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UNICEF

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a special program of the United Nations (UN) devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the...

29 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
The Big Picture: UN’s Financial Crisis

Recently, the United Nations’ (UN) Secretary-General held that the UN may run out of money by the end of October. The UN is running on a...

21 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
India-Philippines

Recently, the President of India addressed the India-Philippines Business Conclave and the 4th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India...

21 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
FATF’s Grey List

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), after its 5-day plenary (concluded on 19th October 2019 in Paris), decided to keep Pakistan on the Grey...

19 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
India-US Relationship

This article is based on “The operative word must be bilateralism” which was published in The Hindu on 17/11/2019. It talks about the...

17 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
China-Nepal-India Triangulation

This article is based on “Xi’s Security Diplomacy” that was published in The Indian Express on 15/10/2019. It talks about how...

15 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO) celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019. It is the only tripartite U.N. agency. It brings together...

15 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
C40 World Mayors’ Summit

The C40 World Mayors’ Summit is being held from 9th-12th October 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a conference where city leaders from...

12 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
India-Bangladesh Relationship

This article is based on Be Neighbourly which was published in The Indian Express on 8/10/2019, Good going and A triangular affair which were...

09 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
WEF India Economic Summit

The World Economic Forum’s 33rd India Economic Summit took place in New Delhi from 3rd - 4th October 2019. Hosted in collaboration with the...

05 Oct 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
Indo-Arctic Strategic Construct

This article is based on “Why India’s foray into the Arctic matters” which was published in The Hindu Business Line on...

28 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
Quad and G-4 Meet

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27 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
Climate Action Summit

At the 74th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the Prime Minister of India addressed the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit...

24 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
India and Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

Recently, the 16th Session of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) between India and Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) was held in New...

20 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic...

17 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
India’s Embrace of Strategic Hedging

This article is based on “India’s Embrace of Strategic Hedging” that appeared in The Hindustan Times on 09/09/2019. It talks...

13 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
Military Medicine Conference

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13 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
The Big Picture - Indo-Pacific : Strategic Importance

The External Affairs Minister, who is on a two day visit to Russia, has said that Indo Pacific is one of the new concepts and approaches thrown up...

07 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria

India has recently announced a contribution of $22 million to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria (GFTAM). India has stepped an inch closer...

04 Sep 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests
International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

The Union Cabinet has given retrospective approval for the establishment of an International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)...

