Global Agreements and declarations

From the late 1960s, Northern Ireland was plunged into a violent conflict between republicans who wanted the province to become part of a united Ireland and unionists who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom. The Troubles was a period when there was a lot of violence between two groups.
In 1998 – after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict – the Good Friday agreement (or Belfast Agreement) was signed. This resulted in a new government being formed that would see power being shared between Unionists and Nationalists.
The agreement was formally made between the British and Irish governments, and eight political parties of Northern Ireland.
The agreement acknowledged the constitutional status of Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom, reflecting the wish of the majority of citizens. It also established a principle of consent – that a united Ireland could come about if and when a majority of people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland wanted it. In this instance, the British government would be bound to hold a referendum, and honour the result.

Both statements are correct.
‘Operation Breathing Space’ is collaboration between Israeli scientists, health experts and their Indian counterparts to develop, test and deploy rapid diagnostic tests for Covid-19.
The joint effort also plans to develop high-tech equipment to minimize exposure of medical staff to the virus, advanced respirators and special sanitizers developed in Israel.

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has an objective to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
To further the goal of non-proliferation and as a confidence-building measure between States parties, the Treaty establishes a safeguards system under the responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Four UN member states have never signed the treaty: India, Israel, Pakistan, and South Sudan. North Korea acceded to the treaty in 1985, later declared its withdrawal from it in 2003.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Under the Indus Water Treaty 1960, ‘Eastern Rivers’ means The Sutlej, The Beas and The Ravi taken together and ‘Western Rivers’ means The Indus, The Jhelum and The Chenab taken together.

All the waters of the Eastern Rivers shall be available for the unrestricted use of India, except as otherwise expressly provided in the treaty.
Pakistan shall receive for unrestricted use all those waters of the Western Rivers which India is under obligation to let flow except for domestic, non-consumptive uses, also for agricultural use, generation of hydro-electric power with limitations provided in annexures to the treaty.

Statement 2 is correct. As per the treaty, India and Pakistan shall each create a permanent post of Commissioner for Indus Waters and the two Commissioners shall together form the Permanent Indus Commission.

Lisboa+21 Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes 2019 was adopted in World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth 2019.
In 1998, several commitments on youth policy fields were stated in the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes, as part of the outcomes of the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, organized by the Portuguese Government in collaboration with UN-System partners.
Twenty-one years later, in 2019, it reaffirmed the World Programme of Action for Youth adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1995 and 2007, which provides a policy framework and practical guidelines for national action and international support to improve the situation of young people around the world, within fifteen youth priority areas.
International Youth Day was designated by the United Nations (UN) in the year 1999 to be observed on 12 August. The theme for 2020 is ‘Youth Engagement for Global Action’.

Statement 1 is correct. All 187 countries that are members of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) have ratified ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour to protect children from the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, prostitution and trafficking.

The Pacific island nation Tonga deposited its ratification instruments with the ILO recently, becoming the final country to do so.
Ending child labour has been one of the main goals of the ILO, which was founded in 1919. The UN agency estimates that 152 million children worldwide are affected, with 73 million in hazardous work.

Statement 2 is correct. The UN General Assembly has urged the international community to step up efforts to eradicate forced labour and child labour, and declared 2021 as the Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.

On August 13, 2020, the Israel-United Arab Emirates Peace Agreement or the Abraham Accord was agreed and announced in a joint statement from the White House (USA).
Israel will now have diplomatic and economic relations with UAE, a country that had not recognized it. In return for recognition and relations, Israel has pledged to suspend its ambitions to annex parts of the West Bank.
The pact makes the Emirates only the third Arab country to have normal diplomatic relations with Israel along with Egypt, which signed a peace agreement in 1979, and Jordan, which signed a treaty in 1994.

The Mali Civil War is a series of armed conflicts that started from January 2012 between the northern and southern parts of Mali in Africa.
In 2015, peace accord was signed, called ‘Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali Resulting from the Algiers Process’. It is a compromise between the government in Bamako and the Tuareg and Arab rebel groups.
Recently there was a coup in Mali and the sitting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has been ousted by military leaders.

