UPSC Prelims 2015
International Relations Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

The Fortaleza Declaration was adopted at the 6th BRICS Summit held in Fortaleza, Brazil in July 2014.

Key outcomes included the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), making it a landmark declaration for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) cooperation in financial and economic matters.

Detailed Explanation:

Amnesty International is a global human rights movement and non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1961 with over 7 million members worldwide.

It campaigns for the protection of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, focusing on issues like freedom of expression, abolition of death penalty, refugee rights, and prevention of torture—it is not a UN agency nor specifically focused on poverty alleviation or medical emergencies.

Detailed Explanation:

✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Cambodia is a founding member of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) launched in 2000.

✅ Statement 4 – Correct: Myanmar is one of the five ASEAN countries participating in MGC alongside India.

✅ Statement 5 – Correct: Thailand is a member country of MGC representing the Mekong basin region.

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: Bangladesh is NOT a member of MGC; the initiative includes only India and five ASEAN nations (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam).

❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: China is NOT a participant in MGC, despite the Mekong River originating in the Tibetan Plateau.

Detailed Explanation:

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: China is recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) under the NPT, having tested nuclear weapons before January 1, 1967.

✅ Statement 2 – Correct: France is recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) under the NPT.

❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: India has never signed the NPT and is not recognized as an NWS under the treaty, despite possessing nuclear weapons.

❌ Statement 4 – Incorrect: Israel has never signed the NPT and is not recognized as an NWS under the treaty.

❌ Statement 5 – Incorrect: Pakistan has never signed the NPT and is not recognized as an NWS under the treaty.

Only five states are recognized as NWS under the NPT: USA, Russia, UK, France, and China (the P5 members of the UN Security Council).

Detailed Explanation:

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: IOR-ARC (Indian Ocean Rim Association) was established in March 1997 in Mauritius, not recently, to promote economic and technical cooperation among Indian Ocean rim countries, not in response to piracy or oil spills.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: IOR-ARC is a multi-sectoral regional cooperation platform covering trade, investment, tourism, fisheries, and cultural cooperation, not limited to maritime security only.

Detailed Explanation:

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: India is not a member of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation); it has sought membership but faces opposition from some existing members.
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: India is not a member of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), though it is a Sectoral Dialogue Partner (1992) and Full Dialogue Partner (1995).
✅ Statement 3 – Correct: India is a founding member of the East Asia Summit (EAS) since its inception in 2005, a key platform for regional strategic dialogue.

Detailed Explanation:

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a comprehensive agenda for women's empowerment adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China in 1995.

It was convened by the United Nations and identified 12 critical areas of concern including women and poverty, violence against women, women in power and decision-making, and education and training of women.