29 Aug 2019 Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests

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		'title' => 'UNICEF',
		'description' => '<p><strong>United Nations Children&rsquo;s Fund (UNICEF)</strong> is a special program of the <strong>United Nations (UN)</strong> devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children.</p>
<h3>History</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UNICEF</strong> was created in <strong>1946</strong> as International Children&rsquo;s Emergency Fund (ICEF) by UN relief Rehabilitation Administration to help children affected by World War II.</li>
<li>UNICEF became a <strong>permanent part</strong> of the <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a> in 1953</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The name was shortened to <strong>United Nations Children Fund</strong> but it is still referred to as UNICEF.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is <strong>mandated by the United Nations General Assembly</strong> to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.</li>
<li>UNICEF is guided by the <strong>Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It strives to establish <strong>children's rights</strong> as enduring <strong>ethical principles</strong> and <strong>international standards</strong> of behaviour towards children.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Awarded the <strong>Nobel Prize for Peace</strong> in 1965 for <strong>&ldquo;promotion of brotherhood among the nations&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> New York City.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It works in over 190 countries and territories with <strong>7 regional offices</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Scope of Work</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After 1950, the UNICEF directed its efforts toward general programs for the improvement of children&rsquo;s welfare, particularly in <strong>less-developed countries</strong> and in various emergency situations.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It eventually expanded its scope to the struggle of women, especially mothers, in the developing world. For example, it launched its <strong>'Women in Development Programme'</strong> in 1980.</li>
<li>In 1982, UNICEF commenced a new <strong>children's health program</strong> that focused on <strong>monitoring growth, oral rehydration therapy, advocating breastfeeding and immunization</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The work of the UNICEF includes:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Child Development and Nutrition;</li>
<li>Child Protection;</li>
<li>Education;</li>
<li>Child Environment;</li>
<li>Polio Eradication;</li>
<li>Reproductive and Child Health;</li>
<li>Children and AIDS;</li>
<li>Social Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation;</li>
<li>Advocacy and Partnership;</li>
<li>Behaviour Change Communication;</li>
<li>Emergency Preparedness and Response.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>UNICEF <strong>mobilizes political</strong> will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries.</li>
<li>UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children &mdash; victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, especially those with disabilities.</li>
<li>UNICEF works with all its partners towards the attainment of the <strong>sustainable human development goals</strong> adopted by the world community.</li>
<li>The realization of the vision of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Structure</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>UNICEF is governed by an <strong>Executive Board</strong> consisting of 36 members that are elected to terms of three years by the <strong>United Nations' Economic and Social Council</strong>.</li>
<li>The following countries are home to UNICEF Regional Offices. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Americas and Caribbean Regional Office, <strong>Panama City, Panama</strong></li>
<li>Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, <strong>Geneva, Switzerland</strong></li>
<li>East Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, <strong>Bangkok, Thailand</strong></li>
<li>Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, <strong>Nairobi, Kenya</strong></li>
<li>The Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, <strong>Amman, Jordan</strong></li>
<li>South Asia Regional Office, <strong>Kathmandu, Nepal</strong></li>
<li>West and Central Africa Regional Office, <strong>Dakar, Senegal</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Each region that UNICEF serves is allocated a number of seats on the Executive Board, so all regions are represented.</li>
<li>There are also <strong>36 national committees</strong> across the globe, which are non-governmental organizations that help promote the rights of children and fundraise.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Funding</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The national committees are an integral part of UNICEF&rsquo;s global organization and a unique feature of UNICEF.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Serving as the public face and dedicated voice of UNICEF, the National Committees work tirelessly to raise funds from the private sector, promote children&rsquo;s rights and secure worldwide visibility for children threatened by poverty, disasters, armed conflict, abuse and exploitation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>UNICEF is funded exclusively by <strong>voluntary contributions</strong>, and the <strong>National Committees</strong> collectively raise around one-third of UNICEF's annual income. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This comes through contributions from corporations, civil society organizations and more than 6 million individual donors worldwide.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also rallies many different partners &ndash; including the media, national and local government officials, NGOs, specialists such as doctors and lawyers, corporations, schools, young people and the general public &ndash; on issues related to children&rsquo;s rights.</li>
</ul>
<h3>UNICEF and India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>UNICEF <strong>began its work in India in 1949</strong> with three staff members and established an office in Delhi three years later. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Currently, it advocates for the rights of India&rsquo;s children in 16 states.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Nodal Ministries:</strong> Ministry of Women and Child Development.</li>
<li>Work done by UNICEF in India includes:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Census support, 2011:</strong> Gender issues were mainstreamed into the training and communication strategy for the 2011 Census. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This helped 2.7 million enumerators and supervisors collect quality disaggregated data as part of the UNICEF contribution to the joint United Nations support to the Census.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Polio Campaign, 2012:</strong> Polio cases in India fell from 559 in 2008 to zero cases in 2012. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Government, in partnership with <strong>UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International</strong> and the <strong>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</strong> contributed to almost universal awareness of the need to vaccinate all children under five against polio.</li>
<li>As a result of these efforts, India was removed from the list of endemic countries in 2014.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduction in MMR, 2013:</strong> UNICEF&rsquo;s support to the <strong>National Health Mission (NHM)</strong> and the second phase of the <strong>Reproductive and Child Health programme</strong> resulted in increased access to institutional and community-based maternal, neonatal and child health services. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This contributed to a reduction in the <strong>Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR)</strong> to <strong>130</strong> (2014-16), and the <strong>Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)</strong> to <strong>34</strong> (2016). (Data Source: NITI Aayog)<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>MMR</strong> is defined as the proportion of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births.</li>
<li><strong>IMR</strong> is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Call to Action, 2013:</strong> This initiative was launched to reduce under-five mortality. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It has brought together state governments, development partners, such as UNICEF, NGOs, the corporate sector and other key stakeholders under the umbrella to ensure harmony in efforts to accelerate inroads in child survival.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Maternal and Child Nutrition, 2013:</strong> The <strong>Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD)</strong> successfully launched a nationwide communication campaign on <strong>Maternal and Child Nutrition</strong> with UNICEF Ambassador promoting nutrition for children.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This was one of the largest public service campaigns in the country, reaching people across India, through diverse means of communication in 18 languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India Newborn Action Plan, 2014:</strong> This is first of this kind in the region, builds upon the existing commitments for newborn under <strong>Call to Action, the RMNCH+A (Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health + Adolescent)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Strategic Plan (2018&ndash;2021)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The plan will help realize and protect the rights of all children through five goal areas, which are linked to both the <strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong> and <strong>the Convention on the Rights of the Child</strong>:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>every child survives and thrives;</li>
<li>every child learns;</li>
<li>every child is protected from violence and exploitation;</li>
<li>every child lives in a safe and clean environment; and</li>
<li>every child has an equitable chance in life.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The plan also includes two additional areas that cut across all of the other goals: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>gender equality</li>
<li>humanitarian action</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It promotes synergies across goal areas to address early childhood development and adolescent development, and to support children with disabilities.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Future of the Child (The Child in 2030)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Foresight for action:</strong> It is the methodologies, practices and processes that help UNICEF to navigate uncertainty and better prepare for the future.</li>
<li>Foresight identifies emerging trends and the changing circumstances that could impact the future of the child.</li>
<li>It allows UNICEF to look beyond what is probable and prepare for what is possible.</li>
<li>To demonstrate the utility of foresight, UNICEF analyses five megatrends that are of growing importance for children:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>global health crises</li>
<li>inequality and the middle-income trap</li>
<li>the changing nature and scale of the conflict</li>
<li>global migration</li>
<li>the effects of technology on work and education</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3417,
		'category_id' => (int) 15,
		'title' => 'The Big Picture: UN’s Financial Crisis',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nJWPtJ9L5e8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations&rsquo;</a> (UN) Secretary-General held that the UN <strong>may run out of money by the end of October</strong>. The UN is running on a <strong>deficit of $230 million</strong>, and to tackle this shortfall in the budget, the UN secretariat has proposed <strong>cost-cutting measures</strong> like postponing conferences, reducing services and restricting official travel to only essential activities.</p>
<p>The UN's regular budget for the year is $5.4 billion, but <strong>only 129 of 193 member states in the UN have paid their regular contributions to the budget</strong>. However, one of the main reasons for the UN's financial crisis is the delay in payment by the United States <strong>(largest contributor to UN)</strong>, which funds <strong>22% of the UN's regular budget amounting to $674 million</strong>.</p>
<h3>Nature of UN&rsquo;s financial crisis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>regular financial crunch</strong> faced by the UN, generally in the month of October.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is because the US's budgetary procedure is such, that it delays payments to UN till the end of October.</li>
<li>However, if US defaults (for two consecutive years), it will lose its right to vote in the UN.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is not the first time that the US tried to maneuver multilateral forums in accordance to its strategic interest.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US has also <strong>delayed payments to <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNESCO</a></strong> and eventually withdrawn from it, blaming <strong>UNESCO for its anti-Israel bias over Palestine issue</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, this time the other big contributors, like Brazil &amp; South Korea, have also delayed these payments to the UN. <strong>That&rsquo;s why UN budgetary deficit has reached 30%.</strong></li>
<li>Though this crisis might get over after the end of October (if US pays it dues), this regular financial crunch in UN budget, <strong>questions the relevance of UN</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relevance of UN</h3>
<p>Today, <strong>multilateralism is under attack</strong> and regionalism or bilateral engagements have become more preferred choice in global dealings.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For example, today the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-trade-organisation-wto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Trade Organisation (WTO)</a> is in a dormant state and mega regional trade deals like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-and-rcep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership</a> are being relied upon more now.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Multilateralism</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the process of organizing relations between groups of three or more states.</li>
<li>It is based on principles of <strong>common shared interest, a commitment to diffuse reciprocity, and a system of dispute settlement</strong>.</li>
<li>It is principally associated with the era after World War II, primarily led by the <strong>United Nations (biggest multilateral forum)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Regionalism</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Regionalism is the expression of a common sense of identity and collective action within a <strong>geographical region</strong>.</li>
<li>Regionalism against multiculturalism is limited to number of states linked by a geographical relationship and by a degree of mutual interdependence.</li>
<li>South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), European Union (EU) are examples of regionalism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Reasons for the ineffectiveness of UN</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>UN was established in 1945, <strong>primarily envisaged for maintaining peace and order in the world</strong>, but has largely remained defunct on that front.</li>
<li>The <strong>five permanent members</strong> (P5: the Soviet Union (Russia), the United Kingdom, France, China and the United States) of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-un-security-council-reforms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</a>, were victorious allies of World War II.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These P5 countries were sought to act in collaboration to maintain peace and order in the world.</li>
<li>However, due to the <strong>Cold War, the P5 got divided</strong> (US, France and UK vs Russia and China) and <strong>use of veto made UN's say on matters of security less effective</strong>.</li>
<li>This ineffectiveness is continuing even after the end of the cold war, as <strong>reflected in continuing instability in West Asia</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Moreover, UN holds significance for the majority of small countries, which are not the major financial contributors to the UN.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Has UN become obsolete?</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though the UN's role in security matters has been its weakness, however in <strong>social dimension UN is doing extremely well</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Specialized agencies</strong> of the UN have done remarkably well in social sector, i.e. fields of human rights, climate change, health etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):</strong> It works internationally to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</li>
<li><strong>The World Health Organization (WHO):</strong> WHO immensely helped countries like India to eradicate polio and smallpox.</li>
<li><strong>United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):</strong> It seeks to address large movements of refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Further, the UN is relevant for the majority of countries, as it is necessary to maintain <strong>some form of pressure, against the handful of powerful countries</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>How UN must be reformed?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On the issue of UN reforms, US always held that UN is <strong>top heavy (heavily bureaucratized)</strong>, therefore US proposes cost cutting reforms.</li>
<li>Though it is very logical for international forums, like the UN, to <strong>use resources in an optimum way</strong>, however, developing countries like India propose reforms that seeks to <strong>democratize</strong> the UN, such as <strong>UNSC reforms, UN peacekeeping reforms</strong>.</li>
<li>Also specialized agencies of the UN ( which are successful) <strong>all nations are treated equally, whereas in UNSC, the privileged countries (P5) have made</strong> UN defunct in maintaining peace and order. Therefore, <strong>veto powers of P5 and composition of UNSC must be made more representative of the current world order</strong>.</li>
<li>Further, multilateralism can only work when member States <strong>seek a joint collaborative interest</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For instance, every country collaborates on matters of <strong>tackling an epidemic or climate mitigation</strong>. However, <strong>peace and security by nature is very different</strong>, because these issues arise because of <strong>conflict between the countries</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Though there is some success on security front in coming up to a common ground in <strong>tackling the terrorism, money laundering control, nuclear non-proliferation, chemical weapons convention</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Therefore, unless countries find shared common interest, it would be <strong>very difficult for multilateralism to work</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>So, for conflict resolution, <strong>a new model of UN must be formulated</strong>, as current world order has changed from bipolar to unipolar to multi polar today.
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bipolar:</strong> From post World War II, during the cold war World order was dominated by two superpowers i.e. US and USSR.</li>
<li><strong>Unipolar:</strong> After disintegration of USSR in 1991, the world was dominated by sole superpower i.e. US.</li>
<li><strong>Multipolar:</strong> International relations today are characterized by the power relationships of the United States, China, Russia, India and Europe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The new conflict resolution of UN <strong>can be decentralized at regional level</strong> like EU.</li>