Option 1 is incorrect. The Mangdechhu hydroelectric project is a 720MW run-of-river power plant built on the Mangdechhu River in Trongsa Dzongkhag District of central Bhutan in collaboration with India.
Option 2 is correct. The Rampal Maitree Power Plant is ongoing project of coal-fired power station at Bagerhat District in Khulna, Bangladesh. It is being setup by BIFPCL (Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited) which is 50:50 joint venture between India’s state owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Bangladesh’s Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
Option 3 is correct. Maitree Express and Bandhan Express are India-Bangladesh train. Maitree Express connects Dhaka in Bangladesh to Kolkata, while Bandhan Express runs between the Indian city of Kolkata and the Bangladeshi city of Khulna.
India and Bangladesh will set up a mechanism to monitor bilateral projects: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Lebanese political system is based on a sectarian division of constitutional powers and administrative positions, guaranteeing the representation of certain groups. It was negotiated in Ta’if, Saudi Arabia, by the surviving members of Lebanon’s 1972 parliament.
The flaws of the sect-based governance system in part led Lebanon into civil war. The 1989 Taif Agreement, which put an end to the war, reshuffled the system.
The Taif accords seeked to end the Lebanese civil war. It extends Lebanese sovereignty and authority in South Lebanon, occupied by Israel. The accords transferred the power away from the Presidency and vested it in a cabinet equally divided between the Muslims and Christians.

Option 1 is incorrect. The Taif Agreement, 1989 was an agreement reached to provide “the basis for the ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Lebanon”.
Option 2 is incorrect. The Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement, or the Abraham Accord, was agreed to by Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020. The UAE will be the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to formally normalize its relationship with Israel.
Option 3 is correct. The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization: the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995.

Option 1 is correct. Oslo Accords are series of agreements between Israel and
the PLO, starting 1993 Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule. The Oslo Accords
marked the first time Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) formally
recognised one another.
Option 2 is correct. The Arab Peace Initiative, endorsed by the Arab League’s 22 members
during the March 2002 Beirut summit, outlined comprehensive steps to ending the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Arab leaders collectively offered Israel recognition of its right to exist and a normalisation of
diplomatic ties in exchange for its complete withdrawal from Arab lands captured since
1967.

Turkey has been active in the eight-year-old civil war in Syria, its recent military incursion significantly ups the ante on the conflict.
• Its egregiously named ‘Operation Peace Spring’ aims to create a “safe zone” that is 480 km wide and up to 35 km deep inside Syria.
• Ankara says it intends to relocate some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey in this “safe zone”.

Both India and Pakistan have exchanged their list of nuclear installations under the bilateral agreement.
• The list was handed over in accordance with Article-II of the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India, signed on December 31, 1988, the Foreign Office (FO).
• The agreement was entered into force on January 27, 1991, provides, inter alia, that the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

Following the killing of Iranian military and intelligence commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in a drone attack carried out by the United States, the Iranian government registered its protest with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.
• Switzerland represents the interests of the US in Iran. This is because the US itself does not have an embassy there. Iran’s interests in the United States, on the other hand, are represented by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington.
• In an arrangement such as this, Switzerland is the “Protecting Power” of the United States’ interests in Iran. The instrument of Protecting Powers is provided for under the 1961 and 1963 Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations.
• “If diplomatic relations are broken off between two States, or if a mission is permanently or temporarily recalled… the sending State may entrust the protection of its interests and those of its nationals to a third State acceptable to the receiving State,” the 1961 Vienna Convention states.
• And the 1963 Convention reiterates: “A sending State may with the prior consent of a receiving State, and at the request of a third State not represented in the receiving State, undertake the temporary protection of the interests of the third State and of its nationals.”

Non-refoulement is a fundamental principle of international law. It prohibits states from forcibly returning refugees to conditions that caused them to flee their homes in the first place, where they would be likely in danger of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.

India and several African countries on February 2020 pledged to deepen cooperation to combat the growing threat of terrorism and preserve maritime security by sharing information, intelligence and surveillance, in a joint deceleration (lucknow declaration) adopted at the first India- Africa Defence Ministers conclave at the ongoing Defexpo.

The Union Cabinet has ratified the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India and France aimed at enhancing people-to-people contacts, fostering Mobility of students, academics, researchers and skilled professionals.

