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International relations & current affairs

Prelims · International relations & current affairs · 73 questions

International organisations & groupings

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

International organisations & groupings questions per year: 2016: 10, 2017: 4, 2018: 3, 2019: 2, 2020: 2, 2021: 1, 2022: 6, 2023: 5, 2024: 3, 2025: 5, 2026: 6 Asked in 11 of 11 years · most in 2016 (10)

UPSC syllabus: “Current events of national and international importance.” See the full syllabus →

Prelims 2022 · Q1

Easy

"Rapid Financing Instrument" and "Rapid Credit Facility" are related to the provisions of lending by which one of the following?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) International Monetary Fund

Both are emergency lending windows of the International Monetary Fund. They give quick money to a member country hit by an urgent balance of payments need when a full IMF programme is not needed or not possible; the RCF is the concessional (low-income country) version.

  • ✓ (b) The IMF's Annual Report 2022 calls the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) and the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) its emergency financing instruments for urgent balance of payments needs.
  • ✗ (d) The World Bank lends for long-term development projects and programmes. Short-term balance of payments rescue is the IMF's job, and the IMF says it does not lend for specific projects.
  • ✗ (a) The Asian Development Bank is a regional development lender for Asia and the Pacific; the RFI and RCF are not its facilities.

Remember · IMF emergency finance: RFI for any member with an urgent balance of payments need; RCF, on concessional terms, for low-income members through the PRGT.

Sources

  • IMF Annual Report 2022 — Lending ↗ “the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) and the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI), in order to ensure that member countries have continued access to the IMF’s emergency financing should urgent balance of payments needs arise … IMF lending falls into two categories: loans at interest rates determined by an average of those prevailing among the world’s main currencies and loans to low-income countries on concessional terms.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q4

Easy

With reference to the "G20 Common Framework", consider the following statements:

  1. 1.It is an initiative endorsed by the G20 together with the Paris Club.
  2. 2.It is an initiative to support Low Income Countries with unsustainable debt.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

The Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI was agreed in November 2020 by the G20 along with the Paris Club of official creditors. Its purpose is to restructure, case by case, the debt of low-income countries whose debt has become unsustainable.

  • ✓ 1. The G20 and the Paris Club endorsed it together in November 2020. It brings Paris Club creditors and the other G20 official bilateral creditors into one coordinated process.
  • ✓ 2. It targets low-income countries with unsustainable debt. Each eligible country's request is handled case by case by a creditor committee, with the IMF and World Bank supporting the talks through their debt sustainability analysis.

Remember · G20 Common Framework (November 2020): G20 together with the Paris Club; case-by-case debt treatment for low-income countries with unsustainable debt, through creditor committees.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q42

Hard

Consider the following statements:

  1. 1."The Climate Group" is an international non-profit organization that drives climate action by building large networks and runs them.
  2. 2.The International Energy Agency in partnership with the Climate Group launched a global initiative "EP100".
  3. 3.EP100 brings together leading companies committed to driving innovation in energy efficiency and increasing competitiveness while delivering on emission reduction goals.
  4. 4.Some Indian companies are members of EP100.
  5. 5.The International Energy Agency is the Secretariat to the "Under2 Coalition".

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 1, 3 and 4 only

Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct. The Climate Group, not the International Energy Agency, launched EP100 and is the secretariat of the Under2 Coalition, so statements 2 and 5 fail.

  • ✓ 1. The Climate Group is an international non-profit that describes its method as building and running networks of businesses and governments, such as EP100 and the Under2 Coalition.
  • ✗ 2. EP100 was launched by The Climate Group in 2016 as an action of the We Mean Business coalition. The International Energy Agency did not launch it.
  • ✓ 3. EP100 is a campaign inviting influential companies to pledge to double their energy productivity, that is, to get more economic output from each unit of energy used, which cuts emissions and raises competitiveness.
  • ✓ 4. Mahindra & Mahindra, the tractor maker, joined EP100 in April 2016 and pledged to double its energy productivity by 2030.
  • ✗ 5. The Climate Group has acted as secretariat of the Under2 Coalition, the network of state and regional governments, since 2015. The IEA holds no such role.

Remember · The Climate Group runs EP100 (energy productivity, business) and is secretariat of the Under2 Coalition (sub-national governments). Mahindra & Mahindra is an Indian member.

