16 July 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC):

• United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions.
• It helps to counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism.
• UNAOC was established at the initiative of the Governments of India and USA.

Which of the above statements is/are correct:

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

• Solution:

(A)

UNAOC: Alliance of Civilizations:

• The Alliance of Civilizations aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions.
• It also helps to counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism.
• The United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations.

Q2. Which of the following is/are some of the goals of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):

• Promoting effective cooperation between members in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture
• Maintaining peacekeeping forces in member nations on the request of an individual member country
• Guarding disputed borders between member nations and settling international border disputes concerning member nations.

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2
2. 2, 3
3. 1 only
4. 1, 3

• Solution:

(C)

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, also known as the Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai.
• The SCO’s main goals are: strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture, as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other areas; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.
• Recently India hosted the SCO heads of Government summit for the first time after it gained full membership of the influential grouping in 2017.

Q3. UN convention on the Rights of persons with disabilities includes which of these rights for the differently abled:

• Rights to accessibility including the information technology
• Rights to live independently and be included in the community
• Rights to habitation and rehabilitation

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 3
2. 2, 3
3. 1, 2
4. 1, 2, 3

• Solution:

(D)

• Rights specific to this convention include the rights to accessibility including the information technology, the rights to live independently and be included in the community (Article 19), to personal mobility (article 20), habitation and rehabilitation (Article 26), and to participation in political and public life, and cultural life, recreation and sport (Articles 29 and 30).
• Learning: Articles 33–39 govern reporting and monitoring of the convention by national human rights institutions (Article 33) and Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 34).

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding Comprehensive Convention on International

         Terrorism:

• It is a United Nations treaty which intends to criminalize all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, arms, and safe havens.
• All the members of the United Nations General Assembly have signed the Convention.

Which of the above statements is/are correct:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

• Solution:

(D)

• The Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism is a proposed treaty which intends to criminalize all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, arms, and safe havens.
• The negotiations are currently deadlocked even after two decades of proposal i.e. through 1996 till 2016.
• India proposed this convention in 1996 and has since demanded consistently, especially in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Q5. S-400 air defence missile system, recently seen in news is developed by:

1. United States
2. China
3. Israel
4. Russia

• Solution:

(D)

• The S-400 Triumf, (NATO calls it SA-21 Growler), is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system (SAM) designed by Russia.
• It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM (MLR SAM) in the world, considered much ahead of the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD).
• The system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV and ballistic and cruise missiles within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km.

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA):

• Its core objective is to counter Iran, Russia and North Korea through punitive measures.
• It empowers the US President to impose some sanctions on persons engaged in a “significant transaction” with Russian defence and intelligence sectors.

Which of the above statements is/are correct:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

• Solution:

(C)

• Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) was passed unanimously by the US Congress and signed reluctantly by Donald Trump.
• Enacted on August 2, 2017, its core objective is to counter Iran, Russia and North Korea through punitive measures.
• Title II of the Act primarily deals with sanctions on Russian interests such as its oil and gas industry, defence and security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US Presidential elections.
• Section 231 of the Act empowers the US President to impose at least five of the 12 listed sanctions — enumerated in Section 235 of the Act — on persons engaged in a “significant transaction” with Russian defence and intelligence sectors.

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding Leadership Group on Industry Transition:

• The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions from industry by 2050.
• India is a part of this Grouping.
• It was launched with the support from the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Which of the above statements is/are correct:

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

• Solution:

(D)

• The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions from industry by 2050.
• The governments of Sweden and India, with support from the World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in September, 2019.
• LeadIT is grounded in the conviction that partnership between the public and private sectors is key to achieving the industrial transition.

Q8. Consider the following statements regarding Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA):

• Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization that resolve disputes that arise out of international agreements between member states, international organizations or private parties.
• Human Rights Issues are the exclusive domain of United Nations Commission on Human Rights, therefore PCA does not involve in Human Rights issues.
• Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an official United Nations Observer.

Which of the above statements is/are correct:

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1 only

• Solution:

(B)

• The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization located in The Hague, Netherlands.
• It is not a court in the traditional sense, but provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes that arise out of international agreements between member states, international

organizations or private parties.

• The cases span a range of legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries, sovereignty, human rights, international investment, and international and regional trade.
• The organization is not a United Nations agency, but the PCA is an official United Nations Observer.

Q9. Consider the following statements regarding International Court of Justice:

• International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and was established by the United Nations Charter.
• It settles legal dispute between States submitted to it by them and deal with applications from individuals and non-governmental organizations.
• It gives advisory opinion on legal matters referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

Which of the above statements is/are correct:

1. 1 only
2. 1, 2
3. 1, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

• Solution:

(C)

What is the International Court of Justice:

• The Court is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
• It was established by the United Nations Charter, which was signed in 1945 in San Francisco (United States), and began work in 1946 in the Peace Palace, The Hague (Netherlands).
• The Court, which is composed of 15 judges, has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes between States submitted to it by them and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal matters referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

Who may submit cases to the Court:

• Only States are eligible to appear before the Court in contentious cases.
• The Court has no jurisdiction to deal with applications from individuals, non-governmental organizations, corporations or any other private entity.
• It cannot provide them with legal advice or help them in their dealings with national authorities.
• However, a State may take up the case of one of its nationals and invoke against another State the wrongs which its national claims to have suffered at the hands of the latter; the dispute then becomes one between States.

Q10. Consider the following statements regarding International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
• The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals including rights to due process and a fair trial.
• The ICCPR is part of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Which of the above statements is/are correct:

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

• Solution:

(D)

• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
• The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.
• The ICCPR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
• The ICCPR is monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.