR won in 1954 and 1981. Item 1 is wrong: the World Food Programme won once, in 2020. Item 2 is wrong: UNICEF won once, in 1965. Item 4 is wrong: the ILO won once, in 1969, its 50th year. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the record holder: the International Committee of the Red Cross has won three times (1917, 1944, 1963), the most of any organisation. The UN and Kofi Annan shared the prize in 2001, and UN Peacekeeping Forces won in 1988. The IAEA won in 2005. Indian-born Kailash Satyarthi shared the 2014 prize.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (UN Peacekeeping Operation) | List II (Period of Operation)
| A. UNMIL | 1. 2007 – 2010
| B. MINURCAT | 2. 2002 – 2005
| C. MINUSTAH | 3. 2003 – 2018
| D. UNMISET | 4. 2004 – 2017
Code :
Answer (b) & explanation
The correct match is A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 (b). UNMIL served in Liberia from 2003 to 2018 (A-3). MINURCAT covered the Central African Republic and Chad from 2007 to 2010 (B-1). MINUSTAH was the UN mission in Haiti from 2004 to 2017 (C-4). UNMISET supported newly independent Timor-Leste from 2002 to 2005 (D-2). Options (a), (c) and (d) mix these up.
Notice India's role: India is among the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping, with over 2.9 lakh personnel since 1950. In Liberia, India sent the world's first all-women Formed Police Unit in 2007. India's earliest big mission was in Korea and then the Congo (1960s).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (BIMSTEC Centre / Establishment) | List II (Location)
| A. BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory | 1. NOIDA
| B. BIMSTEC Energy Centre | 2. Bengaluru
| C. BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate | 3. Colombo
| D. BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility | 4. Thimphu
Code :
Answer (c) & explanation
The correct match is A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 (c). BIMSTEC spreads its centres across members. The Cultural Industries Observatory is in Thimphu (A-4). The Energy Centre is in Bengaluru (B-2). The Centre for Weather and Climate is at the NCMRWF, Noida (C-1). The Technology Transfer Facility is in Colombo (D-3). Options (a), (b) and (d) mix these up.
Notice the group: BIMSTEC (1997, Bangkok Declaration) has seven members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Its secretariat is in Dhaka, and its Charter came into force in 2024. India sees it as a bridge between Neighbourhood First and Act East, especially while SAARC is stalled.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following countries are members of the European Union ?
- 1. Belarus
- 2. Poland
- 3. Germany
- 4. Switzerland
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Poland and Germany are EU members (c). Item 2 is right: Poland joined in the big 2004 enlargement. Item 3 is right: Germany is a founder member from the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Item 1 is wrong: Belarus is close to Russia and not in the EU. Item 4 is wrong: Switzerland stays outside, linked through bilateral deals and the Schengen area. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the numbers: the EU has 27 members since the UK left (Brexit, 2020). Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are in the European Economic Area but not the EU. India and the EU concluded talks on their Free Trade Agreement in January 2026.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (INTERPOL Notice) | List II (Description)
| A. Silver Notice | 1. To seek information on unidentified bodies
| B. Blue Notice | 2. To collect additional information about a person’s identity, location, or activities in relation to a criminal investigation
| C. Black Notice | 3. To provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety
| D. Green Notice | 4. To identify and trace criminal assets
Code :
Answer (c) & explanation
The correct match is A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 (c). The Silver Notice, first issued in January 2025 as a pilot, helps trace criminal assets (A-4). A Blue Notice collects more information about a person's identity, location or activities (B-2). A Black Notice seeks information on unidentified bodies (C-1). A Green Notice warns about a person's criminal activities when they may threaten public safety (D-3). Options (a), (b) and (d) mix these up.
Notice the best-known one: a Red Notice asks police worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition. A Yellow Notice helps find missing persons, and an Orange Notice warns of an imminent threat. In India, the CBI is the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL, which is headquartered in Lyon.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany visited India in January, 2026. Which of the following is/are not correct in terms of outcomes of this visit ?