Sources

  • UNFCCC, Under2 Coalition press release, COP22 Marrakech (2016) ↗ “The Climate Group, an international non-profit that works with business, state and regional leaders to promote a prosperous, low-carbon future was announced as Secretariat of the Under2 Coalition at last year’s COP in Paris.”
  • The Climate Group, About us ↗ · reference work “We do this by building large and influential networks and holding organisations accountable, turning their commitments into action.”
  • The Climate Group, Under2 Coalition ↗ · reference work “Climate Group acts as the Under2 Coalition’s secretariat, supporting and accelerating collective climate ambition.”
  • Sustainable Energy for All, Businesses join new global campaign to boost energy productivity (The Climate Group press release, 11 May 2016) ↗ · reference work “The Climate Group launched a new global program on energy productivity - EP100 , an action of the We Mean Business coalition, at the Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) in Washington D.C. today … They join Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. , the world’s largest manufacturer of tractors, who joined EP100 last month and pledged to double their energy productivity by 2030 on a baseline of 2008-2009. … EP100 is a global campaign to encourage the world’s most influential businesses to pledge to double their energy productivity, in order to get more economic output from each unit of energy input.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q66

Easy

Consider the following:

  1. 1.Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
  2. 2.Missile Technology Control Regime
  3. 3.Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

India is a member of which of the above?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

India belongs to all three: it is a founding member of the AIIB, joined the Missile Technology Control Regime in 2016, and became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in June 2017.

  • ✓ 1. India is a Founding Member and the second largest shareholder in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
  • ✓ 2. India was admitted to the MTCR in 2016; the MTCR's own partner list carries the entry 'India (2016)'.
  • ✓ 3. India and Pakistan officially joined the SCO as full members at the Astana summit on 9 June 2017.

Remember · India: AIIB founding member; MTCR member since 2016; SCO full member since 9 June 2017 (Astana).

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q76

Hard

With reference to the “United Nations Credentials Committee”, consider the following statements:

  1. 1.It is a committee set up by the UN Security Council and works under its supervision.
  2. 2.It traditionally meets in March, June and September every year.
  3. 3.It assesses the credentials of all UN members before submitting a report to the General Assembly for approval.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 3 only

Only statement 3 is right: the Credentials Committee checks the credentials of member states' representatives and reports to the General Assembly. It is a body of the General Assembly, not of the Security Council, and the Assembly's rules give it no fixed March–June–September calendar.

  • ✗ 1. The Committee is appointed by the General Assembly, on the President's proposal, at the beginning of each session. It has no link to the Security Council.
  • ✗ 2. Rule 28 of the Assembly's rules of procedure only says the Committee is appointed at the start of each session, and the UN's own notes say its members are traditionally appointed at the first plenary meeting. No UN page gives a March, June and September meeting calendar.
  • ✓ 3. The Committee has nine members and examines the credentials that delegations submit, then reports to the Assembly, which acts on the report.

Remember · The UN Credentials Committee is a nine-member General Assembly committee, appointed each session, that examines delegates' credentials and reports to the Assembly.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q77

Easy

Which one of the following statements best describes the ‘Polar Code’?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) It is the international code of safety for ships operating in polar waters.

The Polar Code is the International Maritime Organization's safety and pollution-prevention code for ships sailing in the Arctic and Antarctic waters. It is made binding through the SOLAS and MARPOL conventions and applies from 1 January 2017.

  • ✓ (a) Its full name is the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters. It covers ship design, equipment, crew training, search and rescue and protection of the polar environment.
  • ✗ (b) It says nothing about territorial claims or boundaries around the poles; it is a shipping rule-book.
  • ✗ (c) Norms for scientific research in the polar regions come from other instruments, such as the Antarctic Treaty system, and not from the Polar Code.
  • ✗ (d) The Arctic Council is a forum for cooperation on Arctic issues; the Polar Code was adopted by the IMO and is not a trade or security pact.

Remember · Polar Code = IMO's International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, mandatory under SOLAS and MARPOL since 1 January 2017.

Sources

  • International Maritime Organization, Shipping in polar waters ↗ · reference work “IMO's International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code) is mandatory under both the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). … The Polar Code entered into force on 1 January 2017.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q78

Medium

With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements:

  1. 1.The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States.
  2. 2.Inter-governmental organisations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly.
  3. 3.Permanent Observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN headquarters.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

All three statements are correct. The General Assembly, by its own decisions, lets non-member States and inter-governmental organisations take part as observers, and Permanent Observers keep missions at UN Headquarters in New York.

  • ✓ 1. The Holy See and the State of Palestine are non-member observer States. In 2012 (resolution 67/19) the Assembly gave Palestine that status.
  • ✓ 2. Many inter-governmental organisations, such as the African Union and the OECD, hold a standing invitation to take part as observers in the Assembly's sessions and work.
  • ✓ 3. Non-member States with a standing invitation, and some inter-governmental organisations, maintain Permanent Observer Missions or offices at Headquarters.

Remember · Observers at the UN General Assembly: non-member States (Holy See, Palestine) and inter-governmental organisations. Both can keep permanent missions or offices at UN Headquarters.

