International Institutions
UPSC notes on international institutions — the UN and its organs, Security Council reform, IMF, World Bank, WTO, UN agencies and headquarters, AIIB, NDB, FATF — and India's role in each.
SyllabusGS II · Important international institutions, agencies and fora — their structure and mandate
The last line of the GS II International Relations syllabus asks about “important international institutions, agencies and fora — their structure, mandate”. It is the most factual part of IR and the most dependable source of Prelims questions: headquarters, founding years, voting rules, membership and reports.
What UPSC asks
- Prelims: UN organs and their composition; which agency is headquartered where; the World Bank Group’s five institutions (and the one India has not joined); WTO agreements and bodies; which body publishes which report.
- Mains: reform of the UN Security Council and of the Bretton Woods institutions; the WTO’s dispute-settlement crisis; India’s role in peacekeeping; whether new institutions (AIIB, NDB) complement or challenge the old ones.
Key sub-topics
| Sub-topic | Focus |
|---|---|
| United Nations | Charter, six principal organs, Security Council, reform |
| Bretton Woods twins | IMF and World Bank Group — quotas, voting, India’s membership |
| WTO | Structure, dispute settlement, India’s positions |
| UN agencies | Mandates and headquarters |
| Newer and other bodies | AIIB, NDB, ADB, FATF, Interpol, ICC, ISA, CDRI |
Main topic: The UN System and Global Economic Institutions. Groupings such as the G20, BRICS and SCO are covered in Regional and Global Groupings; environmental treaties in International Environmental Conventions.