Summits and Conferences | Current Affairs Compilation for UPSC Prelims 2022 | Nov. 2021 to March 2022

Dear Friends,

This post is a part of our current affairs series for the UPSC IAS Prelims 2022. In this series, we are covering important current affairs from the period July 2021 to 31st April 2022.

This post covers all the current affairs linked to important Summits and Conferences from Nov. 2021 to March 2022.

To Read Other Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC Prelims 2022 – Click here

Summits and Conferences

India-Central Asia Virtual Summit 

News: The Prime Minister has hosted the India-Central Asia Summit in virtual format.  

About India-Central Asia Summit 

It is the first of its kind engagement between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders. 

The summit was attended by the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 

Objectives of the Summit: a) To make it clear that cooperation between India and Central Asia is essential for regional security and prosperity, b) To give an effective structure to our cooperation and c) To create an ambitious roadmap for our cooperation. 

Significant highlights of the India-Central Asia Summit 

Delhi Declaration: The leaders issued the Delhi Declaration at the end of the summit. 

Institutionalise Summit Mechanism: The countries agreed to institutionalise the Summit mechanism by deciding to hold it every 2 years. An India-Central Asia Secretariat in New Delhi would also be set up to support the new mechanism. 

WEF Davos Agenda Summit, 2022 

News: The World Economic Forum (WEF) hosted the Davos Agenda 2022 on the theme ‘State of the World’. 

About WEF Davos Agenda Summit, 2022 

It is being organized virtually by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The summit offered the first global platform of 2022 for world leaders to come together to share their visions for the year ahead. 

India proposed “P3 (Pro-Planet-People) movement” that underscores its commitments to climate change at the global forum (UNFCCC COP 26). 

About World Economic Forum 

It is a Swiss nonprofit foundation established in 1971, based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is recognized as the international institution for public-private cooperation. 

It is committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas 

India Water Impact Summit 

News: The 6th Edition of the India Water Impact Summit took place recently. 

About India Water Impact Summit 

Organized by: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) along with the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (c-Ganga). 

Aim: To enlighten the participants on the complexities and peculiarities as well as the scales of managing the rivers across the basin.   

Theme: “River Resources Allocation: Planning and Management at the Regional Level” 

Key highlights of the summit 

Launched a Leather Trade Information Portal: It is a unique digital portal developed by Namami Gange and Solidaridad. This portal is a solution-oriented tool that will help the tanneries to self-assess their environmental performance. 

Note: Tanning is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is a place where the skins are processed. 

A MoU was signed between C-Ganga and the Norwegian Institute of Bio-economy Research (NIBIO) for the development of a sludge management framework.   

Summit for Democracy 

News: The Prime Minister of India has virtually addressed the Summit for Democracy. 

About the Summit for Democracy 

The Summit for Democracy was a virtual summit hosted by the United States to renew democracy at home and confront autocracies abroad. 

Themes: The three themes of the summit are defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights. 

Invitees: There were 110 countries invited to the summit. The invitees from the Asia-Pacific region include India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Pakistan, Maldives and the Philippines but not Bangladesh. However, Pakistan skipped the summit. 

Initiatives launched at the summit 

– Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal: Under this Initiative, the US administration plans to provide funds for supporting free and independent media, fighting corruption, strengthening democratic reforms, advancing technology for democracy and defending free and fair elections 

Fintech Open Summit 

News: The Minister for Communications, Electronics and IT inaugurated the Fintech Open Summit. 

About the Fintech Open Summit 

Organized by: NITI Aayog in collaboration with PhonePe, AWS and EY. 

Aim: To bring together regulators, fintech professionals, industry leaders, start-up community and developers to collaborate, exchange ideas and innovate. 

Objectives of the Summit: a) Encourage an open ecosystem across the fintech industry, b) Foster innovation and growth and c) Ensure financial inclusion and leverage new models like Account Aggregator to unleash the next wave of fintech innovation. 

International Summit on Plastics Recycling & Waste Management 

News: The Union Minister for MSME has inaugurated the International Summit on Plastics Recycling & Waste Management. 

About the International Summit on Plastics Recycling & Waste Management 

Organized by: Ministry of MSME in association with The All-India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA)  

Purpose: To deliberate upon challenges and opportunities in the Plastics.  

The Ministry of MSME also launched two special initiatives during the summit – ‘Sambhav’ and ‘Svavlamban’. 

About Sambhav and Svavlamban initiatives 

Sambhav: It is a National Level Awareness Programme under which students from different colleges are being encouraged by the field offices of the Ministry to take up entrepreneurship. 

