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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With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future, which of the statements is/are correct ?
- 1. UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.
- 2. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only.
- 3. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (b). UN-Habitat, based in Nairobi (1978), has a UN General Assembly mandate to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities and adequate shelter for all (1). It also supports the UN's wider aims of cutting poverty and improving access to safe water and sanitation (3), and it leads on SDG 11 (sustainable cities). Statement 2 is wrong because its partners are not only governments and local authorities. They also include NGOs, academia, the private sector and community groups.
It holds the World Urban Forum and produces the World Cities Report. Notice India's urban missions: PMAY-Urban 2.0, AMRUT 2.0 and Swachh Bharat (Urban) 2.0.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Chabahar gives India a route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that avoids Pakistan (c). Chabahar, on Iran's Gulf of Oman coast, connects India by sea and land to Afghanistan and Central Asia through the INSTC, without passing through Pakistan, which denies India transit. India sent wheat to Afghanistan this way and signed a ten-year contract in May 2024 to run the Shahid Beheshti terminal. African trade (a), ties with Arab oil producers (b), and an Iraq–India gas pipeline protected by Pakistan (d) are unrelated or unrealistic.
The US cancelled its sanctions waiver in 2025, and the extension ran out in April 2026, putting India's role at risk. Notice the rival port: Chabahar is about 170 km from China-backed Gwadar in Pakistan.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The term ‘Digital Single Market Strategy’ seen in the news refers to
Answer (c) & explanation
The Digital Single Market Strategy belongs to the EU (c). The European Commission launched it in 2015 to remove online barriers between member states and extend the single market into the digital economy. Its results include ending mobile roaming charges in 2017, banning unfair geo-blocking, updating copyright rules, and the GDPR (2018) for data protection. It has no link to ASEAN (a), BRICS (b) or the G20 (d).
The EU has since passed the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act to curb Big Tech, as well as the AI Act (2024), the world's first broad AI law. Notice India's version of such rules: the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The Nuclear Security Summits are periodically held under the aegis of the United Nations.
- 2. The International Panel on Fissile Materials is an organ of International Atomic Energy Agency.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong because the four Nuclear Security Summits (Washington 2010, Seoul 2012, The Hague 2014, Washington 2016) were a US initiative under President Obama. They aimed to secure nuclear material against terrorists and were not UN meetings. Statement 2 is wrong because the International Panel on Fissile Materials (2006) is an independent group of experts based at Princeton University. It is not part of the IAEA. It publishes the Global Fissile Material Report.
India attended all four summits. Notice the real UN-linked bodies: the IAEA (Vienna, 1957) reports to the UN General Assembly and Security Council, and UNSC Resolution 1540 (2004) deals with weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of non-state actors.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to ‘Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD)’, consider the following statements :
- 1. The first APMCHUD was held in India in 2006 on the theme ‘Emerging Urban Forms — Policy Responses and Governance Structure’.
- 2. India hosts all the Annual Ministerial Conferences in partnership with ADB, APEC and ASEAN.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct, according to UPSC (d). The Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development first met in New Delhi in 2006. However, the theme quoted in statement 1 does not match UPSC's record of that meeting. Statement 2 is clearly wrong because the conference is held every two years, not every year, and it rotates among members: Iran in 2008, Indonesia in 2010, Jordan in 2012, and so on. India does not host them all, and it does not run them with ADB, APEC and ASEAN. UN-Habitat backs it.
India hosted again in 2016 (New Delhi). Notice the trick in such questions: "all", "only" and "annual" are often the error. Linked bodies include UN-Habitat and its World Urban Forum.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership’, consider the following statements :
- 1. It is an agreement among all the Pacific Rim countries except China and Russia.
- 2. It is a strategic alliance for the purpose of maritime security only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (signed 2016) had only 12 Pacific Rim economies, not all of them except China and Russia; countries such as South Korea and Indonesia were outside it. Statement 2 is wrong: the TPP was a trade and investment agreement, not a maritime security alliance.
The US withdrew in 2017, and the remaining 11 signed the CPTPP in 2018. The UK joined in 2024. China has applied to join. Notice how the TPP contrasts with RCEP, a separate Asia-Pacific trade bloc that India chose to leave in 2019.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
The India-Africa Summit
- 1. held in 2015 was the third such Summit
- 2. was actually initiated by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement 1 is correct (a). The India–Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in October 2015 was the third one, after 2008 in New Delhi and 2011 in Addis Ababa. Statement 2 is wrong: the summit process began in 2008, not under Nehru in 1951.
