General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - April 2016

Apr 2016

Apr 25, 2024

India's Gita Sabharwal Appointed as UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, appointed Gita Sabharwal of India as the new UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia. Sabharwal brings with her nearly three decades of experience in development, supporting climate transition, sustainable peace, governance, and social policy, while leveraging digital technology and data to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With the host government's approval, Sabharwal's appointment as the UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia came after her previous roles as the UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand and as the Peacebuilding and Development Adviser for the United Nations in Sri Lanka. Before joining the UN, she served as The Asia Foundation's Deputy Country Representative for the Maldives and Sri Lanka and held positions as the Poverty and Policy Adviser for the United Kingdom's Department for International Development in India and Vietnam.
The UN Resident Coordinator is the highest-ranking representative of the UN Development System at the country level. Resident Coordinators lead UN country teams and coordinate UN support to countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Apr 24, 2024

India Calls for Regional Observation Centre at 2024 Ocean Decade Conference

India, led by Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran, advocated for the establishment of a region-specific ocean observation center during the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference held in Barcelona, Spain.
The conference, organised by the Spanish government and UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, aimed to assess progress toward the goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and foster collaboration among stakeholders.

Apr 23, 2024

Sweden Becomes 38th Signatory to the Artemis Accords

NASA welcomed Sweden as the 38th country to sign the Artemis Accords. The accords are a series of non-binding arrangements aimed at setting down norms to be followed in outer space.
The Artemis Accords were initially announced by NASA and the US Department of State in 2020 and it now has 38 signatories, including India and Japan. It provides for the implementation of key obligations from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and reinforces commitment to the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement and also best practices of responsible behaviour, including the public release of scientific data.
The Artemis Accords come at a time when a new space race is heating up but this time, with different members. While the United States continues to maintain its leading edge in space exploration, China is catching up quickly. While Russia has inherited the position of the Soviet Union, it is failing to replicate the success of its predecessor and this was made clear during the failure of the Luna-25 mission and with many issues on Russian sections of the International Space Station.

India Fourth in Military Spending Globally: SIPRI

India was the fourth largest military spender globally in 2023, according the latest report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading conflict think-tank. At $83.6 billion, the country's military expenditure was 4.2 per cent higher than in 2022.
As per the report, the 10 largest spenders in 2023, led by the United States, China and Russia, all increased their military spending.
The largest percentage increase in military spending by any country in 2023 was seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Apr 22, 2024

G7 Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting in Capri

Group of Seven foreign ministers met on the Italian resort island of Capri, with the agenda topped by calls for targeted new sanctions against Iran over its attack against Israel and more aid to Ukraine to fight Russia's war.
Under Italy's stewardship of the rotating presidency, the G7 leaders issued a united call for Israel to exercise restraint after Iran's unprecedented weekend attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles fired toward the Jewish state.

Maldives parliamentary Polls: 'Supermajority' Win for Pro-China Leader's Party

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu's party secured a "supermajority" in Parliament by winning over 60 seats in a crucial parliamentary election, seen as a litmus test for the pro-Beijing politician whose policies are being closely watched by both India and China amidst regional power dynamics.
A total of 368 candidates were in the fray, including 130 independent candidates, 10 candidates from Jumhoory Party (JP), 39 from The Democrats, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) 4, Adhaalath Party (AP) 4, and Maldives National Party (MNP) 2 nominees.

Apr 21, 2024

Indian Envoy to Austria Joins International Atomic Energy Agency

The Indian ambassador to Austria, Shambhu Kumaran, joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, welcomed him and stressed that India is a key partner in all their initiatives.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organisation that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 as an autonomous organisation within the United Nations system; though governed by its own founding treaty, the organisation reports to both the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations, and is headquartered at the UN Office at Vienna, Austria.
Rafael Grossi is the current (as in April 2024) Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The IAEA has 178 member states (as in April 2024).

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