- 1. Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the All India Institute of Ayurveda and the University of Hamburg
- 2. Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Hockey Development between Hockey India and the German Hockey Federation
- 3. Establishment of a bilateral dialogue mechanism on the Indo-Pacific
- 4. Opening of an Honorary Consul of Germany in Lucknow
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Outcomes 1 and 4 are not correct (b). Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited India on 12–13 January 2026. Item 1 is wrong: the Ayurveda MoU was between the All India Institute of Ayurveda and Charité University, Berlin, not Hamburg. Item 4 is wrong: Germany's new Honorary Consul was opened in Ahmedabad, not Lucknow. Item 2 is a real outcome: an MoU on youth hockey development between Hockey India and the German Hockey Federation. Item 3 is a real outcome: a new bilateral dialogue on the Indo-Pacific. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the method: for visit questions, UPSC copies the MEA's "List of Outcomes" and changes one word, here a city name. India and Germany have been strategic partners since 2000.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following international conventions have not been ratified by India ?
- 1. Employment Policy Convention
- 2. Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
- 3. International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
- 4. Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
- 5. Convention on Reduction of Statelessness
Select the answer using the code given below :
No official answer (question dropped) & notes
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation. Item 2 is ratified: India ratified the ILO Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No. 105) in 2000. Item 4 is ratified: India ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention on civilians in war in 1950. Item 1 is ratified: India accepted the ILO Employment Policy Convention (No. 122) in 1998. Items 3 and 5 are not ratified: India has not joined the Migrant Workers Convention (1990) or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. None of options (a) to (d) lists exactly items 3 and 5.
Notice India's wider stance: it has also not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, preferring to handle refugees case by case. It has ratified six of the eight core ILO conventions.
UPSC did not evaluate this question, so no official answer exists. Use it for practice only.
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation; there is no official answer.
Consider the following countries :
- I. Austria
- II. Bulgaria
- III. Croatia
- IV. Serbia
- V. Sweden
- VI. North Macedonia
How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?
Answer (b) & explanation
Four of the six are NATO members (b). Bulgaria (joined 2004), Croatia (2009), North Macedonia (2020) and Sweden (2024) are members. Item I is wrong: Austria is constitutionally neutral since 1955. Item IV is wrong: Serbia has declared military neutrality, partly due to NATO's 1999 bombing during the Kosovo war. Both work with NATO only through partnership programmes. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice NATO's growth to 32 members: Finland joined in 2023 and Sweden in 2024, both ending long neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine. Ireland, Switzerland and Malta also stay out. Article 5 says an attack on one is an attack on all.
Sweden joined only in March 2024, after Finland (2023). Older lists leave it out.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements in respect of BIMSTEC :
- I. It is a regional organization consisting of seven member States till January 2025.
- II. It came into existence with the signing of the Dhaka Declaration, 1999.
- III. Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal are founding member States of BIMSTEC.
- IV. In BIMSTEC, the subsector of ‘tourism’ is being led by India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
Only statement I is correct (d). Statement I is right: BIMSTEC has seven members. Statement II is wrong: it was founded by the Bangkok Declaration of 1997, not Dhaka 1999. Statement III is wrong: the founders were Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand; Myanmar joined later that year, and Nepal and Bhutan in 2004. Statement IV is wrong in UPSC's key: since its sectors were regrouped, India leads the security pillar, not tourism.
Notice the milestones: the BIMSTEC Charter came into force in 2024, and the Bangkok summit (2025) adopted the Bangkok Vision 2030. Its secretariat is in Dhaka. India sees it as a bridge between its Neighbourhood First and Act East policies.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements regarding AI Action Summit held in Grand Palais, Paris in February 2025 :
- I. Co-chaired with India, the event builds on the advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit held in 2023 and the Seoul Summit held in 2024.