The 2015 summit was the largest, with all 54 African countries taking part, and India pledged concessional credit and scholarships. Nehru's link with Africa came through anti-colonial solidarity, the Bandung Conference (1955) and the Non-Aligned Movement. Notice how India's push later helped the African Union win permanent membership of the G20 in 2023.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
‘Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres)’, often in the news, is
Answer (b) & explanation
MSF is an independent international NGO (b). Médecins Sans Frontières was founded in France in 1971 by doctors and journalists. It gives emergency medical care in wars, epidemics and disasters, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. It is not a division of the WHO (a), it is not run by the European Union (c), and it is not a UN specialised agency (d). In fact, it guards its independence by taking most of its money from private donors.
It was in the news in 2015 after a US airstrike hit its hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Notice the trap: famous humanitarian names tempt you towards "UN" options, but bodies like MSF, Amnesty and the ICRC (a private Swiss association with a special mandate) are not UN agencies.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following is not a member of ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’?
Answer (a) & explanation
Iran is not a GCC member (a). The Gulf Cooperation Council was formed in 1981 with its headquarters in Riyadh. It has six Arab monarchies: Saudi Arabia (b), the UAE, Kuwait (d), Qatar, Bahrain and Oman (c). It was formed partly as a response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Iran–Iraq war, so Iran's absence is the point. Iraq and Yemen are not members either.
For India, the GCC is a top trading bloc, a key oil and gas source, and home to about 9 million Indians, who send large remittances. India–GCC FTA talks restarted in 2022, and India signed a CEPA with the UAE in 2022. Notice the corridors too: IMEC, announced in 2023, runs through the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
‘Belt and Road Initiative’ is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of
Answer (d) & explanation
The Belt and Road Initiative is China's project (d). Xi Jinping announced it in 2013 in Kazakhstan and Indonesia. It combines the overland Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to build ports, railways and power lines across Asia, Africa and Europe. It is not a project of the African Union (a), Brazil (b), or the EU (c). The EU's answer is its Global Gateway.
India has boycotted BRI because its flagship, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India sees as a breach of sovereignty. Watch for the term "debt-trap diplomacy", as in Sri Lanka's Hambantota port lease. Italy left BRI in 2023, and India backs alternatives such as IMEC.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The term ‘Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership’ often appears in the news in the context of the affairs of a group of countries known as
Answer (b) & explanation
RCEP is linked with ASEAN (b). The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership was negotiated by the 10 ASEAN countries and their six FTA partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. India walked out in November 2019. It feared a flood of cheap Chinese goods, harm to dairy and farm sectors, and weak safeguards. The other 15 signed in November 2020, and the deal came into force in 2022. It is not a G20 (a), SCO (c) or SAARC (d) project.
It is the world's largest trade bloc, covering about 30% of global GDP. Notice India's other path: it reviews its ASEAN FTA (AITIGA) and signs bilateral deals such as with the UAE, Australia, EFTA and the UK.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015.
- 2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement 1 is correct (a). India and France launched the International Solar Alliance on 30 November 2015 at COP21 in Paris (1). Its headquarters is in Gurugram, at the National Institute of Solar Energy campus. It became a treaty-based body in 2017. Statement 2 is wrong because membership is not automatic. It was first meant for about 121 solar-rich countries lying between the Tropics, and in 2020 it was opened to all UN members, but each country must sign and ratify the framework agreement. About 100+ have done so, not all UN members.
Its slogan is "One Sun, One World, One Grid" (OSOWOG). Notice related Indian-led groups too: CDRI for disaster-resilient infrastructure and the Global Biofuels Alliance (2023).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Community sometimes mentioned in the news | In the affairs of
| 1. Kurd | Bangladesh
| 2. Madhesi | Nepal
| 3. Rohingya | Myanmar
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer (c) & explanation
Pairs 2 and 3 are correct (c). The Madhesis of Nepal's Terai protested the 2015 constitution, which led to a border blockade with India. The Rohingya are a Muslim minority denied citizenship in Myanmar's Rakhine State, and many fled to Bangladesh after 2017. Pair 1 is wrong: the Kurds live across Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran, not Bangladesh.