<li>World needs multilateralism, but not in the form as envisaged nearly 75 years ago, as today's world order is based on <strong>complex interdependence</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Complex Interdependence:</strong> Due to trade, globalization etc, transnational connections and interdependencies between states and societies are increasing, while the use of military force and power balancing are decreasing but remain important.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>In spite of all these financial issues, UN is important to sustain the <strong>idea of global rule based system and global governance</strong>. It is in the interest of all the countries to have a space where they can interact on a collegial basis rather than earlier Westphalian model of diplomacy (Bilateral relationships based on notion of power).</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UN peacekeeping force reforms and India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Peacekeeping became the most important tool available to the UN in order to maintain peace and security in conflict areas at a time when cold war rivalries frequently paralyzed the Security Council.</li>
<li>The first UN peacekeeping mission was authorised in May 1948 and a team was deployed to the West Asia during the 1948 Arab&ndash;Israeli War.</li>
<li>UN Peacekeeping is guided by four basic principles:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Consent of the parties</li>
<li>Impartiality</li>
<li>Non-use of force except in self-defense</li>
<li>Defense of the mandate</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>UN peacekeeping was conceived with the idea that the neutral and non-dinged countries, will be best and most acceptable forces in restoring peace in conflict ridden countries.</li>
<li>However, reforms are the need of the hour as UN peacekeeping today faces several new challenges that have surfaced due to changing geopolitical situations:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is a difference of opinion between the countries of the Global North and South with regards to the scope and mandates of peacekeeping operations.The countries of the north are asking for more robust peacekeeping mandates, while the countries of the south fear that this may threaten their sovereignty.</li>
<li>Northern countries also hesitate to engage their troops with the UN due to its deficiencies and, also refuse to finance the measures needed to improve the UN.</li>
<li>Also, the Security Council is accused of using these operations only in areas, which are geopolitically significant to them, and ignoring the rest.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In this context, India which is among the biggest contributor to peacekeeping forces, calls for review of its contribution of force in Peacekeeping forces. It has been very vocal regarding reforms for peacekeeping forces and wants a greater say in decisions pertaining to peacekeeping.</li>
<li>Since, deployment of peacekeeping forces is not a revenue earning exercise for India, it should not be only looked from national point of view but also keeping in mind where peacekeeping forces are being sent.</li>
<li>India's soft power, foreign policy, cultural background, makes India's peacekeeping forces more acceptable in conflict ridden countries.</li>
<li>Therefore, it should take advantage of its rising global stature and should take a lead in order to make this arm of the UN more effective.</li>
</ul>
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		'article_id' => (int) 3411,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'India-Philippines',
		'description' => '<p>Recently, the President of India addressed the India-Philippines Business Conclave and the 4<sup>th</sup> Association of Southeast Asian Nations <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>(ASEAN)</strong></a>-India Business Summit in Manila, Philippines.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is celebrating the <strong>70<sup>th</sup> anniversary of diplomatic relations with the Philippines in 2019.</strong></li>
<li>The President of India also unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Miriam College in Quezon City.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-Philippines Business Conclave<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1571646859_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1571646859_image2.jpg" width="385" height="248" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both countries aim to integrate <strong>India&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/five-years-of-make-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Make in India&rdquo;</a> with the Philippines&rsquo; &ldquo;Build, Build, Build&rdquo; infrastructure initiative</strong> to create immense opportunities for companies and investors on both sides.</li>
<li>The bilateral trade between the two countries has shown <strong>continuous progress,</strong> though the <strong>IT-BPO segment has remained an important</strong> sector in overall trade.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The India-Philippines trade has <strong>risen to nearly $2.5 billion,</strong> also the presence of Indian companies in the Philippines is<strong> rising.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In recent years, India-Philippines have seen <strong>two-way investment growth </strong>in<strong> infrastructure and energy sectors.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Indian investment in the Philippines has grown especially in concrete projects like LNG pipelines, waste management solutions and airport terminals</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Both the countries also agreed to sign a <strong>Tourism Promotion Agreement</strong> to bring the people of the two countries further closer.</li>
<li>There is scope to enhance partnership in several areas - from trade, investment, services, agriculture, engineering to new technologies like digital devices, Artificial Intelligence etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Indian pharma and healthcare sectors offer immense value</strong> to the Philippines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>4<sup>th</sup> ASEAN-India Business Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ASEAN- India Business Summit <strong>aims to upgrade economic and business relations</strong> between each and every ASEAN country and India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>ASEAN-India relations are to be of utmost importance as India&rsquo;s <strong>&ldquo;Act East&rdquo; policy</strong> puts the region at the <strong>centre of its engagement</strong> with the <strong>Indo-Pacific.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Though ASEAN-India trade has increased significantly in the past few years, both parties aimed to reach the <strong>target of US$ 200 billion by 2022.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Timeline of India-Philippines Relation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India and the Philippines formally established <strong>diplomatic relations in 1949,</strong> shortly after both countries gained independence. (Philippines in 1946 and India in 1947).</li>
<li>Despite historical shared values and commonalities, such as anticolonialism, South-South cooperation, a strong democratic polity and the wide use of the English language, the <strong>full potential of the relationship</strong> between the two countries is yet to be achieved.</li>
<li>When India launched <strong>Look East Policy</strong> and intensified partnership with ASEAN in <strong>1992,</strong> it also resulted in intensified relations with the Philippines <strong>both bilaterally and in the regional</strong> context. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>With the<strong> Act East Policy (2014),</strong> the relationship with the Philippines has diversified further into political-security; trade and industry, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has a <strong>positive trade balance</strong> with the Philippines (more Export from India compared to Import from the Philippines to India).</li>
<li>The Indian community in the Philippines has become an integral part of the population.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> Philippines</strong> is also beginning to <strong>emerge as a destination for Indian students.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1588518" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3403,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'FATF’s Grey List',
		'description' => '<p>The <strong>Financial Action Task Force (FATF),</strong> after its 5-day plenary (concluded on 19<sup>th</sup> October 2019 in Paris), <strong>decided to keep Pakistan on the Grey List.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>However, it has <strong>warned</strong> that Pakistan will be put <strong>on the Black List</strong> if it <strong>does not control terror funding by February 2020.</strong></li>
<li>It has been reported that the <strong>immediate blacklisting</strong> of Pakistan <strong>did not garner the consensus of all FATF members.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India led a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan</strong> for its blacklisting. <strong>France, the US and the European Union</strong> countries <strong>supported</strong> India.</li>
<li><strong>China, Turkey and Malaysia resisted</strong> India&rsquo;s efforts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Financial Action Task Force</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an<strong> inter-governmental body</strong> established in <strong>1989</strong> during the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/g-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>G7 Summit</strong> </a>in Paris.</li>
<li>The <strong>objectives</strong> of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for <strong>combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.</strong></li>
<li>Its <strong>Secretariat</strong> is located at the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/oecds-forecast-for-global-economy-in-2060" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development</strong></a> <strong>(OECD) headquarters in Paris.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Member Countries:</strong> As of 2019, it consists of thirty-seven member jurisdictions. <strong>India is one of the members.</strong></li>
<li>FATF has two lists:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Grey List:</strong> Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.</li>
<li><strong>Black List:</strong> Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are put in the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>FATF Plenary is the decision making body of the FATF.</strong> It meets three times per year.</li>
</ul>
<h3>FATF &amp; Pakistan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Pakistan was <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/the-financial-action-task-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>placed on the grey list</strong></a> <strong>by the FATF in June 2018</strong> and was given a plan of action to complete by October 2019, or face the risk of being placed on the <strong>black list with Iran and North Korea.</strong></li>
<li>Pakistan was previously placed on the FATF's grey list in February 2012, and had been removed from the grey list in February 2015 after it passed a National Action Plan (NAP) to deal with terrorism after the Peshawar School massacre in December 2014.</li>
<li>It was placed under severe restrictions in the years 2008-2012.</li>
</ul>
<h3>FATF&rsquo;s latest Review of Pakistan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Pakistan <strong>addressed only 5 of the 27 tasks given to it</strong> to control funding to terror groups like the <strong>Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad &mdash; both responsible for a series of attacks in India.</strong></li>
<li>The FATF noted the insufficiency of Pakistan&rsquo;s implementation as &ldquo;serious concerns&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The latest decision to keep the country in &lsquo;Grey List&rsquo; means that Pakistan<strong> has been given time until February 2020 to fulfil its commitments or risks being blacklisted.</strong></li>
<li>The main purpose behind the decision is to <strong>not punish rather than incentivise,</strong> to make the required changes and make them faster.</li>
<li><strong>Impact on Pakistan:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>By remaining on the &ldquo;Grey List&rdquo;, <strong>it would be difficult for Pakistan to get financial aid from the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-monetary-fund-imf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Monetary Fund (IMF)</a>, <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Bank</a> and <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a>,</strong> making its financial condition more precarious.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, there are no immediate implications for the recent $6 billion loan negotiated with the IMF that is to be disbursed over the next three years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The country is facing a number of economic challenges with its <strong>economy expected to grow at 3.3 % in 2019 and 2.6% in 2020,</strong> according to IMF.</li>
<li>Inflation is set to touch 7.3% in 2019, up from 3.9% in 2018, and rise to 13% in 2020.</li>
<li>Fiscal deficit is projected at 7.1% of GDP in 2020, the highest in the last seven years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/fatf-retains-pakistan-in-grey-list/article29733451.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3391,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'India-US Relationship',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on &ldquo;<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-operative-word-must-be-bilateralism/article29717045.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The operative word must be bilateralism</a>&rdquo; which was published in The Hindu on 17/11/2019. It talks about the changing nature of the India-U.S. relationship.</p>
</div>
<p>Global politics is changing rapidly and it has its effects on global relationships as well. Now the focus of the nations have shifted to <strong>unilateralism, protectionism and isolationism</strong> from <strong>peace, joint cooperation, multilateralism and liberalism</strong> usually propogated by institutions such as the <strong>United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and the International Court of Justice</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Global politics is disturbed by the disruptions caused by the<strong> trade war between the US-China and Brexit</strong> impacting other nations&rsquo; relations with them and with each other. India also stands at a crossroads in terms of its foreign policy approach in these turbulent times.</li>
<li>India has to make<strong> crucial decisions</strong> in such times to sustain and the options available are-<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Continue with the <strong>time-tested stable policy of non-alignment and strategic autonomy</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Follow unilateralism and be a permanent treaty ally</strong> of one of the superpowers.</li>
<li>Forge new relations and explore fresh territories by <strong>adopting the strategy of multi-alignment and transactional autonomy</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relationship Dynamics</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It can be elaborated into three main categories-<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Good Phase</strong>- It is linked to the historic terms like the <strong>U.S. civil nuclear deal</strong>, the ongoing <strong>defence cooperation and the signing of &ldquo;Foundational Defence Agreements&rdquo;</strong> which are the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-us-2-plus-2-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)</a>, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) etc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Bad Phase</strong>- It is linked with the current trade challenges, the <strong>U.S.&rsquo;s hyphenation of India with China in its trade war</strong> and its <strong>call for the removal of the &lsquo;developing country&rsquo; tag assigned by the WTO.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Ugly Phase</strong>- It was when the <strong>U.S. sent its fleet towards India to assist Pakistan during the 1971 war.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The good outweighs the other two but a <strong>sense of scepticism</strong> remains because of<strong> India&rsquo;s multilateral outreach</strong>, especially with respect to the procurement of defence material from Russia and Indian military&rsquo;s presence in Afghanistan.</li>
<li>India also needs to remain mindful of the <strong>unpredictability and inherent contradictions in U.S. foreign policy</strong> and, at the same time, <strong>capitalise on U.S. &lsquo;isolationism and retrenchment&rsquo;</strong> by maintaining its time-tested policy of non-alignment and strategic autonomy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Contradictions in the U.S.&rsquo;s Outlook</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The recent<strong> abandonment of Kurds,</strong> who assisted the Americans in fighting the Islamic State,<strong> by Trump administration</strong> should be kept in mind by the other nations. India must be prepared, in case U.S. suddenly withdraws its forces from Afghanistan, which could lead to a complete takeover by the Taliban, with <strong>potential repercussions on India&rsquo;s northern front</strong>.</li>
<li>With respect to <strong>Pakistan, U.S.&rsquo;s policies seems very unclear and confusing</strong> often creating misleading information. For example, the ever changing views of the U.S. on Pakistan like calling it a<strong> &ldquo;friend who he does not need&rdquo;</strong> to a <strong>&ldquo;friend in need&rdquo;</strong> even after being aware of Pakistan&rsquo;s ties with terrorism.</li>
<li>U.S. <strong>campaigned for Iran&rsquo;s nuclear deal in 2015</strong>, then <strong>withdrew</strong> itself from the accord in <strong>2018</strong> and has <strong>now adopted a blanket sanction policy with relation to any nation dealing in oil transactions with Iran</strong>.</li>
<li>India needs to be careful because of all such examples and <strong>U.S.&rsquo;s expectations from India to forego its age-old friendship with Russia</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Possible Solutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India must ensure that <strong>India-U.S. bilateralism survives the ill effects of unilateralism</strong> without compromising India&rsquo;s friendly position.</li>
<li>U.S. needs to realise that <strong>India cannot keep distance from the globalisation, regional alliances and emerging trade opportunitie</strong>s. However, at the same time it can be assured that <strong>India will never take sides hurting U.S. interests</strong> while taking real strategic and economic bilateral decisions.</li>
<li>India should not feel distracted and <strong>focus on multi-alignment</strong> both with the U.S. and Russia, especially in terms of getting a waiver <strong>under the Countering America&rsquo;s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act in purchasing the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-rocky-road-for-strategic-partners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S-400 missile system</a> from Russia</strong>.</li>
<li>On the <strong>trade front</strong>, India can be an <strong>effective supplier rather than being an outsourcing hub if compared to China</strong>. <strong>Strategically</strong> also, the U.S. views India as a platform to <strong>contain China&rsquo;s hegemony</strong>. India sees it as an <strong>opportunity for economic expansion</strong>, with the U.S. being an equal partner.</li>
<li>China&rsquo;s cautious pragmatism along with assertiveness needs to be factored into the decision-making process of both India and the USA. Both need to forge a <strong>broad-based and productive political partnership</strong> for that.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the official right of the sovereign nation-states to make <strong>formal ties and bonds based on mutual interdependence</strong>.</li>
<li>India and the U.S. should <strong>strengthen their relationship on global and regional levels</strong> and look for <strong>issues of common interest</strong> which can provide enormous opportunities for both countries to work closely in <strong>reshaping the global political order</strong>.</li>
<li>Both nations have the <strong>potential to grow together without comprising India&rsquo;s situation due to unilateralism</strong> by benefitting of mutual interests and understanding each other better.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #f7f2d2; border-color: #05739e;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 961px;"><em>Drishti Mains Question<br /><br /></em>Analyse India-USA relationships with reference to the rapidly changing global politics.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3374,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'China-Nepal-India Triangulation',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/china-nepal-xi-jinping-international-relations-security-diplomacy-6069020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Xi&rsquo;s Security Diplomacy&rdquo;</strong></a> that was published in The Indian Express on 15/10/2019. It talks about how China-Nepal convergence can affect India&rsquo;s interest.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, China's President Xi Jinping made a significant visit to Nepal, becoming the first Chinese President in over 20 years to visit the Himalayan country.</p>
