Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (International Relations) – June 3, 2020

The Constitution of India has dealt with the provisions regarding international treaties through Articles 51, 73 and 253.

Article 51: Promotion of international peace and security The State shall endeavour to

• promote international peace and security;
• maintain just and honourable relations between nations;
• foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another; and encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration

Article 73: provides that the scope of the powers of the executive extend to:

• To the matters specified in the List 1, inclusive of entry 14, with respect to entering into and implementing treaties.
• Such rights or obligations as are exercisable in consequence of any treaty or convention which India has ratified.

Article 253: Legislation for giving effect to international agreements notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Chapter, Parliament has power to make any law for the whole or any part of the territory of India for implementing any treaty, agreement or convention with any other country or countries or any decision made at any international conference, association or other body.

The International conventions signed and ratified by India are:

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is signed and ratified by India in 2008.

ADB was conceived in the early 1960s as a financial institution that would be Asian in character and foster economic growth and cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world.A resolution passed at the first Ministerial Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East in 1963 set that vision on the way to becoming reality.The Philippines capital of Manila was chosen to host the new institution, which opened on 19 December 1966, with 31 members that came together to serve a predominantly agricultural region. Takeshi Watanabe was ADB’s first President.During the 1960s, ADB focused much of its assistance on food production and rural development.

Statement 1 is incorrect: India was a founding member of ADB in 1966 and is now the bank’s fourth-largest shareholder. Australia is also a founder member, but Russia not yet joined the Asian Development Bank.

Statement 2 is correct: India, China and Indonesia are the top three aid receivers of Asian Development Bank.

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Statement 1 is correct: The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) serves as the United Nations’ regional hub promoting cooperation among countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. The largest regional intergovernmental platform with 53 Member States and 9 associate members, ESCAP has emerged as strong regional think-tank offering countries sound analytical products that shed insight into the evolving economic, social and environmental dynamics of the region.

Statement 2 is incorrect: India has joined UN ESCAP in March, 1947.

India and Russia are expected to conclude a mutual logistics agreement (Agreement on Reciprocal Logistics Support (ARLS) and review the setting up of joint ventures for manufacturing spares for Russian defense platforms in India. Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement when the Indian military is operating abroad.

The new global standard on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) reduces the possibility for tax evasion. It provides for the exchange of non-resident financial account information with the tax authorities in the account holders’ country of residence.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) is the exchange of information between countries without having to request it.

Statement 2 is correct: In the first tranche of information, Switzerland has shared bank account details with the Indian government under the AEOI (Automatic Exchange of Information) framework.

Led by the US’s International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Blue Dot network was jointly launched by the US, Japan (Japanese Bank for International Cooperation) and Australia (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) in November 2019 on the sidelines of the 34th ASEAN Summit in Thailand.It is meant to be a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to bring governments, the private sector and civil society together to promote “high quality, trusted standards for global infrastructure development”.

The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. At SCO summit, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on June 2004, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was established. The Head of RATS is elected to a three-year term. Each member state also sends a permanent representative to RATS.

The grouping of four democracies –India, Australia, US and Japan– known as the quadrilateral security dialogue or quad, was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure. With the aim to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region, India, Australia, US and Japan, formed the “quadrilateral” coalition on November 12, 2017.

India is not a member of both Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and ASEAN.

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It was set up in 1960 by its then seven Member States for the promotion of free trade and economic integration between its members.

The first ever Global Refugee Forum took place on 17 and 18 December 2019 and was a true milestone in the advancement of the international refugee regime. It brought the international community together to demonstrate solidarity with the world’s refugees and the countries and communities that host them, to announce pledges and contributions that support them, and to commit to a continued search for solutions. We—Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Germany, Pakistan, Turkey and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees—were honoured to serve as co-convenors of this historic event, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland. We thank Switzerland for co-hosting the Forum with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and all those who actively contributed to making the Forum a success, including governments, international organizations, representatives from across the humanitarian and development worlds, business leaders, civil society, sports organizations, faith groups, academia, and refugees themselves.