The Kurds are among the largest ethnic groups without a state of their own. Notice how communities in the news link to India's neighbourhood policy, as with refugees and border relations.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to ‘Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)’, consider the following statements :
- 1. It is an organization of European Union in working relation with NATO and WHO.
- 2. It monitors chemical industry to prevent new weapons from emerging.
- 3. It provides assistance and protection to States (Parties) against chemical weapons threats.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (b). The OPCW, based in The Hague, implements the Chemical Weapons Convention (1997). It monitors the chemical industry to stop new weapons emerging (2) and provides assistance and protection to member states against chemical threats (3). Statement 1 is wrong: it is an independent international body, not an EU organisation working with NATO and WHO.
It has 193 member states and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. India signed the CWC and destroyed its declared stockpile by 2009. Notice how disarmament treaties rely on verification bodies like this.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently?
Answer (b) & explanation
The 2014–16 West African Ebola epidemic, the largest ever with over 11,000 deaths, centred on Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia (b). WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in August 2014. The other groups, Syria–Jordan (a), Philippines–Papua New Guinea (c) and Jamaica–Haiti–Surinam (d), were not Ebola hotspots.
The virus is named after the Ebola river in the DR Congo, where it was first identified in 1976. It spreads through direct contact with body fluids. Notice how such outbreaks shaped later global health responses, including WHO's handling of Zika and COVID-19.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The area known as ‘Golan Heights’ sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events related to
Answer (b) & explanation
The Golan Heights are in the Middle East (b). Israel took this plateau from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981, a move most of the world does not recognise. It overlooks the Sea of Galilee and is a key source of water. It has nothing to do with Central Asia (a), South-East Asia (c) or Central Africa (d).
UN peacekeepers of UNDOF, including Indian troops at times, patrol the ceasefire line. The USA recognised Israeli sovereignty in 2019. Notice how high ground and water make some small territories hugely important in geopolitics.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the use of ozone-depleting substances?
Answer (b) & explanation
The Montreal Protocol (1987), under the Vienna Convention (1985), phases out ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs and halons (b). It is the first UN treaty ratified by every country. Bretton Woods (a) created the IMF and World Bank in 1944. The Kyoto Protocol (c) dealt with greenhouse gases, and the Nagoya Protocol (d) with access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources.
Its Kigali Amendment (2016) adds HFCs, which do not harm ozone but are strong greenhouse gases. Notice how the ozone layer is healing, a rare success story of global cooperation.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Amnesty International is
Answer (b) & explanation
Amnesty International (London, 1961) is a global human-rights movement of members and volunteers (b). It campaigns against torture, the death penalty and unjust imprisonment, and won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize. It is not a UN refugee agency (a), which is the UNHCR; it is not a poverty relief NGO (c); and it is not an inter-governmental medical agency (d), a role closer to the ICRC or Médecins Sans Frontières, which is itself an NGO.
Amnesty shut its India operations in 2020 after its bank accounts were frozen. Notice how UPSC tests whether a body is UN, inter-governmental or non-governmental.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
India is a member of which among the following?
- 1. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
- 2. Association of South-East Asian Nations
- 3. East Asia Summit
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 3 is correct (b). India has been a member of the East Asia Summit since it began in 2005. India is a dialogue partner of ASEAN, not a member, and the relationship was raised to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. India has long sought to join APEC, but the group has not admitted it.
The EAS has 18 members: the ten ASEAN states plus India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Russia. Notice how India's Act East Policy works through these forums, linking trade, connectivity and security in the Indo-Pacific.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not a participant/participants?
- 1. Bangladesh
- 2. Cambodia
- 3. China
- 4. Myanmar
- 5. Thailand
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (c) & explanation
Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (2000, Vientiane) joins India with five Mekong countries: Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. So Bangladesh and China are not participants (c). Options listing Cambodia, Myanmar or Thailand as non-participants are wrong.
MGC covers tourism, culture, education and transport, highlighting the civilisational links of the two great rivers. China leads its own Lancang–Mekong Cooperation, the Lancang being the Chinese name for the upper Mekong. Notice how MGC fits India's Act East Policy, along with BIMSTEC and the India–Myanmar–Thailand highway.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.