<p>The visit seeks to accelerate the development of an ambitious trans-Himalayan corridor between China&rsquo;s Tibet and Nepal <strong>(China Nepal Economic Corridor).</strong> However, it is China's <strong>security diplomacy</strong> that is more of a concern for India.</p>
<h3>&ldquo;Security Diplomacy&rdquo; of China</h3>
<p>Nepal&rsquo;s northern border with China lies entirely with Tibet, China sees security cooperation with Nepal as critical in controlling the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/60-years-of-1959-tibetan-uprising" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Tibetan matters.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In this pursuit, China is following<strong> security diplomacy vis-&agrave;-vis Nepal</strong> (distinct from defense diplomacy).</li>
<li><strong>Security diplomacy vs Defense diplomacy</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Security diplomacy seeks to expand engagement between the two countries, <strong>not just in fields related to military engagement</strong> but also to the police forces, intelligence agencies, border management organisations and law-enforcement authorities of the two nations.</li>
<li>In the case of neighbouring countries, security diplomacy leads to the dynamic interaction between internal political stability and the situation across the frontiers.</li>
<li><strong>Defence diplomacy</strong> may include military exchanges, military sales, joint exercises, humanitarian disasters response training etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Chinese President visit also envisages signing of the <strong>Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters</strong> and an early conclusion of the <strong>Treaty on Extradition.</strong></li>
<li>China also promised to enhance the capacities of Nepal&rsquo;s law enforcement agencies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>China Nepal Economic Corridor</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2017, Nepal signed up to <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/belt-and-road-initiative-perspectives-from-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),</a></strong> that sought to create highways, airports and other infrastructure in the country.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Through <strong>China Nepal Economic Corridor,</strong> Nepal seeks to end Indian dominance over its trade routes by increasing connectivity with China.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Earlier China proposed a trilateral <strong>India-Nepal-China economic corridor,</strong> which sought to provide multidimensional connectivity through the Himalayas.</li>
<li>However, <strong>India rejected this proposal</strong> on account of $50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it passes through the disputed territory of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s concern is that,</strong> given the <strong>difference in the strategic weight</strong> of China and Nepal, <strong>security diplomacy can be used as a tool by China</strong> to interfere in the internal affairs of Nepal.</li>
<li>Since <strong>Nepal acts as a buffer state for India,</strong> seeing it slip into China's sphere of influence, will not be in India's strategic interest.</li>
<li>Also, China&rsquo;s interest in &ldquo;security diplomacy&rdquo; is not limited to Nepal.</li>
<li><strong>China Nepal Economic Corridor</strong> can lead to <strong>China dumping consumer goods</strong> through Nepal which will worsen India&rsquo; trade balance with China further.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>China's deep pockets</strong> make it difficult for India to control the expansion of China's influence in India's neighbourhood.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thus, it is perhaps better to rethink about refusing the Chinese offer to build infrastructure in India which can help India&rsquo;s overall trade and investment.</li>
<li>In this context, India can bargain with China about opening up its services for Indian IT workers and have freer access to Chinese markets for Indian goods.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India must not deny every Chinese investment in infrastructure because of CPEC.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India must <strong>revise</strong> its stance on <strong>India-Nepal-China economic corridor.</strong></li>
<li>The corridor provides a likelihood of greater tourism and people to people contact which is important for bridging the trust deficit that exists today between India and China.</li>
<li>It will also lead to the rapid development of one of the poorest regions in the world which lie in Nepal and parts of northern and northeastern India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Nepal has sought to increase connectivity with China since a blockade along its border with India resulted in several months of acute shortage of fuel and medicine in 2015 and 2016.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though India has all the right of such blockade, however,<strong> India must refrain</strong> from such blockades as it <strong>affects India's credibility</strong> in eyes of Nepali citizens.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>India should act as a bridge rather than a blockade in realizing Nepal's dream of becoming a land-linked country from a land-locked one.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fcfceb;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />India's continuous refrain from strategic convergence with China might not prove to be a good strategy. Analyse in the context of China-Nepal-India Triangulation.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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		'article_id' => (int) 3373,
		'category_id' => (int) 60,
		'title' => 'International Labour Organization',
		'description' => '<p>The <strong>International Labour Organization (ILO)</strong> celebrated its 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary in 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the only <strong>tripartite U.N. agency.</strong> It brings together <strong>governments, employers and workers</strong> of <strong>187 member States,</strong> to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.</li>
</ul>
<h3>History of the ILO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established in 1919 by the <strong>Treaty of Versailles</strong> as an affiliated agency of the<strong> League of Nations.</strong></li>
<li>Became the first affiliated <strong>specialized agency</strong> of the <strong>United Nations in 1946.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Geneva, Switzerland</li>
<li><strong>Founding Mission:</strong> social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace.</li>
<li>Promotes internationally recognized human and labour rights.</li>
<li>Received the<strong> Nobel Peace Prize</strong> in 1969.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For improving peace among classes</li>
<li>Pursuing decent work and justice for workers</li>
<li>Providing technical assistance to other developing nations</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The organization has played a key role in <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ensuring labour rights during the Great Depression</li>
<li>Decolonization process</li>
<li>The creation of Solidarność ( trade union) in Poland</li>
<li>The victory over apartheid in South Africa</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Today it is providing substantial support in the building of an ethical and productive framework for fair globalization.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong> The basis of the ILO is the <strong>tripartite principle,</strong> i.e. the negotiations within the organization are held between the representatives of governments, trade unions, and member-states&rsquo; employers.</p>
</div>
<h3>Structure of ILO</h3>
<p>The ILO accomplishes its work through three main bodies which comprise governments', employers' and workers' representatives:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>International Labour Conference:</strong> it sets the International labour standards and the broad policies of the ILO. It meets annually in Geneva. It is often referred to as an <strong>International Parliament of Labour.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is also a forum for discussion of key social and labour questions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Governing Body:</strong> it is the <strong>executive council</strong> of the ILO. It meets three times a year in Geneva. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It takes policy decisions of ILO and establishes the programme and the budget, which it then submits to the Conference for adoption.</li>
<li>The work of the Governing Body and the Office is aided by <strong>tripartite committees</strong> covering major industries.</li>
<li>It is also supported by committees of experts on such matters as vocational training, management development, occupational safety and health, industrial relations, workers&rsquo; education, and special problems of women and young workers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>International Labour Office:</strong> it is the permanent secretariat of the International Labour Organization. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the focal point for ILO&rsquo;s overall activities, which it prepares under the scrutiny of the Governing Body and under the leadership of the Director-General.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Regional meetings</strong> of the ILO member States are held periodically to examine matters of special interest to the regions concerned.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Functions of the ILO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Creation of <strong>coordinated policies and programs,</strong> directed at solving social and labour issues.</li>
<li><strong>Adoption of international labour standards</strong> in the form of conventions and recommendations and control over their implementation.</li>
<li><strong>Assistance to member-states</strong> in solving social and labour problems.</li>
<li><strong>Human rights protection</strong> (the right to work, freedom of association, collective negotiations, protection against forced labour, protection against discrimination, etc.).</li>
<li><strong>Research and publication</strong> of works on social and labour issues.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives of the ILO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To promote and realize standards and fundamental principles and rights at work.</li>
<li>To create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment.</li>
<li>To enhance the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all.</li>
<li>To strengthen tripartism and social dialogue.</li>
</ul>
<h3>International Labour Standards</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ILO sets international labour standards with conventions, which are ratified by member states. These are <strong>non-binding.</strong></li>
<li>Conventions are drawn up with input from governments, workers&rsquo; and employers&rsquo; groups at the ILO and are adopted by the <strong>International Labour Conference.</strong></li>
<li>In ratifying an ILO convention, a member state <strong>accepts it as a legally binding instrument.</strong> Many countries use conventions as a tool to bring national laws in line with international standards.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Decent Work Agenda</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As part of its mission, the ILO aims to achieve decent work for all by promoting social dialogue, social protection and employment creation, as well as respect for international labour standards.</li>
<li>The ILO provides technical support to more than 100 countries to help achieve these aims, with the support of development partners.</li>
</ul>
<h3>ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was adopted in 1998, the Declaration commits member states to respect and promote <strong>eight fundamental principles and rights</strong> in four categories, whether or not they have ratified the relevant conventions. They are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Freedom of Association and The Right to collective bargaining (Conventions 87 and 98)</li>
<li>Elimination of forced or compulsory labour (Conventions No. 29 and No. 105)</li>
<li>Abolition of child labour (Conventions No. 138 and No. 182)</li>
<li>Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation (Conventions No. 100 and No. 111)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Core Conventions of the ILO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The eight fundamental conventions form an integral part of the <strong>United Nations Human Rights Framework,</strong> and their ratification is an important sign of member States&rsquo; commitment to human rights.</li>
<li>Overall, 135 member States have ratified all eight fundamental conventions. Unfortunately, 48 member states (out of 183 member States), including member states with the highest populations, have yet to complete ratification of all eight conventions.</li>
<li>The <strong>eight-core conventions of the ILO</strong> are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Forced Labour Convention (No. 29)</li>
<li>Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No.105)</li>
<li>Equal Remuneration Convention (No.100)</li>
<li>Discrimination (Employment Occupation) Convention (No.111)</li>
<li>Minimum Age Convention (No.138)</li>
<li>Worst forms of Child Labour Convention (No.182)</li>
<li>Freedom of Association and Protection of Right to Organised Convention (No.87)</li>
<li>Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (No.98)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The eight conventions, taken together, are more relevant today in the face of <strong>global economic</strong> and other challenges impinging on the welfare and livelihood of workers in all regions. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Indeed, they are part and parcel of the overarching architecture for the universality of human rights, offering protection to all, and responding closely to the quest for social justice in a globalized setting.</li>
<li>They are catalytic to the UN system, the international community and local communities as a whole.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and ILO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is a founding member of the ILO and it has been a permanent member of the ILO Governing Body since 1922.</li>
<li>In India, the first ILO Office was started in 1928. The decades of productive partnership between the ILO and its constituents has mutual trust and respect as underlying principles and is grounded in building sustained institutional capacities and strengthening capacities of partners.</li>
<li>India has ratified six out of the <strong>eight-core/fundamental ILO conventions.</strong> These conventions are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Forced Labour Convention (No. 29)</li>
<li>Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No.105)</li>
<li>Equal Remuneration Convention (No.100)</li>
<li>Discrimination (Employment Occupation) Convention (No.111)</li>
<li>Minimum Age Convention (No.138)</li>
<li>Worst forms of Child Labour Convention (No.182)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has <strong>not ratified</strong> the two core/fundamental conventions, namely <strong>Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)</strong> and <strong>Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The main reason for non-ratification of ILO conventions No.87 &amp; 98 is due to certain restrictions imposed on the government servants.</li>
<li>The ratification of these conventions would involve granting of certain rights that are prohibited under the statutory rules, for the government employees, namely, the right to strike, to openly criticize government policies, to freely accept a financial contribution, to freely join foreign organizations etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Trade Unions at the ILO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Trade unions play a crucial role in developing policy at the ILO, Worker group representation is drawn from national trade union confederations.</li>
<li>The <strong>Bureau for Workers' Activities</strong> at the secretariat is dedicated to strengthening independent and democratic trade unions so they can better defend workers&rsquo; rights and interests.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The ILO&rsquo;s supervisory role</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ILO monitors the implementation of ILO conventions ratified by member states. This is done through:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Committee of Experts</strong> on the Application of conventions and Recommendations.</li>
<li>The International Labour Conference&rsquo;s <strong>Tripartite Committee</strong> on the Application of conventions and Recommendations.</li>
<li>Member states are also required to send reports on the progress of the implementation of the conventions they have ratified.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Complaints</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ILO registers complaints against entities that are violating international rules; however, <strong>it does not impose sanctions on governments.</strong></li>
<li>Complaints can be filed against member states for not complying with ILO conventions they have ratified.</li>
<li>Complaints can be from another member state which has signed the same convention, a delegate to the International Labour Conference or the ILO's Governing Body.</li>
</ul>
<h3>ILO&rsquo;s Global Commission on the Future of Work</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The formation of an ILO <strong>Global Commission on the Future of Work</strong> marks the second stage in the ILO Future of Work Initiative.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was co-chaired by <strong>South African President Cyril Ramaphosa</strong> and<strong> Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan L&ouml;fven.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The commission outlines a vision for a human-centred agenda that is based on investing in people&rsquo;s capabilities, institutions of work and decent and sustainable work.</li>
<li>Its has undertaken an in-depth examination of the future of work that can provide the analytical basis for the delivery of social justice in the 21<sup>st</sup> century.</li>
<li>It outlines the<strong> challenges caused by new technology, climate change and demography</strong> and calls for a collective global response to the disruptions they are causing in the world of work.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Artificial intelligence, automation and robotics will lead to job losses, as skills become obsolete.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The key recommendations are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>A universal labour guarantee</strong> that protects the fundamental rights of workers&rsquo;, an adequate living wage, limits on hours of work and safe and healthy workplaces.</li>
<li><strong>Guaranteed social protection</strong> from birth to old age that supports people&rsquo;s needs over the life cycle.</li>
<li>A universal entitlement to lifelong learning that enables people to skill, reskill and upskill.</li>
<li><strong>Managing technological change</strong> to boost decent work, including an international governance system for digital labour platforms.</li>
<li><strong>Greater investments</strong> in the care, green and rural economies.</li>
<li>A transformative and measurable agenda for <strong>gender equality.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Reshaping business incentives</strong> to encourage long-term investments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
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		'article_id' => (int) 3350,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'C40 World Mayors’ Summit',
		'description' => '<p>The C40 World Mayors&rsquo; Summit is being held from 9<sup>th</sup>-12<sup>th</sup> October 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a conference where <strong>city leaders from around the world share ideas on green urban development,</strong> and on ways to get national governments to act on climate issues.</li>