- II. Along with other countries, US and UK also signed the declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement I is correct (a). Statement I is right: France and India co-chaired the Paris AI Action Summit in February 2025, which followed Bletchley Park (2023) and Seoul (2024). Statement II is wrong: about sixty countries, India and China included, signed its declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI, but the US and UK did not sign. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice what came next: India hosted the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026, the first in the Global South. At home, the IndiaAI Mission (2024) funds shared GPU computing power and Indian foundation models. The EU's AI Act (2024) is the first broad AI law.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
- I. International Year of the Woman Farmer : 2026
- II. International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism : 2027
- III. International Year of Peace and Trust : 2025
- IV. International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence : 2029
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
All four pairs are correctly matched (d). The UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the Year of Peace and Trust (pair III), 2026 the Year of the Woman Farmer (pair I), 2027 the Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism (pair II), and 2029 the Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence (pair IV). The 2029 date fits the year asteroid Apophis passes very close to Earth. So options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice other years: 2023 was the International Year of Millets, proposed by India, and 2025 was also the Year of Cooperatives and of Quantum Science. 2026 is also the Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS :
- I. 16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan.
- II. Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS.
- III. The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Statements I and II are correct (a). Statement I is right: Russia hosted the 16th BRICS summit at Kazan in October 2024. Statement II is right: Indonesia became a full member in January 2025. Statement III is wrong: the theme was "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security", not multiculturalism. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the expansion: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joined in 2024; Kazan also created a "partner country" tier. Brazil hosted the 17th summit in Rio (2025), and India chairs BRICS in 2026. The BRICS New Development Bank is based in Shanghai.
One word, multiculturalism for multilateralism, is the whole trap in statement III.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Country | Reason for being in the news
| 1. Argentina | Worst economic crisis
| 2. Sudan | War between the country’s regular army and paramilitary forces
| 3. Turkey | Rescinded its membership of NATO
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only two pairs are correctly matched (b). Pair 1 is right: Argentina faced triple-digit inflation and its worst economic crisis in decades, which led to the election of Javier Milei in 2023. Pair 2 is right: Sudan's army, the SAF, has been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, causing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Pair 3 is wrong: Turkey is still in NATO. It delayed Sweden's entry but approved it in January 2024.
Notice the NATO growth: Finland joined in 2023 and Sweden in 2024, taking members to 32, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. India ran Operation Kaveri to evacuate its citizens from Sudan.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
Statement-II : There have been military takeovers/coups d’état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Both are correct and Statement II explains Statement I (a). Statement II is right: there were coups in Mali (2020, 2021), Burkina Faso (2022) and Niger (2023). Statement I is right because of them: the juntas pushed out French and UN forces, weakening counter-insurgency, and jihadist violence spread across the Sahel. Options (b), (c) and (d) miss this cause and effect.
Notice the later moves: the three juntas formed the Alliance of Sahel States, left ECOWAS in 2025, and turned towards Russia for security help. The Sahel is the semi-arid belt south of the Sahara, from Senegal to Sudan, also hit by desertification and climate stress.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently.
Statement-II : The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statement I is correct, Statement II is wrong (c). Statement I is right: the European Parliament approved the Net-Zero Industry Act in April 2024, to boost Europe's own making of clean technologies such as solar panels, batteries, wind turbines and heat pumps. Statement II is wrong on two counts: the EU's climate-neutrality target is 2050, not 2040, and the Act aims for Europe to make 40% of its clean-tech needs by 2030, not all of it. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the related EU tools: the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which affects Indian steel and aluminium exports, and the Critical Raw Materials Act. India's own net-zero target is 2070.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught the international attention for which one of the following reasons common to all of them?
Answer (d) & explanation
All four saw successful coups (d). Mali had coups in 2020 and 2021. Chad saw a military takeover in 2021 after President Idriss Déby was killed. Guinea's army ousted President Condé in 2021. Sudan's army seized power in October 2021, and the army's later split with the RSF led to civil war in 2023. Option (a) is wrong: no shared rare earth find. Option (b) is wrong: China's only acknowledged overseas base is in Djibouti. Option (c) is wrong: desertification affects the Sahel, but it is not what links these four.
Notice the "coup belt" across Africa: Burkina Faso (2022), Niger and Gabon (2023) followed. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.