 The Agreement was actually signed in March, 2018 during the State Visit of the French President to India.

 The Agreement is initially valid for a period of seven years, incorporates provision for automatic renewal and a monitoring mechanism through a Joint Working Group

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.

Agreements signed by India and USA.

• India had signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)

in 2002 and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.

• The last one remaining is the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geospatial

Cooperation (BECA) is not yet signed by India.

The European Union is based on the rule of law. This means that every action

taken by the EU is founded on treaties that have been approved voluntarily and

democratically by all EU member countries. A treaty is a binding agreement between EU

member countries. It sets out EU objectives, rules for EU institutions, how decisions are

made and the relationship between the EU and its member countries. The main treaties

are:

Treaty of Lisbon: Signed on 13 December 2007, to make the EU more democratic, more

efficient and better able to address global problems, such as climate change, with one voice.

Treaty of Nice: Signed on 26 February 2001, to reform the institutions so that the EU

could function efficiently after reaching 25 member countries.

Treaty of Amsterdam: Signed on 2 October 1997, to reform the EU institutions in

preparation for the arrival of future member countries.

The Hague Convention protects children and their families against the

risks of illegal, irregular, premature or ill-prepared adoptions abroad. To do this, the

Hague Convention puts:

• safeguards in place to make sure that all inter-country adoptions are in the best

interests of the child and respects their human rights,

• a system in place of cooperation among countries to guarantee that these

safeguards are respected, and to prevent the abduction of, sale of, or traffic in

children.

For Hague adoptions, the authorities in both countries must agree to go ahead with the

adoption. For non-Hague adoptions, requirements may vary from one country to another.

The Hague Convention does not allow private adoptions in the child’s home country.

Statement 1 is correct. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

(TPNW) includes a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear

weapon activities. These include undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire,

possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.

The Treaty also prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory and the

provision of assistance to any State in the conduct of prohibited activities. States parties

will be obliged to prevent and suppress any activity prohibited under the TPNW undertaken

by persons or on territory under its jurisdiction or control.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The treaty was approved by the 193-member UN General

Assembly in 2017 by a vote of 122 in favour. Among countries voting in favor was Iran. The

five nuclear powers and four other countries known or believed to possess nuclear weapons

— India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — boycotted negotiations and the vote on the

treaty, along with many of their allies.

India [2017] said that it supports the commencement of negotiations on a comprehensive

Nuclear Weapons Convention in the Conference on Disarmament, which is the world’s

single multilateral disarmament negotiation forum working on the basis of consensus.

# The United Nations recently announced that 50 countries have ratified a UN treaty to ban

nuclear weapons triggering its entry into force in 90 days.

Option 1 is incorrect. India has not signed Status of Forces Agreement

with USA. A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and

a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country.

Option 2 is correct. Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements which help to facilitate the replenishment of fuel, rations, spares, and berthing and maintenance for theother nations’ warships, military aircraft and troops during routine port calls, joint exercises and training carried out in each other’s countries as well as during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

India signed LEMOA with USA in 2016.

Option 3 is correct. India recently signed the BECA with USA at 2+2 meeting. It is essentially a communication agreement proposed between the National Geospatial-

Intelligence Agency of the US Department of Defence and the Ministry of Defence of the

Government of India.

It will allow India and the US to share military information including advanced satellite and

topographic data such as maps, nautical and aeronautical charts and geodetic, geophysical,

geomagnetic and gravity data.

# India and the US have already signed three key foundational agreements — General

Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in 2002, the Logistics Exchange

Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 and Communications Compatibility and Security

Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement
(LEMOA) signed in August 2016 allows the militaries of the US and India to replenish
from each other’s bases, and access supplies, spare parts and services from each other’s
land facilities, air bases, and ports, which can then be reimbursed.
Statement 2 is correct. The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial
cooperation is essentially a communication agreement proposed between the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the US Department of Defence and the Ministry
of Defence of the Government of India.
It will allow India and the US to share military information including advanced satellite and
topographic data such as maps, nautical and aeronautical charts and geodetic, geophysical,
geomagnetic and gravity data.