<li>Apart from Mayors and Deputy Mayors, the Summit is being attended by climate experts, influencers, business leaders, innovators, changemakers, and citizens.</li>
<li>Over the past decade, C40 has convened six Mayors Summits, hosted by London (2005), New York (2007), Seoul (2009), S&atilde;o Paulo (2011), Johannesburg (2014) and Mexico City (2016). <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Each C40 Mayors Summit has provided unique opportunities for the mayors of the world&rsquo;s great cities to showcase their climate leadership on the global stage.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>C40 Summits are known for publishing important research, showcasing innovations by cities, and for forging global partnerships.</li>
<li>At the<strong> 2019 Summit,</strong> the <strong>Mayor of Los Angeles</strong> has taken over as <strong>chair of the group.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>cities from India</strong> that are part of the C40 are <strong>Delhi NCT, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>C40</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The C40 group was <strong>started in 2005</strong> by the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and <strong>got its name in 2006,</strong> since it had 40 members that year.</li>
<li>It has <strong>96 members at present,</strong> representing over 70 crore people, and one-quarter of the global economy.</li>
<li>It connects the world's largest cities to deliver urgent and essential climate action needed to secure a sustainable future for urban citizens worldwide.</li>
<li>The group is <strong>committed to delivering on climate targets set under the 2016 Paris Agreement,</strong> and sets the bar for cities to develop and implement local level plans that comply with those targets.</li>
<li>It has its offices in <strong>New York, USA and London, UK.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3323,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'India-Bangladesh Relationship',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-bangladesh-relations-shiekh-hasina-narendra-modi-6058161/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Be Neighbourly</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 8/10/2019, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/sheikh-hasina-modi-meeting-delhi-dhaka-6056781/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Good going</strong></a> and <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/narendra-modi-sheikh-hasina-xi-jinping-india-china-bangladesh-6059631/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>A triangular affair</strong></a> which were published in The Indian Express on 9/10/2019 and <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/best-friends-for-now/article29611768.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Best friends for now: On New Delhi Dhaka ties</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 7/10/2019. It talks about India-<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-bangladesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bangladesh relationship</strong></a>.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s</strong> four day<strong> official visit to India</strong> from<strong> October 3 to 6,</strong> highlights India&rsquo;s deepening <strong>bilateral relationship and growing interdependence</strong> with <strong>Bangladesh.</strong> She addressed the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wef-india-economic-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum.</strong></a></p>
<h3>Historical Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India</strong> enabled Bangladesh&rsquo;s liberation in <strong>December 1971</strong> when it <strong>militarily assisted the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)</strong> to acquire freedom from its oppressive western wing which unleashed a massive genocide of its own citizens of Bangla ethnicity. More than 10 million persecuted citizens of East Pakistan fled to India.</li>
<li>In the 1971 war, the <strong>US and China,</strong> which had begun their own rapprochement, <strong>supported Pakistan,</strong> and were <strong>opposed to Indian assistance to the East Pakistan.</strong></li>
<li>With tacit support from Moscow, India achieved a spectacular military victory and liberated Dhaka, handing over power to <strong>Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</strong> who symbolised political leadership.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of the Visit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Agreements on <strong>expanding connectivity and transit, easing travel across the border, strengthening trade and investment ties, boosting development cooperation, putting the fledgling defence cooperation on a firmer basis and promoting regional cooperation</strong> were taken up.</li>
<li>Commitments to <strong>upgrade port facilities, implement India&rsquo;s under-utilised Lines of Credit, a coastal surveillance system, and fulfilment of the regional trilateral energy sharing arrangement with Bhutan</strong> were made.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s foreign relations with Bangladesh are very good in general and the best, when viewed in comparison with other neighbours.</li>
<li>Sheikh Hasina articulated points critical for the future welfare of South Asia and <strong>suggested to move beyond the majority-minority mindset and other issues</strong> hindering the growth of bilateral relations.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Line of Credit:</strong> It is a &lsquo;soft loan&rsquo; provided on concessional interest rates to developing countries, which has to be repaid by the borrowing governments. The projects under LOCs are spread over different sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, telecom, railway, transmission/power, renewable energy, etc.</p>
</div>
<h3>Areas of Concern</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Failed <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-national-register-of-citizens-nrc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">river water sharing agreements</a></strong> between India and Bangladesh despite many efforts. Chief among them is the <strong>Teesta agreement</strong> which was inked in 2011 but has not moved forward because of tensions between the Central and West Bengal governments.</li>
<li>Pending upgradation of the <strong>Ganga-Padma barrage project,</strong> the <strong>draft framework of interim sharing agreements</strong> for six rivers- <strong>Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla &amp; Dudhkumar</strong> and the draft framework of interim sharing agreement of the Feni river.</li>
<li><strong>Growing concerns</strong> in Bangladesh over the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-national-register-of-citizens-nrc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Register of Citizens (NRC)</strong></a> in Assam and about its conflicting explanations by the Indian government. The problem in Assam is part of the tragic legacy of the Indian subcontinent&rsquo;s partition in 1947 and the movement of people across the new frontiers in the east since then.</li>
<li><strong>Anti-market orientation in Delhi&rsquo;s economic policy</strong> poses serious problems even if India&rsquo;s national strategy calls for regional integration. It shows the insensitivity of Indian economic policy makers towards the logic of interdependence and the headache generated in Bangladesh by Delhi&rsquo;s economic decisions. For example, beef is a staple food in Bangladesh yet India does not export it which in turn increases the illegal animal trafficking at the border areas.</li>
<li>Continuous delay in implementation of <strong>Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal Initiative (BBIN).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Hate mongering and incidents of lynching of Muslims</strong> in India affect public perceptions in Bangladesh.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal Initiative</strong></p>
<p>It is an initiative to kick-start a smaller &lsquo;Eastern&rsquo; sub-regional grouping with the potential to act as a link between South and Southeast Asia. Reasons for India's willingness are threefold:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To strengthen trade relations with the Eastern (Bangladesh) and North Eastern (Bhutan and Nepal) neighbouring countries.</li>
<li>To improve the sub-regional connectivity in order to realise regional connectivity goals with Southeast Asia.</li>
<li>To develop the North Eastern Region of India through cross-border cooperation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The tasks of <strong>river water management must be taken seriously</strong> between two countries which share <strong>54 transboundary rivers,</strong> and which is <strong>key to prosperity,</strong> and often a source of tensions and humanitarian disasters.</li>
<li>As India rises and integrates with Bangladesh which is now one of the world&rsquo;s fastest growing economies, Delhi must get its economic bureaucrats to<strong> integrate the regional dimension into their national policy</strong> thinking.</li>
<li>The leaders of both nations must <strong>try to develop a long-term joint strategy</strong> that will facilitate <strong>national identification</strong> and <strong>generate a system of work-permits</strong> for legitimate movement of labour.</li>
<li><strong>The Land and Maritime Boundary Agreements,</strong> should be approached by different means so that they can be of <strong>mutual benefit.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Chinese Perspective</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sheikh Hasina referred to the <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/05-10-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Second Informal Summit between India-China</strong></a> and highlighted how the strategic ties between India and China have evolved and how <strong>Bangladesh-India-China triangle</strong> is often obscured by the high visibility accorded to Pakistan in the uneasy relationship between the two Asian giants.</li>
<li><strong>Post Bangladesh liberation, China&rsquo;s strategic and security concerns over India&rsquo;s growing involvement</strong> in the geopolitics of the region <strong>led to its investment in Pakistan,</strong> which <strong>emboldened Rawalpindi</strong> (Pakistan army headquarter) to embark upon a <strong>proxy war against India</strong> (with terrorism as a tool) which began in 1990 and continues till now.</li>
<li>Hence, <strong>India&rsquo;s abiding regional strategic objective should be to ensure that Bangladesh does not morph into another Pakistan,</strong> either by way of being compelled into choosing Beijing over Delhi or nurturing radical Islamic ideologies domestically.</li>
<li>Currently, Bangladesh is an active partner of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/belt-and-road-initiative-perspectives-from-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)</strong></a> that Delhi has not signed up to. In the <strong>security sector, Bangladesh is also a major recipient</strong> of Chinese military inventory, including submarines.</li>
<li>India needs to recognise <strong>evolving regional strategic calculus enabled by China&rsquo;s economic-trade-fiscal policies</strong> and <strong>shape its own ties</strong> with Dhaka which also has robust ties with Beijing and if this triangular relationship is managed with integrity and little diplomacy, it can unleash the positive potential of the player countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India and Bangladesh must manage their <strong>geo-political realities through friendship and collaborations.</strong> They should <strong>appreciate and balance regional political realities</strong> for the interest of the people and <strong>should not trade off long-term interests for short-term gains.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pluralism has been the strength of the Indian subcontinent</strong> so that should be kept in mind to be able to celebrate South Asia&rsquo;s diversities in religion, ethnicity and language.</li>
<li>India and Bangladesh share a <strong>great relationship, areas of concern remain</strong> which need to be looked into holistically and ratified as soon as possible so that<strong> &ldquo;best of the best&rdquo; of ties</strong> between the two neighbours can be sustained forever.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-color: #ff0000; border-style: dotted; background-color: #fdffe6;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />Highlight the areas of concern in India-Bangladesh relationship and suggest measures to improve them.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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	(int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3296,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'WEF India Economic Summit',
		'description' => '<p>The <strong>World Economic Forum&rsquo;s 33<sup>rd</sup> India Economic Summit</strong> took place in New Delhi from 3<sup>rd</sup> - 4<sup>th</sup> October 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hosted in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the <strong>theme</strong> of the Summit was: <strong>&lsquo;Innovating for India: Strengthening South Asia, Impacting the World&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina co-chaired the Summit with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.</li>
<li>The India Economic Summit came to a close with more than 800 participants meeting from across the region and around the world.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Highlights</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Challenge of Global Inequality:</strong> There is a growing inequality in terms of wealth and income--both within countries and across countries.</li>
<li>The <strong>challenge of Gender Equality -</strong> both in the region and across the globe.</li>
<li><strong>Vision For Agriculture:</strong> More than 70 global and regional leaders committed to <strong>supporting investments in integrated food value chains</strong> throughout the country.</li>
<li>The Co-chairs called for <strong>improved regional cooperation in South Asia and Southeast Asia.</strong></li>
<li>Bilateral cooperation and innovation is crucial for <strong>&lsquo;shared prosperity&rsquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Innovation</strong> can lift-up the region to become a &lsquo;great area&rsquo; for development of cutting-edge technology.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Aspects Related to India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>India Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2019 </strong>are<strong> Shanti Raghavan &amp; Dipesh Sutariya of EnAble India.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>EnAble India changed the mindsets of 729 businesses and built frameworks for inclusion in universities and government agencies for the employment of persons with disabilities in formal and informal sectors across India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Foreign Policy Aspect:</strong> In a <strong>veiled reference to Pakistan,</strong> Union Minister for External Affairs said that the <strong>entire neighbourhood, minus one,</strong> has been a fairly good story for regional cooperation.</li>
<li><strong>Economic Aspect:</strong> India expressed cautious optimism about a <strong>potential free trade agreement between India and the United States.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Access to Health: Drones will soon deliver life-saving medical supplies</strong> and vaccines to rural communities in <strong>Telangana.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government will begin a drone delivery programme built on a World Economic Forum and Apollo Hospital Group framework.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sanitation:</strong> To support Prime Minister&rsquo;s initiative of ending open defecation, the Forum&rsquo;s Young Global Leaders community <strong>will mobilize more than $3.5 million in resources to finance the urban sanitation ecosystem</strong> in 10 Indian cities.</li>
<li><strong>Smart Cities:</strong> The Smart Cities Mission India joined the G20 Smart City Alliance, chaired by the World Economic Forum, to establish universal norms and guidelines for safe and responsible implementation of smart city technology.</li>
<li><strong>E-Mobility:</strong> People in Punjab will soon be driving down a 100km electric vehicle corridor, which is part of a sustainable pilot project with the World Economic Forum's Moving India initiative.</li>
<li><strong>Clean fuel:</strong> Clean India will fly 1 million airline passengers between Delhi and Mumbai by 2030 as the SpiceJet and others have joined the Forum&rsquo;s Clean Skies for Tomorrow Project, promoting the use of biofuels and blended fuels through public-private partnership.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Economic Forum</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was <strong>established in 1971</strong> as a <strong>not-for-profit foundation</strong> and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.</strong></li>
<li>It engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Confederation of Indian Industry</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CII is a <strong>non-government, not-for-profit,</strong> industry-led and industry-managed organization, playing a proactive role in India's development process.</li>
<li><strong>Founded in 1895,</strong> it has around 9000 members, from the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 300,000 enterprises from around 276 national and regional sectoral industry bodies.</li>
<li>It works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering industry, Government, and civil society, through advisory and consultative processes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/entire-neighbourhood-minus-one-has-been-a-good-story-jaishankar/article29600663.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3254,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Indo-Arctic Strategic Construct',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on &ldquo;Why India&rsquo;s foray into the Arctic matters&rdquo; which was published in The Hindu Business Line on 28/09/2019. It talks about Indo-Arctic, which can be a natural extension of India&rsquo;s Act East Policy.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the Indian Prime Minister at <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/eastern-economic-forum" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Eastern Economic Forum (EEF)</strong></a>, mentioned India&rsquo;s willingness to play &ldquo;a significant role in the Arctic Council.&rdquo; It provides an opening for India to pursue a grandiose Arctic plan. India has been an observer member of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/arctic-council" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Arctic Council</strong></a> since 2013.</p>
<h3>Why should India be concerned about the Arctic?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India will have to look at the Arctic &mdash; both from the prism of <strong>climate change</strong> and also as a <strong>strategic construct.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Climate Change Aspect</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The impact of climate change across the coasts of India and its economic fallout should bring up the Arctic more in the discussion.</li>
<li>Global warming is leading to the melting of permafrost, which will release an unprecedented amount of carbon dioxide in nature.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Scientific Research</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Study and research regarding warming of the arctic will help India to develop an understanding of fast-melting glaciers in the Himalayas, which is referred to as the Third Pole.</li>
<li>India in this pursuit has <strong>established Himadari base station</strong> for arctic research In Svalbard, Norway.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Arctic Paradox</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the Arctic region witnessed an unprecedented rate of ice-melt because of global warming, <strong>new routes are being opened,</strong> paving the way for untapped hydrocarbon and mineral resources to be exploited.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Politically, Indo-Arctic should be an extension of India&rsquo;s &lsquo;Act East&rsquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India's &lsquo;Look East Policy' during the previous decades was limited to South-East Asia.</li>
<li>In this decade, India expanded it to East Asia and Australia.</li>
<li>The Arctic should be a natural extension during the next decade.</li>
<li>&lsquo;Indo-Arctic&rsquo; initiative, as a strategic construct, could provide a platform for India.</li>