Svavlamban: It is a special drive where more than 200 Nukkad Natak are being organized in 46 Aspirational Districts to promote entrepreneurship amongst the youth population and spread awareness on schemes and initiatives. 

Ganga Connect exhibition 

News: The Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change inaugurated the Ganga Connect exhibition at the City of Glasgow College amid the COP26 meeting. 

About the Ganga Connect exhibition 

It is an effort to present the level of development in the Ganga river basin to the global community of environmental stakeholders. 

Organized by: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), c-Ganga and the High Commission of India. 

About cGanga: Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) was established at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK) in 2016.  

Purpose: It is created for data collection, creation, and dissemination of information for the sustainable development of the Ganga River Basin.  

The center acts in the capacity of a comprehensive think-tank for the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). 

Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) 

News: On the sidelines of COP 26 in Glasgow, the LeadIT (Leadership Group for Industry transition) Summit 2021 was held in hybrid mode presided by India and Sweden.  

About the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) 

Launched by: LeadIT was launched by the Prime Ministers of Sweden and India with support from the World Economic Forum (WEF) during the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in 2019, in New York. 

Purpose: It is a voluntary initiative for promoting low-carbon transition through the active participation of private sector companies. Especially in the sectors like Iron & Steel, Aluminium, Cement and Concrete, petrochemicals, fertilizers, bricks, and heavy-duty transport. 

Members: Currently, the Group has a membership of 16 countries and 19 companies including Dalmia Cement, Mahindra Group, and SpiceJet from India. 

Secretariat: It is hosted by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden. 

Goa Maritime Conclave 

News: The 3rd edition of the Goa Maritime Conclave was successfully conducted at Goa. The Indian Navy showed the visiting countries the first-hand demonstration of Deep Submergence and Rescue Vessel (DSRV) capabilities 

About Goa Maritime Conclave 

Organized by: Indian Navy under the aegis of Naval War College, Goa. 

Aim: To bring together the regional stakeholders and deliberate on the collaborative implementation strategies in dealing with the contemporary maritime security challenge. 

Theme: “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies”. 

Participating countries: The Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Maritime Forces from 12 Indian Ocean Region countries comprising Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have participated in the conclave. 

Key outcomes of the conclave 

Countries adopted the Declaration of ‘Common Maritime Priorities’. The declaration aims to prioritize key maritime interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) with an emphasis on capacity building to tackle emerging common maritime threats. 

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) 

News: The 7th edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) is being hosted by the French Navy at Paris, France. 

About the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS): IONS is a biennial forum conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008. 

Objective: To enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.  

Chaired by: The inaugural edition of IONS was held in Feb 2008 in New Delhi with the Indian Navy as the Chair for two years. It is currently chaired by France. 

Members of IONS: IONS includes 24 nations that hold territory within the Indian Ocean and 8 observer nations: 

The members have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions: 

• South Asian Littorals: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and United Kingdom (British Indian Ocean Territory) 
• West Asian Littorals: Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates 
• East African Littorals: France (Reunion), Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania. 
• Southeast Asian and Australian Littorals: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. 

Note: U.K and France are also part of IONS due to their presence in Indian Ocean.

Observer Nations: China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Russia, and Spain. 

Global Innovation Summit of the Pharmaceuticals Sector 

News: The Prime Minister has inaugurated the first Global Innovation Summit of the Pharmaceuticals sector. 

About Global Innovation Summit of the Pharmaceuticals Sector 

Organized by: Indian Pharmaceutical Association. 

Aim: To bring together key Indian and international stakeholders from the government, industry, academia, investors, and researchers to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem in the Pharmaceuticals Sector. 

Key highlights about the Pharmaceuticals Sector 

Firstly, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has risen to the challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic and earned global trust, which has led to India being called the ‘pharmacy of the world’. 

Secondly, India has exported more than 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to about 100 countries in 2021. India exported medical equipment and life-saving medicines to more than 150 countries during the pandemic.  

Thirdly, the Indian pharmaceutical industry provides employment to nearly 3 million people and generates a trade surplus of about thirteen billion dollars. 

Lastly, the Indian healthcare sector has attracted over $12 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) since 2014. 

World Congress on Disaster Management 

News: The Defence Minister has inaugurated the Fifth World Congress on Disaster Management. 

About Fifth World Congress on Disaster Management 

Organized by: Disaster Management Initiatives and Convergence Society (DMICS). 

Aim: To promote interaction of science, policy, and practices to enhance understanding of risks and advance actions for reducing risks and building resilience to disasters. 

Theme: ‘Technology, Finance, and Capacity for Building Resilience to Disasters in the context of COVID-19’.