SSC CGL 2026 | INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS | GK HOTSHOT

Summary

The lecture is an exam-focused review of international organisations and India-related groupings. It emphasizes facts the instructor says are likely to recur in SSC exams, including founding dates, headquarters, membership, agreements, and the purpose of selected initiatives. The instructor skips some broad topics—especially the United Nations—because, in his view, they have produced fewer relevant questions.

A PDF of the lecture is available through the Parmar Academy app and the PARMAR SSC Telegram channel.

GATT, WTO, and Agricultural Subsidies

• GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) was established in 1947 and came into effect in January 1948.
• The World Trade Organization (WTO) was created in 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed in Marrakesh, Morocco. Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The lecture explains three WTO subsidy “boxes”:
  • Green Box: Subsidies considered to cause little or no distortion to trade.
  • Blue Box: Subsidies linked to limits on production.
  • Amber Box: Subsidies that can distort trade. Minimum support prices (MSP) are used as an example of support that may affect production decisions.
• MSP is announced for crops, with recommendations made by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Sugarcane has a Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) rather than MSP.

Development Banks

• Asian Development Bank (ADB): Established in 1966; headquartered in Manila, Philippines. India is a founding member.
• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): Established in 2015, began operations in 2016, and is headquartered in Beijing, China.
• New Development Bank (NDB): Created by the BRICS countries through the 2014 Fortaleza Agreement; headquartered in Shanghai, China. BRICS itself does not have a permanent headquarters.
• The Fortaleza arrangements also established the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

South Asian and Indian Ocean Regional Organisations

SAARC

• SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was established in 1985, and its founding meeting took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Its eight members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. Afghanistan joined in 2007.

BIMSTEC

• BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was established in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
• Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Its seven members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• The lecture highlights that Pakistan is in SAARC, but not BIMSTEC.
• India leads the BIMSTEC pillar covering security-related areas, including counterterrorism and disaster management.

IORA

• IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Ebene, Mauritius.
• India is a founding member. The lecture notes that France participates through Réunion.
• IORA links countries around the Indian Ocean and is associated with India’s SAGAR vision: “Security and Growth for All in the Region.”

BRICS and Other International Groupings

BRICS

• BRICS began as BRIC—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—with South Africa joining in 2011.
• The term “BRIC” was coined by Jim O’Neill in 2001. The first BRIC summit was held in 2009.
• The lecture describes BRICS as having 11 member countries. It names Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Indonesia as later additions, and says Indonesia joined in 2025.
• BRICS has no permanent headquarters or secretariat. The NDB is a separate institution associated with BRICS.
• A partner-country category was introduced at the 2024 Kazan summit. The lecture distinguishes partner countries from members by noting that partners do not have voting rights.

I2U2

• I2U2 brings together India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States.
• The lecture says it began after the Abraham Accords, with its first formal virtual meeting in 2022. It has no headquarters.

Quad

• The Quad comprises Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.
• Its first official meeting took place in 2007 alongside the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila.
• The lecture notes the 2021 leaders’ summit hosted by the United States and the 2024 leaders’ summit in Wilmington, Delaware.
• The Quad is described as an informal diplomatic partnership focused on the Indo-Pacific, not a formal organisation with a headquarters.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• The Shanghai Five began in 1996; the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was formed in 2001.
• India and Pakistan joined in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024, bringing the total described in the lecture to 10 members.
• The SCO Secretariat is in Beijing. The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• The lecture identifies the 2025 SCO summit as taking place in Tianjin, China.

G20

• The G20 began in 1999 as a forum for finance ministers and central-bank governors. After the 2008 financial crisis, it became a leaders’ summit-level forum.
• The lecture describes it as comprising 19 countries, the European Union, and the African Union.
• It has no permanent secretariat or legally binding charter.
• Its troika links the previous, current, and incoming presidencies to support continuity.
• India’s 2023 presidency theme was “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (“One Earth, One Family, One Future”).
• The Global Biofuel Alliance was launched on the sidelines of the New Delhi summit.