Sources

  • United Nations, Non-Member States ↗ “Non-Member States having received a standing invitation to participate as Observers in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly and maintaining Permanent Observer Missions at Headquarters … By resolution A/RES/67/19 of 29 November 2012, the General Assembly accorded non-Member Observer State status to Palestine.”
  • United Nations, Intergovernmental and Other Organizations ↗ “Intergovernmental Organizations having received a standing invitation to participate as Observers in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly and maintaining Permanent Offices at Headquarters”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q82

Hard

Consider the following statements:

  1. 1.Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north-western Kenya.
  2. 2.Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
  3. 3.Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 2 and 3

Bidibidi is in Uganda, not Kenya, so statement 1 is wrong. Statements 2 and 3 are right: Bidibidi shelters refugees from South Sudan's conflict, and Kenya's Dadaab complex was set up for refugees escaping the civil war in Somalia.

  • ✗ 1. Bidibidi settlement lies in Uganda's Yumbe district, in the north of that country. It was opened in August 2016 and was described as the largest refugee settlement in the world by December 2016.
  • ✓ 2. It was opened to house part of the flow of South Sudanese refugees who crossed into northern Uganda after the conflict spread to South Sudan's Equatoria region.
  • ✓ 3. Dadaab, in Kenya, was established in 1991 when refugees fleeing the civil war in Somalia began crossing the border, with a large second influx in 2011.

Remember · Bidibidi = northern Uganda (South Sudanese refugees). Dadaab = Kenya (refugees from Somalia's civil war). Do not swap the countries.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q83

Medium

Consider the following countries:

  1. 1.Armenia
  2. 2.Azerbaijan
  3. 3.Croatia
  4. 4.Romania
  5. 5.Uzbekistan

Which of the above are members of the Organization of Turkic States?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 2 and 5

Of the five countries, only Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan belong to the Organization of Turkic States. As of 2022 its members were Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan; Armenia, Croatia and Romania are not in it.

  • ✓ 2. Azerbaijan is one of the five member States listed by the Organization.
  • ✓ 5. Uzbekistan is also a member State, so 2 and 5 together give the right code.
  • ✗ 1. Armenia is on neither the official list of members nor the list of observers.
  • ✗ 3. Croatia is on neither the official list of members nor the list of observers.
  • ✗ 4. Romania is on neither the official list of members nor the list of observers.
  • • note The 2022 listing shows Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as observers. Membership and observer status can change at later summits, so check the Organization's current page.

Remember · Organization of Turkic States members (2022): Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan. Hungary and Turkmenistan were observers.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q85

Easy

With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements:

  1. 1.A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
  2. 2.Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
  3. 3.The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

All three statements follow directly from the text of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982): Article 3 fixes the 12-nautical-mile limit of the territorial sea, Article 17 gives every State's ships the right of innocent passage, and Article 57 caps the Exclusive Economic Zone at 200 nautical miles.

  • ✓ 1. Article 3 lets a State set its territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines fixed under the Convention.
  • ✓ 2. Article 17 gives ships of all States, coastal or land-locked, the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
  • ✓ 3. Article 57 says the EEZ cannot go beyond 200 nautical miles from the same baselines used to measure the territorial sea.

Remember · UNCLOS 1982: territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles (Art. 3); innocent passage for all ships (Art. 17); EEZ up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines (Art. 57).

Sources

  • United Nations, Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), Article 3 ↗ “Every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention. … Subject to this Convention, ships of all States, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. … The exclusive economic zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q87

Medium

Consider the following pairs:

CountryImportant reason for being in the news recently
1.ChadSetting up of permanent military base by China
2.GuineaSuspension of Constitution and Government by military
3.LebanonSevere and prolonged economic depression
4.TunisiaSuspension of Parliament by President

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Only three pairs

Pairs 2, 3 and 4 are correct and pair 1 is wrong, so three pairs match. Guinea's army seized power in September 2021, Lebanon is in its worst economic collapse, and Tunisia's President suspended Parliament in July 2021. China's overseas base is in Djibouti, not Chad.

  • ✗ 1. China's overseas military base is in Djibouti. A 2021 US Defense Department report says China was only pursuing further facilities and does not name Chad among the countries it likely considered.
  • ✓ 2. After the army's takeover of 5 September 2021, the junta suspended Guinea's constitution and dissolved the institutions of government.
  • ✓ 3. Since 2019 Lebanon has faced the most severe economic and financial collapse in its history, with a banking system left insolvent.
  • ✓ 4. The UN human rights office records that on 25 July 2021 the Tunisian President suspended Parliament and assumed all executive functions, so the pair matches.

Remember · 2021 in the news: Guinea military coup (Sept), Tunisia's President suspends Parliament (July), Lebanon's economic collapse. China's overseas military base: Djibouti.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

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