Statement 1 correct. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement between the ten member states of ASEAN
(Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam) and five of their FTA partners—Australia, China, Japan, New
Zealand, and South Korea.
India opted out of RCEP in November 2019 in ASEAN+3 summit, citing the adverse
impact the deal would have on its citizens.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is an informal
strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.
# USA and Japan are not in Indian Ocean.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad is an
informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia and India that is
maintained by semi-regular summits and information exchanges among the member
countries.
Quad, being an informal forum, has no formal mutual-assistance treaty, secretariat, or
even a website.
Statement 2 is correct. BRICS members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa;
India is the only country in Quad that is a member of BRICS.

Option 1 is correct. The Australia Group (AG) is an informal association that
works on the basis of consensus. It aims to allow exporters or transshipment countries to
minimize the risk of further proliferation of chemical and biological weapons (CBW).
India became the 43rd member of the Australia Group in 2018.
Option 2 is correct. The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is an informal nontreaty
association of governments sharing common interests in the nonproliferation of
missiles, unmanned air vehicles, and related technologies. The regime consists of the
Guidelines and an Equipment and Technology Annex.
In 2016, India became a full member of the MTCR. This marked the first entry into any
multilateral export control regime for India.
Option 3 is correct. Wassenaar Arrangement membership is universal and
nondiscriminatory for countries meeting the established criteria:
–Produce/export arms or associated dual-use goods and technologies
–Implement national policies that do not permit the sale of arms or sensitive dual-use
items to countries whose behavior is a cause for concern
–Adhere to international nonproliferation norms and guidelines
–Implement fully effective export controls
India became Arrangement’s 42nd State in 2017.

Strategic Trade Authorisation (STA) allows for license exception with
regards to exports from the US. This type of US government authorisation allows a certain
item to be exported under defined conditions without a transaction-specific license.
India became the third Asian country after Japan and South Korea to get the Strategic
Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status in 2018 mostly for the purposes of increasing the
speed of sale of high-tech defence and non-defence products that are otherwise subjected to
strict controls and licensing.

Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995 took place in
Beiing that came out with thee Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a progressive
blueprint for advancing women’s rights.
The document identifies 12 critical areas of concern. In each critical area of concern, the
problem is diagnosed and strategic objectives are proposed with concrete actions to be
taken by various actors in order to achieve those objectives. In this way, the BPfA becomes a comprehensive guide to understanding and combatting the key barriers to gender
equality.

The Union Cabinet has recently given its approval for signing a
Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field of cybersecurity between India and Japan.
Statement 1 is incorrect. The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence.
Statement 2 is correct. The MoC will enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest,
Including capacity building in the area of cyberspace; protection of critical infrastructure; cooperation in emerging technologies; sharing information on cyber security threats/incidents and malicious cyber activities etc.
India and Japan commit to an open, interoperable, free, fair, secure and reliable cyberspace environment and to promote the Internet as an engine of innovation, economic growth, and trade and commerce that would be consistent with their respective domestic laws and international obligations, and with their wide-ranging strategic partnership

Statement 1 is correct. The principle of Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP) was agreed at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
and is a facility granted to developing countries (“beneficiary countries”) by certain
developed countries (“donor countries”). It is not negotiated with them: the preferential
treatment is non-reciprocal.
Statement 2 is correct. The UNCTAD website mentions that the following 13 countries
grant GSP preferences: Australia, Belarus, Canada, the European Union, Iceland, Japan,
Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Norway, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United States of America.

A ‘two plus two dialogue’ is a term, adopted in foreign parleys, used for

installation of a dialogue mechanism between two countries’ defence and external affairs

ministries.

Government of India’s Ministers of Defense and External Affairs have in past held the ‘two

plus two dialogue’ with Japan and United States. Secretary level 2+2 dialog have been held

with Australia.

A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host

country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. It establishes the

rights and privileges of foreign personnel present in a host country in support of the larger

security arrangement.

United States military has the largest foreign presence and therefore accounts for most

SOFAs, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and many

other nations also station military forces abroad and negotiate SOFAs with their host

countries.

# The US has decided to withdraw more than a third of its troops from Iraq.

Mostly, logistics agreements are administrative arrangements which help to

facilitate the replenishment of fuel, rations, spares (where required), and berthing and

maintenance for the other nations’ warships, military aircraft and troops during routine

port calls, joint exercises and training carried out in each other’s countries as well as

during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

India has signed several military logistics support agreements with partner countries:

-Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the United States (US) in

August 2016.

