United Nations Quiz

Notes:
Khalilur Rahman has been elected President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He secured 99 votes against 91 votes received by Andreas S. Kakouris. Rahman will assume office in September 2026 for a one-year term. The presidency of the 81st UNGA session was allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group under the UN’s regional rotation system. Bangladesh previously held the UNGA presidency during the 41st Session (1986–87), when Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury served as President.

Notes:
Two Indian peacekeepers, Harbhajan Singh and Sujit Kumar Pradhan, received the prestigious Dag Hammarskjold Medal posthumously from the United Nations on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers for their sacrifice in the line of duty. Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Abhilasha Barak also received the 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year award

Notes:
All options are correct: During the late nineteenth century, Britain ran a major trade deficit with industrializing nations like the United States and Germany, as well as a consumer deficit with China (for tea). To settle these accounts without draining its gold reserves, Britain used India. India exported massive amounts of raw materials to the US, Germany, and opium to China, running a large trade surplus with them. Britain then extracted this surplus cash from India via administrative “Home Charges” and used it to balance its own global payment deficits with those exact countries.

Notes:
Abhilasha Barak received the United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2025. She is serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon as Commander of the Female Engagement Team in Lebanon. Major Abhilasha Barak is also the first woman combat helicopter pilot of the Indian Army. She became the third Indian peacekeeper to receive this honour after Suman Gawani and Radhika Sen. The award was instituted in 2016 by the Office of Military Affairs under the United Nations Department of Peace Operations.

Notes:
United Nations Human Settlements Programme recently launched the Catalogue of Solutions 2026–2029 to promote sustainable urban development and better housing policies worldwide. UN-Habitat was established in 1977 after the Habitat I Conference and is headquartered in Nairobi. Its primary objective is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable cities and ensure adequate shelter for all. The UN-Habitat Assembly includes all 193 United Nations member states and approves the organisation’s strategic plans.

Notes:
India was elected unopposed to four bodies of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, reflecting strong global diplomatic support. Elections were held at the United Nations Headquarters through acclamation, meaning unanimous approval by member states. Preeti Saran was re-elected to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in her personal capacity. India also secured seats in key ECOSOC bodies: Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC).

Notes:
The correct answer is [C] Only one of the Statements 2 and 3 is correct and that explains Statement 1. This question evaluates India’s stance at COP28 and the specific constraints of the healthcare sector in developing nations.

• Statement 1 (Correct): At the COP28 summit held in Dubai (2023), India was among the few major economies that did not sign the “COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health.” While India supports the general link between climate and health, it opted out of this specific voluntary commitment.
• Statement 2 (Incorrect): The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a non-binding, voluntary political declaration. It does not carry the weight of a legal mandate or treaty. However, India’s concern was that the language regarding “reducing emissions” (decarbonization) in the health sector could eventually lead to mandatory cooling requirements or restricted use of certain medical gases.
• Statement 3 (Correct): This reflects India’s official reasoning. In a developing country, the priority is universal health coverage and providing emergency services to a massive population. Decarbonizing the health sector—which relies heavily on energy-intensive cold chains for vaccines, 24/7 air conditioning for OTs, and specific anesthetic gases—could compromise the resilience and accessibility of healthcare if low-carbon alternatives are not yet affordable or available.

Explanation of the Link:
Statement 3 directly explains Statement 1. India’s refusal to sign was primarily driven by the fear that focusing on aggressive carbon reduction in hospitals (decarbonization) would divert resources from expanding basic healthcare access and undermine the system’s ability to handle climate-induced health crises. Since Statement 2 is factually incorrect (the declaration is non-binding), it cannot be a valid explanation for Statement 1.

Notes:
The correct answer is [A] 2 only. The World Toilet Organization (WTO) is a global non-profit committed to improving sanitation and toilet conditions worldwide.

• Statement 1 is Incorrect: The World Toilet Organization is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded by Jack Sim in Singapore in 2001. It is not an agency of the United Nations. It should not be confused with the “World Trade Organization” or UN-Water.
• Statement 2 is Correct: The WTO established the World Toilet Summit in 2001, followed by World Toilet Day (November 19th) and the World Toilet College (started in 2005). Notably, it was the WTO’s advocacy that led the UN General Assembly to officially recognize World Toilet Day as an international UN day in 2013.
• Statement 3 is Incorrect: The WTO functions as a global advocate and knowledge-sharing platform rather than a primary funding or grant-making body. Its focus is on social entrepreneurship, advocacy, policy influence, and capacity building (through the World Toilet College) to address the sanitation crisis, rather than providing direct financial grants to nations.

While the UN now officially observes World Toilet Day, the organization itself remains an independent NGO headquartered in Singapore.

Notes:
The correct answer is [C] Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. This question evaluates global water extraction statistics and India’s demographic share.

• Statement-I (Correct): According to the UN World Water Development Report, India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. It extracts approximately 251 cubic kilometers (km^3) of groundwater annually, which accounts for more than one-fourth (about 26%) of the global groundwater withdrawal.
• Statement-II (Incorrect): While India is the largest extractor of groundwater, the reason provided is factually wrong. India is home to approximately 17-18% of the world’s population, not “almost half.” Furthermore, the primary driver for groundwater extraction in India is irrigation (accounting for nearly 90% of extraction), rather than just drinking water and sanitation.

The high dependency on groundwater in India has led to significant over-exploitation, particularly in the northwest and south, prompting the government to launch initiatives like the Atal Bhujal Yojana and the Jal Shakti Abhiyan to improve water table levels through community-led management.

Notes:
The correct answer is [D] None. This question tests your precision regarding international agreements and the specific mandates of global frameworks.

• Statement 1 (Incorrect): While the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) was adopted by a vast majority of UN member states in December 2018 (164 countries initially), it was not adopted by all countries. Notably, the United States, Hungary, Israel, and several others opted out or voted against its adoption, citing concerns over national sovereignty.
• Statement 2 (Incorrect): The GCM is explicitly a non-legally binding cooperative framework. It recognizes that every state has the sovereign right to determine its own national migration policy. It provides a menu of 23 objectives and best practices but does not impose legal obligations or enforcement mechanisms on member countries.
• Statement 3 (Incorrect): The GCM specifically focuses on international migration in all its dimensions. It does not address “internal migration” or “internally displaced persons” (IDPs). Issues related to IDPs are generally covered under different frameworks, such as the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, as IDPs have not crossed an international border.

The GCM was the first intergovernmentally negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.