Global Institutions and Groupings

The United Nations (1945)

• The UN Charter was signed in San Francisco. The UN has 193 member states.
• Six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council (inactive since 1994), International Court of Justice (The Hague) and the Secretariat.
• UNSC: 5 permanent members with veto (USA, UK, France, Russia, China) and 10 non-permanent members elected for 2-year terms. India has served as a non-permanent member several times and seeks a permanent seat (with the G4: India, Brazil, Germany, Japan).
• India is one of the largest contributors of troops to UN peacekeeping.

Bretton Woods and trade institutions

Important groupings

• G20 (1999) – major economies. India held the presidency in 2023 (New Delhi summit, theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future"), and the African Union joined as a permanent member.
• BRICS – started with Brazil, Russia, India and China; South Africa joined in 2010–11; it has since expanded.
• SCO – India and Pakistan became full members in 2017.
• Quad – India, the USA, Japan and Australia; a free and open Indo-Pacific.
• Commonwealth – mostly former British colonies.

How to write IR answers

Use the "interests – issues – initiatives – way forward" format. Mention India's principles (strategic autonomy, peaceful settlement of disputes) and avoid one-sided language.

Background: why institutions matter

After two world wars, countries built rules-based institutions to prevent conflict and manage the global economy: the UN (1945) and the Bretton Woods twins, the IMF and World Bank (1944). GATT (1947) later became the WTO (1995). India was a founding member of the UN and the Bretton Woods institutions. Today, India argues these bodies must be reformed to reflect 21st-century realities.

The United Nations – structure

India and UNSC reform: India seeks permanent membership as part of the G4 (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan). The opposition comes from the Uniting for Consensus group (Italy, Pakistan and others). The Ezulwini Consensus sets out the African position. Basis of India's claim: population, its economy (among the largest), its role in peacekeeping (one of the largest troop contributors historically), and its democratic credentials.

Economic institutions

Major groupings at a glance

Causes and effects – why global governance is in crisis

Causes: great-power rivalry (US–China), the war in Ukraine, protectionism, the paralysis of the UNSC through vetoes, the WTO Appellate Body deadlock, and unequal voting at the IMF and World Bank.

Effects: the rise of minilaterals (Quad, I2U2), regional trade deals, and the fragmentation of supply chains ("friend-shoring"). It creates opportunities for India as a bridge between the Global North and South (the "Voice of the Global South" summits).

Case study: India's G20 presidency (2023)

India hosted more than 200 meetings across around 60 cities, and it achieved:

• a consensus New Delhi Leaders' Declaration despite Ukraine-related divisions;
• the African Union as a permanent member;
• the Global Biofuels Alliance;
• principles on digital public infrastructure (UPI-like systems);
• the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) announcement.

This shows how a middle power can use convening power and consensus-building to shape global agendas.

Common misconceptions

• "India has never been on the UNSC." – India has been a non-permanent member eight times.
• "BRICS is an anti-Western alliance." – It is an economic and political grouping with diverse members; India uses it for reform, not confrontation.
• "The Quad is a military alliance." – It has no mutual-defence clause; it focuses on practical cooperation (maritime domain awareness, vaccines, technology).

How UPSC asks it

Prelims frequently asks about membership of groupings, headquarters and founding years, UN organs, and WTO terms. Mains themes include UNSC reform, India's role in the G20 and BRICS, the relevance of the WTO, and multi-alignment.

Mains answer framework

Q-type: "Discuss the need for reform of the UN Security Council and India's case for permanent membership."

• Intro: the 1945 structure vs today's world.
• Need: representation (Africa, Latin America, India), effectiveness (veto paralysis – Ukraine, Gaza), legitimacy.
• India's case: population, economy, peacekeeping, democracy, nuclear restraint, Global South voice.
• Obstacles: P5 reluctance, UfC opposition, the text-based negotiation deadlock.
• Conclusion: without reform, the UN risks irrelevance; India should keep building coalitions (G4, L.69, the African Union).

India and global institutions: reform agenda

India seeks permanent membership of the UN Security Council (with Brazil, Germany and Japan in the G4), a greater voice for developing countries in the IMF and World Bank, and reform of the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system, whose Appellate Body has been non-functional since 2019. During its G20 presidency in 2023, the African Union was admitted as a permanent member of the G20.

Mains practice question

Q. Is multilateralism in crisis? Outline: deadlock in the Security Council and WTO; rise of minilateral groups (Quad, I2U2); but also cooperation on climate, health and finance; India's interest in reformed multilateralism.