-Implementing Arrangement Concerning Mutual Coordination, Logistics and Services

Support with Singapore in June 2018.

-Agreement for the Provision of Reciprocal Logistics Support between the Armed Forces with

France in March 2018.

-Agreement to Extend Logistical Support to each other’s navies with the Republic of Korea

(ROK) in September 2019.

-Agreement on Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services between the Indian Armed

Forces and the Self-Defense Forces of Japan recently.

The Singapore Convention on Mediation also called UN Convention on

International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation which was opened for

signature in August 2019, it is an international agreement regarding the recognition of

mediated settlements.

Statement 1 is incorrect. As of September 2020, the Convention has 53 signatories,

including the United States, China and India.

In 2019, India was among the first group of signatories to the ‘Singapore Mediation

Convention’. It is yet to be ratified.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The United Nations Convention on International Settlement

Agreements Resulting from Mediation came into force recently and will provide a more

effective way for enforcing mediated settlements of corporate disputes involving businesses.

Option 1 is correct. Arab Peace Initiative was proposed by Saudi Arabia in

2002, and endorsed by the Arab League in the same year.

The initiative called for normalizing relations between the Arab world and Israel, in

exchange for full Israeli withdrawal from the territories it captured in the 1967 war,

including the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights, a “just settlement” of the Palestinian

refugee issue and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its

capital.

Option 2 is correct. The Abraham Accord was agreed to by Israel and the United Arab

Emirates in August, 2020. It aims to normalize the relations between the two countries.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC), established

in January 2009, is aimed at repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the

Western Indian Ocean Region, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Statement 2 is correct. India has recently joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah

Amendment (DCOC/JA) as Observer.

DCOC/JA is a grouping on maritime matters comprising 18 member states adjoining the

Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, the East coast of Africa and Island countries in the IOR. India joins

Japan, Norway, the UK and the US as Observers to the DCOC/JA.

The India-U.S. foundational agreement for mutual logistics support, the

Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed in 2016.

US-India concluded the third foundational agreement, Communications Compatibility and

Security Agreement (COMCASA), which is meant for secure encrypted communications, in

2018.

The Industrial Security Agreement (ISA) signed in 2019 is part of the General Security of

Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

The General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which is for information

safety, was signed in 2002.

The last one remaining is the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial

Cooperation (BECA).

The Taliban and the Afghan government began historic peace talks in Doha,

Qatar recently after almost two decades of war. It is aimed at shaping a power-sharing

government that would end decades of war that have consumed Afghanistan and left

millions dead and displaced.

India attended the start of the intra-Afghan talks in Doha and conveyed that the peace

process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled, that respect national

sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, promote human rights and democracy,

ensure interest of minorities, women and the vulnerable, effectively address violence across

the country.

Statement 1 is correct. “Transport Bubbles” or “Air Travel Arrangements”

are temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial

passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic.

They are reciprocal in nature, meaning airlines from both countries enjoy similar benefits.

Statement 2 is incorrect. India has entered into Air Bubble agreements with 10

countries viz. USA, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Maldives, UAE, Qatar, Afghanistan and

Bahrain, till 13.09.2020.

The Ezulwini Consensus is a position on international relations and reform

of the United Nations, agreed by the African Union. The consensus is named after

Ezulwini, a valley in central Swaziland where the agreement was made.

The consensus was then adopted at an Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of

the African Union, in March 2005, in Addis Ababa.

The Ezulwini Consensus was followed by the Sirte Declaration of July 2005, which

required at least two permanent seats and two non-permanent Security Council seats for

African states.

Statement 1 is incorrect. India has pulled out of Russia’s Kavkaz 2020

(Caucasus-2020) military exercises (September 15-26), where it was scheduled to

participate alongside other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states. The

issue of logistics during COVID-19 pandemic has been conveyed as the official reason for

India’s pull-out.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Parts of five countries – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan,

Russia, and Turkey – fall within both Europe and Asia, but in every instance the larger

section is in Asia.