<li>It could open political space for India to work with like-minded countries to expand its footprint in the Arctic through its coasts by the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Geo-Strategic Aspect:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Indo-Arctic will also strategically balance the US and Russia.</li>
<li>India is working with the US in developing the Indo-Pacific region.</li>
<li>An Indo-Arctic construct would <strong>complement India&rsquo;s Indo-Pacific push,</strong> and enable <strong>India to work with Russia closely.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>How India can implement Indo-Arctic Policy?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India and Russia will have to work with partners across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in South-East Asia and East Asia.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan could be the natural partners to this endeavour.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>China's help can be taken in this regard which has enunciated its own &lsquo;Polar Silk Route&rsquo; initiative.</li>
<li>Scientifically, India will have to expand its footprints in the Polar Research.</li>
<li>Outside Polar research, India should also make policies on other areas like Polar shipping, trade and maritime routes.</li>
<li>Unlike Antarctica, the <strong>Arctic is not considered a &lsquo;global commons&rsquo; (the principle of sovereignty prevents external players from exacting significant gains in the region).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Therefore, India should steer away from advocating for an Arctic commons and instead, it must ensure that the environment is strongly considered at the centre of all debates at the Arctic Council.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The Arctic may be the northernmost part of the world, geographically far from India. However, Politically and strategically, the Arctic can no longer be perceived as too far.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #ffffeb;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />Discuss the environmental and strategic importance of the Arctic region for India.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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	(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3235,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Quad and G-4 Meet',
		'description' => '<p>The <strong>foreign ministers of the Quad countries - India, US, Australia and Japan -</strong> met on the sidelines of the UNGA meeting on 27<sup>th</sup> September 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The group is seen as a <strong>regional counterweight to China</strong> and has <strong>only met at the Joint or Assistant Secretary level since 2017.</strong> The latest meeting is seen as an upgrade by at least three levels.</li>
<li>The Ministers met to discuss cooperation on counter-terrorism, mentoring, assistance in disaster relief, airtime security, cooperation, development, finance and cybersecurity efforts etc.</li>
<li>The Quad countries were &ldquo;resolute&rdquo; in their view of the <strong>centrality of the</strong> <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)</strong></a> in South East Asia. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The notion of ASEAN centrality broadly refers to the group of countries being at the centre of security and strategic frameworks for the Asia-Pacific region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Quad</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Quadrilateral security dialogue or Quad was <strong>first mooted by the Japanese Prime Minister in 2007.</strong></li>
<li>However, the idea couldn&rsquo;t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure.</li>
<li><strong>In November 2017,</strong> India, the US, Australia and Japan gave <strong>shape to the long-pending "Quad" Coalition</strong> to develop a new strategy to keep the <strong>critical sea routes in the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-indo-pacific-strategic-importance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indo-Pacific</a> free of any influence (especially China).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Australia</strong> is worried about China's growing interest in its land, infrastructure and politics and influence on its universities.</li>
<li>In the last decade, <strong>Japan</strong> believes that China has tried to bully it on several territorial issues.</li>
<li>China has border disputes with <strong>India.</strong> China is also blocking India&rsquo;s path into the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-nsg-bid" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nuclear Suppliers Group.</strong></a></li>
<li>A weakened <strong>US</strong> sees the coalition as an opportunity to regain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India has been hesitant about the Quad,</strong> in part because it does not want to isolate China and because it has had a history of staying clear of security alliances.</li>
<li><strong>Members of the Quad, barring Australia,</strong> are currently engaged in the annual <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/exercise-malabar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Malabar exercises</strong></a> &ndash; military exercises that started between India and the U.S. in 1994 and became trilateral (with Japan) in 2015. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India has not permitted Australia to participate in these exercises,</strong> concerned about what message it would send to China, which is wary of the exercise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>G-4 Meeting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The foreign ministers of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-unsc-and-permanent-seat-for-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>G-4</strong> </a>grouping also held a meeting on the sidelines of the 74<sup>th</sup> session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).</li>
<li><strong>G-4</strong> is a group of four countries i.e. <strong>Brazil, Germany, India and Japan</strong> which support each other&rsquo;s bids for <strong>permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</strong></li>
<li>The G-4 countries have decided to prepare for a <strong>fresh push for <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-un-security-council-reforms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reforms at the UNGA</a></strong> in <strong>2020</strong> when the<strong> UN celebrates its 75<sup>th</sup> anniversary.</strong></li>
<li>It was highlighted that there is a clear need for an enhanced role of developing countries and of major contributors to the United Nations to make the UNSC more legitimate, effective and representative.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This means that <strong>India and Brazil &mdash;</strong> the two developing countries in G-4 grouping &mdash; should get a place along with <strong>China,</strong> which is the <strong>only developing country in the UNSC.</strong></li>
<li>The countries also put a focus on the <strong>role of the African continent</strong> in the Council.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>G-4 said that the <strong>reforms-related decisions should be by a two-third majority</strong> in the UN General Assembly, which was enshrined in the 1998 resolution of the UNGA. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is <strong>contrary to the position taken by China,</strong> which has always said that the decisions should be taken through <strong>&ldquo;comprehensive consensus&rdquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/g-4-for-unsc-reform-enhanced-role-of-developing-countries-6032315/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3208,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Climate Action Summit',
		'description' => '<p>At the <strong>74<sup>th</sup> session of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations (UN)</a> General Assembly,</strong> the Prime Minister of India addressed the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit as well as the Universal Health Coverage meeting, held in New York on 23<sup>rd</sup> September, 2019.</p>
<h3>Climate Action Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was hosted by the UN Secretary.</li>
<li>It had the key focus on raising ambition and accelerate action to implement the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cop24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris Agreement.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Takeaways</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Renewable Energy:</strong> India will<strong> increase</strong> renewable energy capacity to <strong>beyond 175 GW</strong> (capacity as committed under the Paris Climate Agreement)<strong> by 2022.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Water Conservation:</strong> Spend approximately $50 billion in the next few years on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jal-jeevan-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jal Jeevan Mission</strong></a> to conserve water, harvest rainwater and develop water resources.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/palau-joins-isa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Solar Alliance:</strong></a> Almost 80 countries have joined this India led initiative.</li>
<li><strong>Two International Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Leadership Group:</strong> India and Sweden together with other countries have announced a new <strong>&lsquo;Leadership Group for Industry Transition&rsquo;</strong> that will drive transformation in hard-to-decarbonize and energy-intensive sectors.</li>
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-coalition-for-disaster-resilient-infrastructure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure</a> (CDRI):</strong> An international partnership that will support countries- developed and developing- to build <strong>climate and disaster resilient infrastructure.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Coalition&rsquo;s <strong>secretariat, based in Delhi,</strong> will facilitate knowledge exchange, provide technical support and support capacity building.</li>
<li>The Government of India, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and partners have together worked on the CDRI initiative in response to the Prime Minister of India&rsquo;s call for action to reduce damage to critical infrastructure at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2016.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage</h3>
<p>The Prime Minister of India, while addressing the <strong>first-ever high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage,</strong> underscored that &lsquo;a healthy life is the right of every person&rsquo;. He also outlined the <strong>four main pillars</strong> of healthcare that India focuses on:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Preventive Healthcare:</strong> India has laid special emphasis on<strong> yoga, ayurveda and fitness</strong> which has helped in controlling lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure and depression.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fit-india-movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Fit India Movement</strong> </a>has been launched recently.</li>
<li>The Clean India Campaign has contributed towards saving millions of lives.</li>
<li><strong>Immunization:</strong> Apart from introducing new vaccines, the government has improved access to vaccination in far flung areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Affordable Healthcare:</strong> For this the government has rolled out the world&rsquo;s largest health insurance scheme : <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/ayushmanbharat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ayushman Bharat.</strong></a> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under this scheme, 500 million poor people have been given the facility of free treatment worth up to Rs. 500,000 every year. In 2018, 4.5 million people availed of this facility.</li>
<li>India has opened more than 5000 special pharmacies where more than 800 varieties of vital medicines are available at affordable prices.</li>
<li>The cost of stents for heart patients has been slashed by 80% and the cost of knee implants has been cut down by 50 - 70%.</li>
<li>Kidney patients in India are also taking advantage of the free dialysis services provided by the government</li>
<li>India has also helped in providing access to affordable healthcare by way of <strong>telemedicine to several other countries,</strong> especially African countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Supply Side Intervention:</strong> India's focus has been on establishment of modern institutions for quality medical education.</li>
<li><strong>Mission Mode Intervention:</strong> In order to improve the health of women and children, a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/challenges-in-national-nutrition-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Nutrition Campaign</strong></a> and other new programmes have been launched in mission mode.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, India has commitment to <strong>eliminate Tuberculosis by 2025,</strong> five years ahead of the global goal of 2030.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong> At the meeting, the world leaders adopted a high-level <strong>United Nations Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage (UHC),</strong> to be achieved by 2030.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Universal health coverage means that all people have access to the health care they need, when and where they need it, without facing financial hardship.</li>
<li>The declaration is said to be the most comprehensive set of health commitments ever adopted.</li>
<li>Countries, including India, made a financial and political commitment to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage by scaling up essential health services, affording financial risk protection and ensuring access to safe, quality, effective and affordable medicines and vaccines for all.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1585948" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3178,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'India and Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union',
		'description' => '<p>Recently, the 16<sup>th</sup> Session of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) between India and Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) was held in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India and BLEU reiterated the importance of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) towards the development of bilateral economic and trade relations through facilitating dialogue and enhancing cooperation on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.</li>
<li>Joint Economic Commission between India and Belgium - Luxembourg Economic Union (India-BLEU) was established in <strong>1997</strong> and is the <strong>main</strong> vehicle for discussing <strong>economic and commercial issues.</strong></li>
<li>This <strong>biennial event</strong> is organized in the <strong>capital cities of the three countries alternatively.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Belgium Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) was created by a treaty signed in <strong>1921.</strong></li>
<li>Under the terms of the treaty, the <strong>economic frontier was lifted and the Belgian franc and Luxembourg franc</strong> were set at a <strong>fixed parity</strong> establishing a <strong>monetary union,</strong> which <strong>existed until</strong> the introduction of the<strong> euro.</strong></li>
<li><strong>A new convention</strong> was signed in <strong>2002,</strong> between the <strong>two nations.</strong></li>
<li>Although most of the aims of BLEU have largely been taken up by the <strong>Benelux Union (between Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands)</strong> and the European Union, it has remained more relevant in deciding exact measures than the other organizations.</li>
<li>The Belgium&ndash;Luxembourg Economic Union is the <strong>world&rsquo;s 13<sup>th</sup> largest export economy.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>India-Belgium<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568964224_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568964224_image2.jpg" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="251" height="178" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is <strong>Belgium&rsquo;s second-largest export destination</strong> and <strong>fourth-largest trade partner outside the European Union</strong> with a significant contribution from the Indian diaspora.</li>
<li>The <strong>leading exports from Belgium to India</strong> are in the sectors of <strong>gem and jewellery (rough diamonds),</strong> chemical and chemical products and machinery and mechanical products.</li>
<li>The <strong>major exports from India to Belgium</strong> are in the sectors of gem and jewellry (finished products), base metals and articles and chemicals and chemical products.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-Luxembourg<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568964248_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568964248_image1.jpg" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="253" height="179" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Luxembourg is the <strong>16<sup>th</sup> most important investor</strong> in India and among EU member states it ranks 4<sup>th</sup> among the combined FDR and FII investors in India.</li>
<li>The sectors that attracted maximum investments from Luxembourg include trading, computer software &amp; hardware, services sector, agricultural machinery, and chemicals.</li>
<li>India and Luxembourg have had <strong>longstanding cooperation in the steel sector.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1585559" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 3159,
		'category_id' => (int) 60,
		'title' => 'Arctic Council',
		'description' => '<p>The <strong>Arctic Council</strong> is the leading <strong>intergovernmental forum</strong> promoting <strong>cooperation, coordination</strong> and <strong>interaction</strong> among the <strong>Arctic States, Arctic indigenous communities</strong> and <strong>other Arctic inhabitants</strong> on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of <strong>sustainable development and environmental protection</strong> in the Arctic.</p>
<p>The Arctic Council works as a consensus-based body to deal with issues such as the change in biodiversity, melting sea ice, plastic pollution and black carbon.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568719428_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568719428_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="469" height="524" /></a></p>
<h3>History of Arctic Council</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The formation of <strong>Arctic Council</strong> can be traced in the establishment of the <strong>Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS)</strong> in 1991 as a framework for <strong>intergovernmental cooperation on environmental protection</strong> initiatives among the Arctic States including <strong>Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the United States.</strong></li>
<li>The AEPS tried to consult and engage <strong>Arctic indigenous people</strong> in recognition of their right over their ancestral homelands.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Three <strong>Indigenous Peoples Organizations (IPOs)</strong> representing <strong>Inuit (Inuit Circumpolar Council, ICC), Saami (Saami Council, SC),</strong> and <strong>Russian indigenous peoples (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, RAIPON),</strong> respectively, were welcomed as observers in the AEPS.</li>
<li>As a consequence of a growing recognition of the special relationship of indigenous peoples to the Arctic region, the Arctic countries assigned the <strong>special status </strong>of<strong> Permanent Participants (PPs)</strong> to the three IPOs, thereby giving them a <strong>privileged status</strong> compared to the other AEPS Observers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Formation of the Arctic Council</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Arctic Council</strong> is a <strong>high-level intergovernmental body</strong> set up in 1996 by the <strong>Ottawa declaration</strong> to promote <strong>cooperation, coordination and interaction</strong> among the<strong> Arctic States</strong> together with the <strong>indigenous communities</strong> and other <strong>Arctic inhabitants.</strong></li>
<li>The Council has the <strong>eight circumpolar countries</strong> as member states and is mandated to protect the Arctic environment and promote the economies and social and cultural well-being of the indigenous people whose organizations are permanent participants in the council.</li>
