Summits and Conferences in Current Affairs MCQs

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The Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) was held in Awaza, Turkmenistan from 5–8 August under the theme “Driving Progress through Partnerships.” It addressed challenges faced by 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) with over 600 million people. LLDCs represented 7% of the world’s population but only about 1% of the global economy and trade. The conference aimed to unlock development potential through cooperation, trade facilitation, and infrastructure investment. The Awaza Programme of Action (APoA) 2024–2034 was adopted to tackle trade, infrastructure, climate resilience, and financing barriers.

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Special Chief Secretary, Department of Tourism, Ajay Jain announced that the 41st Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Convention will be hosted by Andhra Pradesh in Visakhapatnam in 2026. The announcement was made during the 40th IATO annual convention held in Puri, Odisha from August 22 to 24, 2025. The three-day event followed the theme ‘Rejuvenate Inbound@2030’. Andhra Pradesh government has granted industry status to the tourism sector. Focus is on world-class infrastructure, including new airports, to boost tourism. All participants were invited to attend the 41st IATO Convention in Visakhapatnam in 2026.

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The 20th Global Sustainability Summit (GSS) was held from September 02-03, 2025 in New Delhi. The event was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII-ITC-CESD). The theme was “Reimagining Sustainability: Resilient. Regenerative. Responsible.” The summit included delegates from over 10 countries and industry leaders. India highlighted balancing economic growth with ecological stewardship and promoting sustainability as a lifestyle choice. India leads in renewable energy deployment, climate action, circular economy, and forest cover expansion.

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North East Region Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation 2025 & 3rd North East Aviation Summit held in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. The event was organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Government of India, with participation from North Eastern States and industry stakeholders. Operational airports in the region increased from 9 in 2014 to 16 in 2025; domestic passenger traffic more than tripled. UDAN scheme and skilling initiatives highlighted for employment generation and boosting regional aviation ecosystem.

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Union Minister of State for Ayush inaugurated the National Ayush Mission (NAM) and Capacity Building Summit at All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi. The event was organised by the Ministry of Ayush. It focused on six key areas: Financial Management, Ayush-Modern Healthcare Integration, Human Resource Strengthening, Infrastructure & Service Delivery, Quality Assurance of ASU&H Medicines, and Digital Services. Ayurveda Day will now be celebrated on 23 September every year, with the 10th anniversary theme “Ayurveda for People and Planet.”

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Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the 1st Annual Green Hydrogen Research and Development (R&D) Conference in New Delhi. The conference was organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on 11–12 September 2025. It featured expert sessions, interactive roundtables, and a Start-up Expo showcasing India’s green energy revolution. 25 start-ups presented innovations in electrolyser manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven optimisation, and biological hydrogen solutions. A ₹100 crore Call for Proposals was launched to support hydrogen innovation.

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United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) and Tea Board India will host the 8th India International Tea Conference in Kochi, Kerala, from September 18 to 20, 2025. The theme is “Innovating the Tea Ecosystem for Tomorrow,” focusing on automation, digitisation, advanced technologies, and sustainable practices. More than 450 delegates and key decision-makers from more than 10 tea-producing and consuming countries will participate. The event will feature panel discussions, technical sessions, an industrial exhibition, and business-to-business networking.

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Recently, the Lok Sabha Speaker inaugurated a two-day National Conference on the Parliamentary and Legislative Committee on Empowerment of Women in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. The conference highlighted the creation of several opportunities supporting women’s development. A law ensuring 33% reservation for women in legislatures was underlined as a key step toward empowerment. The conference concluded by adopting the ‘Tirupati Resolution’. The Tirupati Resolution outlined a roadmap for advancing women’s education, health, safety, dignity, and self-reliance toward Viksit Bharat by 2047.

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Recently, the 16th Combined Commanders’ Conference was inaugurated in Kolkata. The event, held once every two years, is the apex-level brainstorming forum of the Armed Forces. The theme for 2025 is ‘Year of Reforms – Transformation for the Future’, focusing on modernisation and transformation. The Armed Forces were appreciated for Operation Sindoor, nation building, anti-piracy, evacuation of citizens from conflict zones, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions. Instructions were given to achieve Jointness, Atmanirbharta (self-reliance), and Innovation in defence. The conference will review operational readiness, past reforms, global uncertainties, and plan a roadmap for future challenges.

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Recently, the 2nd National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Heads of States and Union Territories was held in New Delhi. The focus is to scale up action and execution against drugs. Strategy targets three types of cartels: entry-point operators, distributors from entry points to states, and local sellers. States are urged to adopt technologies like darknet analysis, cryptocurrency tracking, communication pattern analysis, logistics and financial flow analysis, metadata analysis, and machine learning models. Drug-Free India campaign runs in 372 districts, involving 10 crore people and 3 lakh educational institutions.