Statement 1 is correct. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New

START) was signed April 8, 2010, in Prague by the United States and Russia. New START

replaced the 1991 START I treaty, which expired December 2009, and superseded the 2002

Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), which terminated when New START entered

into force.

New START is the first verifiable U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control treaty to take effect

since START I in 1994.

Statement 2 is incorrect. New START limits went into effect in 2018. It capped accountable

deployed strategic nuclear warheads and bombs at 1,550, down approximately 30 percent from the 2,200 limit set by SORT and down 74 percent from the START-accountable limit of

6,000.

Deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles

(SLBMs), and heavy bombers assigned to nuclear missions are limited to 700.

Deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and bombers are limited to

800.

New START does not limit the number of non-deployed ICBMs and SLBMs, but it does

monitor them.

The treaty’s duration is ten years from entry into force (Feb. 2021) unless it is superseded

by a subsequent agreement and can be extended for an additional five years, until 2026.

The 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is an international treaty

designed to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety by establishing

standard traffic rules among the contracting parties.

The convention was agreed upon at the United Nations Economic and Social Council’s

Conference on Road Traffic, 1968 and concluded in Vienna on 8 November 1968. It came

into force on 21 May 1977.

Statement 1 is correct. The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is the newest of three

conventions that governs International Driving Permits. The other two are the 1926

Paris International Convention relative to Motor Traffic and the 1949 Geneva Convention on

Road Traffic.

Statement 2 is incorrect. India has not signed or ratified the Vienna Convention on Road

Traffic 1968. India has signed and ratified the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.

# The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has advised the States and Union Territory

administrations to stamp International Convention of Road Traffic of 19th September 1949 on

the first page of International Driving Permit, IDP issued by them.

Statement 1 is correct. The proposed Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty

(FMCT) is intended to prohibit the production of fissile material. It has been on the

proposed agenda of the Conference on Disarmament for many years, but the CD has not

been able to establish a committee to begin formal negotiations.

# UN Conference on Disarmament (CD), a body of 65 member nations established as the sole

multilateral negotiating forum on disarmament. The CD operates by consensus and is often

stagnant, impeding progress on an FMCT

Statement 2 is incorrect. Those nations that joined the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty

(NPT) as non-weapon states are already prohibited from producing or acquiring fissile

material for weapons.

An FMCT would provide new restrictions for the five recognized nuclear weapon states

(NWS—United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, and China), and for the four

nations that are not NPT members (Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea).

# In order for negotiations to begin on an FMCT, Pakistan will have to remove its opposition

vote, and a consensus to move forward with negotiations must be reached. Pakistan, in order

to offset its disadvantageous position relative to India’s superior nuclear stockpile, wants

treaty to include current fissile material stockpiles, instead of just capping future production.

Statement 1 is correct. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a legally binding international instrument now exists to guarantee that States that have ratified the treaty will promote and protect the rights of people with disability. These States will next work on passing their own national civil rights legislation to improve the lives of people with disability.

Statement 2 is correct. India is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). It ratified this Convention on 01-10-2007 in pursuance of Article 35 of the Convention. India submitted its First Country Report on Status of Disability in India in November 2015.

Statement 1 is correct. LeadIT is launched by India and Sweden along with the World Economic Forum with the support of Stockholm Environment Institute in 2019 during the United Nations Secretary General Climate Action Summit.

Currently, the Group has membership of 13 countries and 15 companies that are working together to drive the low-carbon transition of energy-intensive industries and achieve net-zero carbon emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Ministry of Electronics & IT is hosted a global virtual summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Responsible AI for Social Empowerment (RAISE) 2020 in October.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Under the nuclear deal, Iran is allowed to enrich uranium only up to a 3.67% concentration; to stockpile no more than 300kg (660lbs) of the material; to operate no more than 5,060 of its oldest and least efficient centrifuges; and to cease enrichment at the underground Fordo facility.

Another part of the deal instructs Iran not to accumulate more than 130 tonnes of heavy water, which contains more hydrogen than ordinary water, and to redesign its heavy-water nuclear reactor at Arak. Spent fuel from a heavy-water reactor contains plutonium, which can be used in a nuclear bomb.

Statement 2 is correct. Iran’s compliance with the nuclear-related provisions of the JCPOA was to be verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) according to certain requirements set forth in the agreement.