<li><strong>Arctic Council Secretariat:</strong> The standing <strong>Arctic Council Secretariat</strong> formally became operational in 2013 in <strong>Troms&oslash;, Norway.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was established to provide administrative capacity, institutional memory, enhanced communication and outreach and general support to the activities of the Arctic Council.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Council has <strong>members, ad hoc observer countries</strong> and <strong>"permanent participants"</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Members of the Arctic Council:</strong> Ottawa Declaration declares <strong>Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden</strong> and <strong>the United States of America</strong> as a member of the Arctic Council.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Denmarks represents <strong>Greenland and the Faroe Islands.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Permanent participants:</strong> In 1998, the number of Permanent Participants doubled to make up the present six, as,the <strong>Aleut International Association (AIA),</strong> and then, in 2000, the <strong>Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC)</strong> and the <strong>Gwich'in Council International (GGI)</strong> were appointed <strong>Permanent Participants.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Observer status:</strong> It is open to <strong>non-Arctic states,</strong> along with <strong>inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary, global, regional</strong> and <strong>non-governmental organizations</strong> that the<strong> Council determines</strong> can contribute to its work. It is approved by the Council at the Ministerial Meetings that occur once every two years<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Arctic Council Observers primarily contribute through their engagement in the Council at the level of <strong>Working Groups.</strong></li>
<li>Observers have<strong> no voting rights</strong> in the Council.</li>
<li>As of May 2019,<strong> thirteen non-Arctic states</strong> have Observer status.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Germany, 1998</li>
<li>Netherlands, 1998</li>
<li>Poland, 1998</li>
<li>United Kingdom, 1998</li>
<li>France, 2000</li>
<li>Spain, 2006</li>
<li>China, 2013</li>
<li>India, 2013</li>
<li>Italy, 2013</li>
<li>Japan, 2013</li>
<li>South Korea, 2013</li>
<li>Singapore, 2013</li>
<li>Switzerland, 2017</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Criterion for Admitting Observers</h3>
<p>In the determination by the Council of the general suitability of an applicant for observer status the Council will, inter alia, take into account the extent to which observers:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Accept and support the <strong>objectives of the Arctic Council</strong> defined in the Ottawa declaration.</li>
<li>Recognize Arctic State&rsquo;s <strong>sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction</strong> in the Arctic.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has therefore officially recognised the territorial jurisdiction and sovereign rights of the Arctic states.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Recognize that an <strong>extensive legal framework</strong> applies to the Arctic Ocean including, notably, <strong>the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),</strong> and that this framework provides a solid foundation for responsible management of this ocean.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has also accepted the UNCLOS as the governing instrument for the Arctic implying that jurisdiction over both the continental shelf and maritime passage, and the resources of the ocean will primarily lay with the eight Arctic States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Respect the values, interests, culture and traditions</strong> of Arctic indigenous peoples and other Arctic inhabitants.</li>
<li>Have demonstrated a <strong>political willingness</strong> as well as <strong>financial ability</strong> to contribute to the work of the Permanent Participants and other Arctic indigenous peoples.</li>
<li>Have demonstrated their <strong>Arctic interests and expertise relevant</strong> to the work of the Arctic Council.</li>
<li>Have demonstrated a concrete interest and <strong>ability to support the work of the Arctic Council,</strong> including through partnerships with member states and Permanent Participants bringing Arctic concerns to global decision making bodies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mechanism of Council</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The work of the Council is primarily carried out in <strong>six Working Groups.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP):</strong> it acts as a strengthening and supporting mechanism to encourage national actions to reduce emissions and other releases of pollutants.</li>
<li><strong>Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP):</strong> it monitors the Arctic environment, ecosystems and human populations, and provides scientific advice to support governments as they tackle pollution and adverse effects of climate change.</li>
<li><strong>Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group (CAFF):</strong> it addresses the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, working to ensure the sustainability of the Arctic&rsquo;s living resources.</li>
<li><strong>Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group (EPPR):</strong> it works to protect the Arctic environment from the threat or impact of an accidental release of pollutants or radionuclides.</li>
<li><strong>Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group:</strong> it is the focal point of the Arctic Council&rsquo;s activities related to the protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG):</strong> it works to advance sustainable development in the Arctic and to improve the conditions of Arctic communities as a whole.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Working of Council</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Arctic Council assessments and recommendations are the result of analysis and efforts undertaken by the Working Groups. Decisions of the Arctic Council are taken by <strong>consensus among the eight Arctic Council States,</strong> with <strong>full consultation and involvement</strong> of the <strong>Permanent Participants.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Chairmanship of the Arctic Council</strong> rotates every<strong> two years among the Arctic States.</strong> The <strong>first country to chair the Arctic Council</strong> was Canada <strong>(1996-1998).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The next country to assume the Chairmanship will be <strong>Iceland (2019-2021).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Accomplishment of Council</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Arctic Council regularly produces comprehensive, cutting-edge environmental, ecological and social assessments through its Working Groups.</li>
<li>The Council has also provided a forum for the negotiation of <strong>three important legally binding agreements</strong> among the eight Arctic States.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The first, the <strong>Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic,</strong> was signed in <strong>Nuuk, Greenland,</strong> at the 2011 Ministerial Meeting.</li>
<li>The second, the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic, was signed in <strong>Kiruna, Sweden,</strong> at the 2013 Ministerial meeting.</li>
<li>Third, the <strong>Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation,</strong> was signed in <strong>Fairbanks, Alaska</strong> at the 2017 Ministerial meeting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and the Arctic</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India launched its first <strong>scientific expedition</strong> to the <strong>Arctic Ocean in 2007</strong> and opened a research base named<strong> "Himadri&rdquo;</strong> at the <strong>International Arctic Research Base at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway in July 2008</strong> for carrying out studies in disciplines like <strong>Glaciology, Atmospheric sciences &amp; Biological sciences.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>major objectives of the Indian Research in Arctic Region</strong> are as follows:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To study the <strong>hypothesized tele-connections</strong> between the Arctic climate and the Indian monsoon by analyzing the sediment and ice core records from the Arctic glaciers and the Arctic Ocean.</li>
<li>To <strong>characterize sea ice in the Arctic using satellite data</strong> to estimate the effect of global warming in the northern polar region.</li>
<li>To conduct research on the <strong>dynamics and mass budget of Arctic glaciers</strong> focusing on the effect of glaciers on sea-level change.</li>
<li>To carry out a <strong>comprehensive assessment of the flora and fauna</strong> of the Arctic and their response to anthropogenic activities. In addition, it is proposed to undertake a comparative study of the life forms from both the Polar Regions</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has been closely following the developments in the Arctic region in the light of the new opportunities and challenges emerging for the international community due to <strong>global warming</strong> induced melting of Arctic&rsquo;s ice cap. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s interests in the Arctic region are <strong>scientific, environmental, commercial as well as strategic.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In July 2018, Ministry of Earth Sciences</strong> renamed the<strong> &ldquo;National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research&rdquo;</strong> to the <strong>&ldquo;National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research.&rdquo;</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a <strong>nodal organisation</strong> coordinating the research activities at the stations at the poles.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has also entered into MOU with <strong>Norwegian Polar Research Institute</strong> of Norway, for cooperation in science, and also with <strong>Kings Bay</strong> (A Norwegian Government owned company) at <strong>Ny-Alesund</strong> for the logistic and infrastructure facilities for undertaking Arctic research and maintaining Indian Research base <strong>&lsquo;Himadri&rsquo;</strong> at Arctic region.</li>
<li>In 2019, India has been <strong>re-elected as an Observer</strong> to the Council.</li>
<li>India does not have an official Arctic policy and its Arctic research objectives have been centred on ecological and environmental aspects, with a focus on climate change, till now.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Commercial and Strategic Interests</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Arctic region is very rich in minerals, and oil and gas. With some parts of the Arctic melting due to global warming, the region also opens up the <strong>possibility of new shipping routes</strong> that can reduce existing distances. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Countries already have ongoing activities in the Arctic hope to have a stake in the commercial exploitation of natural resources present in the region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Arctic Council <strong>does not prohibit the commercial exploitation</strong> of resources in the Arctic. It only seeks to ensure that it is done in a <strong>sustainable manner</strong> without harming the interests of local populations and in conformity with the local environment.</li>
<li>Therefore, to stay relevant in the Arctic region, India should take advantage of the observer status it has earned in the Arctic Council and consider investing more in the Arctic.</li>
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		'article_id' => (int) 3133,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'India’s Embrace of Strategic Hedging',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=2cdd5644" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;India&rsquo;s Embrace of Strategic Hedging&rdquo;</strong></a> that appeared in The Hindustan Times on 09/09/2019. It talks about the importance of strategic hedging for India&rsquo;s foreign policy in dealing with great powers.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, Indian PM attended three summit-level meetings with France, United States and Russian President, within a<strong> time period of two weeks.</strong> Further, in the month of October 2019, China's President Xi Jinping will visit India.</p>
<p>The simultaneous engagements with Russia, the US and China point towards the significance of <strong>remarkable strategic hedging</strong> in India&rsquo;s foreign policy. Despite the differences between these countries, India strategically maintains sound relationships with great powers in global politics.</p>
<p>The present-day geopolitical and geostrategic circumstances present a multifaceted challenge to India&rsquo;s foreign policy. Therefore, India's cold war narrative of strategic neutrality is being gradually replaced by strategic hedging.</p>
<h3>Strategic Hedging</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Strategic hedging means a state spreads its risk by <strong>pursuing two opposite policies towards another state i.e. balancing and engagement.</strong></li>
<li>A state <strong>prepares for the worst</strong> by balancing: maintaining a strong military, building and strengthening alliances.</li>
<li>Also, the state <strong>prepares for the best</strong> through engagement: building trade networks, increasing diplomatic links, and creating binding multilateral frameworks</li>
<li>In short, strategic hedging would mean a calculated <strong>combination of soft and hard power.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Strategic Hedging in India&rsquo;s Foreign Policy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In international relations, there are <strong>no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests.</strong> This makes strategic hedging a must for India which can be observed from its relations with the following nations:</li>
<li><strong>India-France relations:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India and France have together launched the International solar alliance.</li>
<li>India is procuring Rafale Fighter jet from France.</li>
<li>The latest joint statement has laid a roadmap for cybersecurity and digital technology, quantum computing and artificial intelligence.</li>
<li>India and France are implementing a joint-strategic vision for cooperation in the Indian Ocean.</li>
<li>France has stood rock solid by India vis a vis Indian government revoking article 370 in the state of J&amp;K.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India- US relations:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s foreign policy will meet its <strong>most stringent test</strong> for it needs to pursue excellent ties with the US, while maintaining strong relations with China and Russia.</li>
<li>India <strong>is worried about US-Pakistan rapprochement, given US plan to exit from Afghanistan.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pakistan sought to leverage this by engaging the US against India&rsquo;s action of revoking Article 370.</li>
<li>However, in a big diplomatic victory, recently <strong>the US has held that Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has participated more frequently in issues of international concern as far as the South China Sea is concerned. Apart from it India is also a member of an <strong>informal grouping called Quad</strong> (in order to balance China).</li>
<li>However, at present<strong> trade is the biggest irritant</strong> in the India-US relations and both countries are trying to resolve issues.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India-Russia relations</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s relationship with Russia is a <strong>time-tested friendship.</strong></li>
<li>In this context India's recent participation in the Eastern Economic Forum is symbolic.</li>
<li>India has announced $1 billion credit for the development of the Russian Far East. The engagement is also marked by the launch of <strong>India&rsquo;s Act Far East policy.</strong></li>
<li>Moreover, on account of the S-400 deal, India has taken a position of principle in the national interest that it will not sacrifice its ties with Russia, despite pressure from the US.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sino-India relations:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s ties with China are one of the <strong>most- challenging at this time.</strong></li>
<li>Issues like <strong>China&rsquo;s axis with Pakistan</strong> aimed at India, its persistent thwarting of India's great power ambitions, the <strong>balance of trade</strong> (favouring China), China's deliberate policy aimed at <strong>diminishing India&rsquo;s strategic space in the neighbourhood,</strong> all pose a threat to India&rsquo;s interests.</li>
<li>However, the <strong>Wuhan summit</strong> with China has opened new possibilities for the transformation of Sino-India relations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India <strong>should end ambiguity</strong> in its foreign policy, especially one that sways between the pulls of its <strong>erstwhile non-aligned stance and the need for realpolitik</strong> in current times.</li>
<li>India should learn from China on account of strategic hedging
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has proven exemplary in current times to have clandestinely mixed elements of hard power with soft, leading to what some have labelled<strong> &lsquo;sharp power&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>However, India's economic status doesn't allow it to pursue India's version of BRI but India can act as a<strong> fast power</strong> in taking decisions impacting global politics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Strategic hedging dilutes binaries in foreign relations, particularly between friend and foe nations, and creates navigable yet cautious space to take the relationships forward. How India adapts to strategic hedging will mould its course to becoming a stable Asian pivot, going into the future.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #feffeb;"><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />Bilateral relations play a fundamental role in India&rsquo;s foreign policy in a multipolar world. Discuss.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong>Sources:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="https://theasiadialogue.com/2018/04/19/strategic-hedging-the-way-forward-for-indias-foreign-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>https://theasiadialogue.com/2018/04/19/strategic-hedging-the-way-forward-for-indias-foreign-policy/</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://thegeopolitics.com/strategic-hedging-through-foreign-policy-exploring-indias-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>https://thegeopolitics.com/strategic-hedging-through-foreign-policy-exploring-indias-options/</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/41800-india-hedging-strategy-bound-fail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/41800-india-hedging-strategy-bound-fail/</strong></a></li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3128,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Military Medicine Conference',
		'description' => '<p>India is hosting the <strong>first conference of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) of</strong> <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/important-international-institutions-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-sco" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)</strong></a> in New Delhi from 12<sup>th</sup>-13<sup>th</sup> September 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Also, this is the first military cooperation event, being hosted by India, after it joined SCO in June 2017.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568370046_drishtiias_Member_states_of_%20SCO.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568370046_drishtiias_Member_states_of_ SCO.jpg" width="718" height="523" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The conference has been organised by the Indian Armed Forces supported by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defence-space-research-agency-dsra" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS)</strong></a>.</li>
<li>The primary objectives of the conference are <strong>to share best practices in the field of military medicine,</strong> build capacities and overcome common challenges.</li>
<li>Deliberations are taking place between military medicine experts of SCO Member States on <strong>rendering of combat medical support, humanitarian assistance during disasters</strong> and <strong>measures to improve patient safety.</strong></li>
