Summits and Conferences in Current Affairs MCQs

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India will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP 26) in Kochi, Kerala, from May 20 to 30. Organized by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), these meetings aim to foster global discussions on Antarctica’s environmental conservation and scientific collaboration. India, a Consultative Party since 1983, operates two research stations and enacted the Antarctic Act in 2022.

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India and Australia held their inaugural Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) in Canberra, Australia. Indian Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal led the delegation, meeting with Deputy Secretary George Mina from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Discussions encompassed implementing the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA), addressing issues from market access to pharmaceutical pricing. Both nations explored mutual interests like coastal tourism and prawn disease prevention, establishing an institutional mechanism for data exchange.

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Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra, and Sahṛdayāloka-Locana from India are included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register for 2024. Recognizing achievements in genealogy, literature, and science, the committee’s decision was made at the 10th General Meeting of MOWCAP in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The meeting, hosted by the Mongolian government and UNESCO, had 38 member state representatives and 40 observers.

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The third meeting of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) on BIMSTEC’s future was held on May 12-13, 2024, in Dhaka, chaired by Dr. Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum of Thailand. EPG, comprising members from all seven BIMSTEC countries, prepares the agenda for summits and aims to reform and revitalize BIMSTEC. The next meeting is on June 23-25, 2024, with recommendations due before the 2024 BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand.

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The Union Ministry of Law and Justice, with the Assam Government, organized a conference titled ‘India’s Progressive Path in the Administration of Criminal Justice System’ in Guwahati on May 18-19, 2024, to discuss recent changes in India’s criminal justice system. The event highlighted three new laws: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, replacing outdated British-era laws. These laws will be implemented on July 1, 2024.

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The inaugural Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, held in Paris on May 14, 2024, drew over 1,000 delegates from nearly 60 countries. The summit highlighted the critical health and environmental impacts of traditional cooking methods used by over a billion Africans. Despite progress in China, India, and Latin America, clean cooking remains elusive in Africa, where over 70% of people in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana rely on biomass.

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India hosted the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) in Kochi, organized by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research and the Ministry of Earth Sciences. ATCM is an annual meeting of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty’s signatories. India introduced a new working group to regulate tourism and protect Antarctica’s ecosystem. Representatives from 56 member countries attended, marking India’s first time hosting since 2007.

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The SIDS4 conference, held from May 27-30, 2024, gathered over 3,000 delegates to develop the “Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS” (ABAS), aiming for resilient prosperity in Small Island Developing States. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) announced funding through its Infrastructure for Resilient Island States Programme (IRIS) at the United Nations 4th International Conference on SIDS in Antigua and Barbuda.

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The Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly convenes in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 27 to June 1, 2024, under the theme “All for Health, Health for All.” Live webcasts of the proceedings will be accessible, featuring simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

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Over 400 delegates convened in Livingstone, Zambia, for the first Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Trans-Frontier Conservation Area summit. The summit aims to assess progress since KAZA-TFCA’s inception, review the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding, and reinforce the 2011 KAZA Treaty. The theme focuses on using KAZA’s natural and cultural resources for socio-economic development. KAZA-TFCA spans 520,000 square kilometers across five southern African countries.