Other Organisations and Security Groupings

• Interpol: Established in 1923. The transcript’s headquarters reference is garbled, but Interpol is headquartered in Lyon, France. The instructor briefly connects it to India’s Bharatpol portal.
• FATF: Headquartered in Paris, France.
• Wassenaar Arrangement: Established in 1996; headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
• Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG): Formed in 1975. The lecture says it has no permanent headquarters.
• International Criminal Court (ICC): Established through the 1998 Rome Statute; headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.
• NATO: Founded in 1949 under the North Atlantic Treaty, also called the Washington Treaty. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium. The lecture notes that it has 32 members, including Finland and Sweden as recent additions.
• ASEAN: Established in 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration; headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia. The lecture says Timor-Leste joined in 2025 and stresses that India is not an ASEAN member.

India-Led Initiatives

• International Solar Alliance (ISA): Launched by India and France in 2015 at COP21; headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana. Its “Towards 1000” strategy aims to mobilise solar investment, expand energy access, and increase solar capacity.
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI): Launched by India in 2019; headquartered in New Delhi.
• Global Biofuel Alliance: Launched during India’s 2023 G20 presidency.
• International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA): Launched in 2023 to support the conservation of seven big-cat species; headquartered in New Delhi. The lecture notes that India’s Project Tiger began in 1973 and that the alliance was formally approved in 2024.
• One Sun, One World, One Grid: An India-led initiative announced in 2018 to connect energy systems and support the wider use of renewable energy.
• LiFE (“Lifestyle for Environment”): An India-led movement promoting sustainable choices and responsible consumption. The lecture connects it to the “P3”—Pro-Planet People—concept and notes its launch at Kevadia, Gujarat.

Connectivity Projects: INSTC, Chabahar, and IMEC

International North–South Transport Corridor

• The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multimodal transport initiative involving India, Iran, and Russia, agreed in 2000.
• The lecture describes it as roughly 7,200 km long, using sea, rail, and road links to connect India with Iran, Central Asia, Russia, and Europe.
• It identifies eastern, western, and central routes and links the corridor’s purpose to India’s access to Central Asia and Europe.

Chabahar Port

• Chabahar Port, in southeastern Iran, offers India a route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that bypasses Pakistan.
• India signed a 10-year operating agreement in May 2024 for the Shahid Beheshti terminal.
• The lecture identifies India Ports Global Limited as the operator.

India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor

• The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was announced through a memorandum of understanding at the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi.
• It is intended to link India with Europe via the Arabian Gulf through transport, energy, and digital infrastructure.
• The lecture describes eastern and northern corridors and emphasizes Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s roles in the Middle East portion.
• IMEC is presented as a way to improve trade connectivity and supply-chain efficiency.

Climate Commitments and Practice Questions

The lecture connects India’s climate initiatives to COP26 and the Panchamrit commitments, including targets for non-fossil energy, renewable-energy use, emissions reductions, and net-zero emissions.

It also briefly explains carbon trading: a carbon credit represents a defined quantity of emissions, allowing entities with lower emissions to sell credits to those exceeding their limits.

The closing quiz mainly tests:

• IMEC’s purpose, route, and participating countries.
• Chabahar’s strategic value and its operating company.
• The number of years in India’s Chabahar agreement.
• Quad membership and the timing of its first meeting.
• Connections among Chabahar, the INSTC, and access to Central Asia.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: One instructor, referred to in the video context as Parmar Sir.
• Source/channel: PARMAR SSC lecture. No guest speakers or interviewees appear in the subtitles.
• Materials and references mentioned: A lecture PDF via the Parmar Academy app and PARMAR SSC Telegram channel; the WTO Marrakesh Agreement; the Bangkok Declaration; the Fortaleza Agreement; and various organisations, summits, and Indian government initiatives discussed in the lesson.