<li>The Defence Minister of India has called upon the <strong>Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS)</strong> of SCO countries to devise ways to effectively deal with new threats posed to soldiers by the ever-advancing battlefield technology.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In India, the <strong>Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) is an apex organization</strong> which coordinates the medical services of the Army, Navy and Air Force.</li>
<li>It is under the Ministry of Defence, headed by a Lieutenant General (Lt Gen)/equivalent officer of Navy or Air Force.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The conference gains importance in the background of building capabilities to <strong>deal with the menace of bioterrorism,</strong> a real threat the world is facing today.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)</strong> is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states <strong>against the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism.</strong> It is <strong>headquartered in Tashkent,&nbsp;Uzbekistan.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bio-terrorism</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A biological attack or bioterrorism is the <strong>intentional release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops.</strong></li>
<li>Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, is one of the most likely agents to be used in a biological attack.</li>
<li>In the Indian context, with the existence of hostile neighbours like Pakistan, the threat of biological warfare cannot be ruled out entirely.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Preparedness</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Several nodal ministries have been earmarked for dealing with epidemics caused by bioterrorism.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Early Detection: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare</strong> is tasked with providing directions and technical support for capacity building, surveillance and <strong>early detection of an outbreak.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Assessment of Threat: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)</strong> is responsible for the assessment of the threat, intelligence inputs and implementation of preventive mechanisms.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-7th-september-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)</strong></a> is a specialised force constituted under MHA to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) attacks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biowarfare: The Ministry of Defence (MoD)</strong> is responsible for managing the matters and <strong>consequences of biowarfare.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence R&amp;D Organization (DRDO)</strong></a> is actively pitched into developing <strong>protective systems and equipment</strong> for troops to contend against nuclear, biological and chemical warfare.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has ratified the <strong>Biological Weapons Convention (BWC),</strong> which effectively prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons and is a key element in the international community&rsquo;s efforts to address the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.</li>
<li>India is one of the participants in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/npt-must-for-india-s-entry-into-nsg-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the Australia Group</strong></a>, an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting or transshipping countries to minimise the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapon (CBW) proliferation.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1584842" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3074,
		'category_id' => (int) 15,
		'title' => 'The Big Picture - Indo-Pacific : Strategic Importance',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rfmNyiXuJPs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The External Affairs Minister, who is on a two day visit to Russia, has said that Indo Pacific is one of the new concepts and approaches thrown up by the changing world. With various countries and international forums using the term Indo Pacific in their official statements, it is gaining currency in recent times.</p>
<p>India, France and Australia have held <strong>track 1.5 dialogue</strong> to identify security challenges and sustainability issues in the Indo Pacific region. Safeguarding freedom of navigation and keeping Indo Pacific stable was a crucial item on the agenda during Prime minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron' s recently concluded annual summit in Paris.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>track 1.5 dialogue</strong> refers to top-level political decision-makers, yet in <strong>informal,</strong> non-official settings.</li>
<li>These track 1.5 mediation/dialogue processes often serve to sort out and prepare for track 1 talks.</li>
<li>The first level (track 1) includes negotiation between the leadership of two countries (e.g. political and/or military).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>The Term &lsquo;Indo-Pacific&rsquo;</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a recent concept. It was about a decade ago that the world started talking about the Indo-Pacific but its rise has been quite significant.</li>
<li>One of the reasons behind the popularity of this term is an understanding that the <strong>Indian Ocean and the Pacific are a linked strategic theater.</strong></li>
<li>Also, the centre of gravity has shifted to Asia. The reason being maritime routes, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific provide the sea lanes. <strong>Majority of the world&rsquo;s trade passes through these oceans.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There was a time before the cold war when the centre of gravity of the universe was across the Atlantic i.e. trade was actually transiting from the Atlantic but now it has shifted.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>earlier term used to be Asia-Pacific,</strong> from which India was excluded.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This term was prevalent during the cold war time.</li>
<li>The shift to the term &lsquo;Indo-Pacific&rsquo; shows the<strong> salience of India in the new construct.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Terrorism and the fear of assertion by a particular country in the region are major threats to the Indo-Pacific region.</li>
<li>The Indo-Pacific region includes world&rsquo;s four big economies: USA, China, Japan and India.</li>
<li>The term &lsquo;Indo-Pacific&rsquo; is interpreted differently by different stakeholders.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India</strong> considers the region as an <strong>inclusive, open, integrated and balanced space.</strong> India continuously emphasises on strategic inter-connections, common challenges and opportunities between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.</li>
<li><strong>The U.S. considers it to be a</strong> free and open Indo-Pacific, highlighting the importance of <strong>rules or norms of conduct in the region,</strong> thus trying to contain the role of China in the region.</li>
<li><strong>The ASEAN countries look at</strong> Indo-Pacific <strong>as a consociational model,</strong> thus bringing in China not only for the sake of giving it some stakeholdership but looking for ways to cooperate with it in the region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Consociationalism is a stable democratic system in deeply divided societies that is based on power sharing between elites from different social groups.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Perspective of Indo-Pacific</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A lot of India&rsquo;s special partners, the US, Australia, Japan and Indonesia actually look at Indo-Pacific as Asia Pacific plus India. They try to embed India into the strategic dynamic of Asia Pacific.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They <strong>want India&rsquo;s presence in the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/new-indo-pacific-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South China Sea</a>,</strong> East China Sea, basically <strong>to counter China.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India however, seeks to cooperate for an architecture for peace and security in the region. The common prosperity and security require the countries to evolve, through dialogue, a<strong> common rules-based order</strong> for the region.</li>
<li>For India, Indo-Pacific stands for a <strong>free, open, inclusive region.</strong> It includes all nations in the geography and also others who have a stake in it. In its geographical dimension, India considers the area from the shores of Africa to the shores of America.</li>
<li>India supports rule-based, open, balanced and <strong>stable trade environment</strong> in the Indo-Pacific Region, which lifts up all nations on the tide of trade and investment. This is the same as what the country expects from the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deadlock-in-rcep-trade-negotiations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).</a></strong></li>
<li>Unlike China, <strong>India seeks a unified ASEAN,</strong> not a divided one. China tries to play off some ASEAN members against others, thereby in a way executing &lsquo;divide and rule&rsquo; conquest strategy.</li>
<li>India does not comply with <strong>the US version of Indo-Pacific, that seeks to contain Chinese dominance.</strong> India is rather looking for the ways through which it can work together with China.</li>
<li>India is looking for <strong>democratising the region.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earlier, the region used to be almost like an American lake. However, there exists a fear that the region will become Chinese lake now. Scarborough Shoal dispute is an example here.</li>
<li>India <strong>doesn't want hegemony of any player in the region.</strong> India is working in trilaterals such as India-Australia-France, India-Australia-Indonesia to ensure that China does not dominate in the region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>China: A Threat or a Challenge</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China has been a threat to the Asia Pacific countries and is posing threat to Indian interests in the Indian Ocean as well.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China has a hold over Hambantota port (Sri Lanka), which is just a few hundred miles off the shores of India.</li>
<li>China is supplying military equipment to India&rsquo;s neighbours such as submarines to Myanmar, frigate to Sri Lanka, equipment to Bangladesh and Thailand, thus, in a way, colonising the region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>ASEAN:</strong> Some of the member countries of ASEAN have been under the Chinese influence and thus pose a threat to erode <strong>ASEAN&rsquo;s solidarity</strong> with respect to the concept of Indo-Pacific.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, China is ASEAN&rsquo;s largest trading partner and can hardly be sidelined by the entire grouping which further threatens India&rsquo;s relations with the grouping.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Southeast Asia is at the centre of Indo-Pacific and <a href="/burning-issues-of-the-month/association-of-southeast-asian-nations-asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASEAN</a> is important for India, especially for the country&rsquo;s Act East Policy.</strong> Also, ASEAN countries know that to balance China in the region, India&rsquo;s presence is necessary.</li>
<li>Despite several differences, the interests of India-China on some issues such as globalisation, climate change etc. match.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, India and China are members of several international groupings such as <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/brics-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>BRICS</strong></a>, SCO etc.</li>
<li>China therefore is viewed as more of a challenge to India&rsquo;s stand in the Indo-Pacific than a threat to its significance in the region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The countries in the region should have <strong>equal access as a right under international law to the use of common spaces on sea and in the air</strong> that would require freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law.</li>
<li><strong>It is important to establish connectivity in the region based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,</strong> consultation, good governance, transparency, viability and sustainability.</li>
<li><strong>Maritime Domain Awareness</strong> (MDA) is necessary for Indo-Pacific security.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>MDA implies effective understanding of any activity associated with the maritime environment that could impact upon the security, safety, economy or environment</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Multipolarity:</strong> Security &amp; peace and law abiding nature of the countries around the region is crucial. This will also allow multipolarity in the region.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The smaller states in the region expect India to step up to the plate and help them widen their options, both economically as well as militarily. India should try to fulfill their aspirations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Strong naval capabilities, multilateral diplomacy, economic integration</strong> with nations is necessary for India to meet the challenges within the Indo-Pacific region.</li>
<li>India needs to stick to its vision of the India Ocean i.e. <strong>SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region.</strong></li>
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	(int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3039,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria',
		'description' => '<p>India has recently announced a contribution of <strong>$22 million</strong> to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria <strong>(GFTAM)</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has stepped an inch closer by enhancing the Global Fund efforts to strengthen health systems and save 16 million more lives across the globe.</li>
<li>The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria was created to raise, manage and invest the world&rsquo;s money in eliminating <strong>three of the deadliest infectious diseases</strong> the world has ever known.</li>
<li>India shares a sustained partnership with the Global Fund since its formation, both as a recipient and as a donor.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Funds</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Global Fund (with a total investment of <strong>$2 billion</strong>) was created in 2002 to pool the world&rsquo;s resources &amp; invest them strategically in programs to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/daily-updates-news-editorials-end-tb-in-india-to-boost-its-health-diplomacy-profile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>end Tuberculosis (TB)</strong></a>, Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and Malaria as epidemics.</li>
<li>It is a partnership of governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector and people affected by the diseases.</li>
<li>India has set a precedent for other donors to contribute generously to the cause.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Tuberculosis (TB)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by <strong>bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)</strong> that most often affect the lungs. Tuberculosis is curable and preventable.</li>
<li>TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.</li>
<li>About <strong>one-third</strong> of the world's population has <strong>latent TB</strong>, which means people have been infected by TB bacteria but are not (yet) ill with the disease and cannot transmit the disease.</li>
<li><strong>World TB Day is observed on 24 March</strong> to earmark the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium due to which TB is caused, by German microbiologist Dr. Robert Koch in 1882.</li>
<li>The<strong> Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)</strong> launched by the Government of India in 1985 includes vaccination for 12 diseases including TB.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus, Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, and the combination of drugs used to treat it is called Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).</li>
<li>HIV attacks <strong>CD4, a type of White Blood Cell (T cells)</strong> in the body&rsquo;s immune system. T cells are those cells that move around the body detecting anomalies and infections in cells.</li>
<li>With neither a vaccine nor a cure in sight, Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) is the only option available for people living with HIV-AIDS.</li>
<li><strong>World AIDS Day</strong> is observed on <strong>1<sup>st</sup> December</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>&ldquo;Mission Sampark&rdquo;</strong> was <strong>launched in 2017</strong> to bring back People Living with HIV who have left treatment after starting Anti Retro Viral Treatment (ART).</li>
<li><strong>'Project Sunrise'</strong> was launched in <strong>2016 to tackle the rising HIV prevalence</strong> in <strong>north-eastern states</strong>, especially among people injecting drugs.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Malaria</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Malaria is caused by <strong>Plasmodium parasites</strong>.</li>
<li>The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected <strong>female Anopheles mosquitoes</strong>, called "malaria vectors",</li>
<li><strong>World Malaria Day</strong> is observed on <strong>25<sup>th</sup> April</strong>.</li>
<li>It can be noted that only for <strong>four diseases viz. HIV-AIDS, TB, Malaria, and Hepatitis (28 July),</strong> the World Health Organization (WHO) officially endorses disease-specific global awareness days.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1583960" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 19 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 2981,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure',
		'description' => '<p>The Union Cabinet has given retrospective approval for the establishment of an International <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/coalition-for-disaster-resilient-infrastructure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)</strong></a> in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CDRI is <strong>proposed to be launched at the UN Climate Action Summit</strong> in New York, USA on 23<sup>rd</sup> September 2019. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Being organized by the UN Secretary-General, the summit will bring together the largest number of Heads of States to generate commitments for combating the effects of climate change and resulting disasters and will provide the high-level visibility required for the CDRI.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>charter</strong> for the coalition <strong>will be finalized after taking inputs from potential member countries by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/national-disaster-management-authority-ndma-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)</a></strong> in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs.</li>
<li>Focus on disaster resilient infrastructure would simultaneously address the loss reduction targets under the <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/sendai-framework-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sendai Framework</strong></a>, address a number of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-indias-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong></a> and also contribute to climate change adaptation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Expected Role</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To serve as a platform where knowledge is generated and exchanged on different aspects of disaster and climate resilience of infrastructure.</li>
<li>It will create a <strong>mechanism to assist countries to upgrade their capacities and practices,</strong> with regard to infrastructure development in accordance with their risk context and economic needs.</li>
<li>It would address concerns that are common to developing and developed countries, small and large economies, countries at early and advanced stages of infrastructure development, and countries that have moderate or high disaster risk.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1583302" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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