International Organizations (External Sector) Part-IV

Total Questions: 50

31. Which of the following countries is not a member of the Shanghai-5: [U.P.P.C.S.(Pre) 2001]

Correct Answer: (d) Vietnam
Solution:The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15th June, 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The original five members, with the exclusion of Uzbekistan, were previously members of the Shanghai Five group, founded on 26th April, 1996. Since then, the organization has expanded its membership to nine States when India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members in 2017 and Iran joined as full member in 2023.

32. Which of the following countries is not a member of SCO? [U.P.P.S.C. (GIC) 2010]

Correct Answer: (b) India
Solution:In 2010, India had observer status in SCO. At present, India is a member of SCO (from 2017).

SCO stands for "Shanghai Cooperation Organization". It is an intergovernmental political, economic, and security alliance founded in 2001 by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The first summit was held in Shanghai, China, in 2001.

  • The SCO aims to promote cooperation and mutual support in areas such as trade, investment, energy, transportation, and security.
  • The Shanghai Spirit is the core value of the SCO. It is about mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and the pursuit of common development among the SCO members.
  • The official working language of the SCO Secretariat is Russian and Chinese.

33. Identify the Regional Grouping, in which India is not associated as a full member? [R.A.S./R.T.S.(Pre) 2013]

Correct Answer: (d) Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Solution:India is the member of the BASIC, G-4 and BRICS groups. In 2013, India was not a member of SCO. It became the member of SCO in 2017.

SCO stands for "Shanghai Cooperation Organization". It is an intergovernmental political, economic, and security alliance founded in 2001 by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The first summit was held in Shanghai, China, in 2001.

  • The SCO aims to promote cooperation and mutual support in areas such as trade, investment, energy, transportation, and security.
  • The Shanghai Spirit is the core value of the SCO. It is about mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and the pursuit of common development among the SCO members.
  • The official working language of the SCO Secretariat is Russian and Chinese.

34. Which of the following is not a member of 'Gulf Cooperation Council'? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2016]

Correct Answer: (a) Iran
Solution:The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, originally known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional political and economic intergovernmental union, which was established in 1981. Its members are: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is headquartered in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

35. Which of the following is not a member of The Ganga- Mekong Swarnbhoomi Cooperation Project: [U.P.P.C.S.(Pre) 2001]

Correct Answer: (b) Bangladesh
Solution:The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation' (MGC) is an initiative aiming to facilitate closer connection between its 6 members countries-India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos (Lao PDR) and Vietnam. MGC was established in November, 2000 at Vientiane, Laos at the first MGC Ministerial Meeting. The organization takes its name from the Ganga and Mekong, two large rivers in the region. The four areas of cooperation under MGC are tourism, culture, education and transportation.

36. In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not a participant/ participants? [I.A.S (Pre) 2015]

1. Bangladesh

2. Cambodia

3. China

4. Myanmar

5. Thailand

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 3
Solution:The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation' (MGC) is an initiative aiming to facilitate closer connection between its 6 members countries-India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos (Lao PDR) and Vietnam. MGC was established in November, 2000 at Vientiane, Laos at the first MGC Ministerial Meeting. The organization takes its name from the Ganga and Mekong, two large rivers in the region. The four areas of cooperation under MGC are tourism, culture, education and transportation.

37. 'Mekong-Ganga Cooperation' was launched in 2000 at: [B.P.S.C. (Pre) (Re-Exam) 2020]

Correct Answer: (a) Laos
Solution:The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation' (MGC) is an initiative aiming to facilitate closer connection between its 6 members countries-India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos (Lao PDR) and Vietnam. MGC was established in November, 2000 at Vientiane, Laos at the first MGC Ministerial Meeting. The organization takes its name from the Ganga and Mekong, two large rivers in the region. The four areas of cooperation under MGC are tourism, culture, education and transportation.

38. Which of the following statements is/are true about the three day International Seminar on 'Climate Smart Farming System' for BIMSTEC countries held during December 11-13, 2019? [U.P.B.E.O. (Pre) 2019]

1. It was held at Kathmandu, Nepal.

2. It was aimed to have experience sharing for more resilience to climate change through ecological approach to enable improvement of tropical small holding farming systems.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

Correct Answer: (b) Only 2
Solution:The three day International Seminar on 'Climate Smart Farming System' for BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was held during December 11-13, 2019 at New Delhi. It was organized by the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Participants from all the seven BIMSTEC countries viz. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and BIMSTEC Secretariat attended the Seminar. It was aimed to have experience sharing for more resilience to climate change through ecological approach to enable improvement of tropical small holding farming systems for greater productivity.

39. Which one of the following groups of countries is known as 'Benelux Countries'? [U.P.P.C.S. (Spl.) (Mains) 2004]

Correct Answer: (b) Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Solution:Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are collectively known as 'Benelux Countries'. The Benelux Union, also known as simply Benelux, is a political-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of these three neighbouring states in Western Europe.

These countries are located in northwestern Europe, with coastal access to the North Sea. The Benelux Economic Union was established to foster economic collaboration and free movement of goods, services, capital, and people. The Benelux serves as a successful example of regional cooperation and economic integration, often cited as a precursor to the European Union.

Belgium has a complex political structure with three autonomous regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels-Capital Region. The Netherlands and Luxembourg are unitary parliamentary democracies. The Benelux region is densely populated and economically dynamic, contributing significantly to the EU's GDP. The Benelux region has historically been a crossroads of European powers, facing both challenges and opportunities due to its central location and small size.

40. "They are fantastically diverse. They speak hundreds of languages and dialects. They comprise scores of ethnic groups. They include highly industrialized economics and up-and-coming economies. They span half the sur- face of the earth and are home to two-fifths of the world's population." The group of countries referred to here belongs to: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1998]

Correct Answer: (b) APEC
Solution:The group of countries referred in the given para belongs to APEC. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. It is an inter-governmental forum of 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia- Pacific region. It is headquartered in Singapore.

About Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

  • The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a regional economic forum and was formed in 1989.
  • Aim of the grouping - "leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific and create greater prosperity for the people of the region through regional economic integration".
  • The focus of APEC has been on trade and economic issues and hence, it terms the countries as "economies".
  • It has been operating on the basis of non-binding commitments with decisions taken through commitments and consensus undertaken on a voluntary basis.

Member Countries:

  • Currently, APEC has 21 members.
  • The criterion for membership, however, is that each member must be an independent economic entity, rather than a sovereign state.
  • The grouping's current members are Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.