18th Non-Aligned Summit

Recently, the Vice President of India attended the 18^th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

• The theme for the 18^th NAM Summit is “Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world.''
  
  • The theme relates to the forthcoming 65^th anniversary of Bandung Principles (2020) and the 60^th anniversary of the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement (2021).
  • Bandung principles promote world peace and cooperation which were formulated at the Asian-African Conference in 1955.
• This NAM Summit majorly focussed on contemporary issues such as Terrorism, threats to peace and security, UN reform, climate change, sustainable development, economic governance, and south-south cooperation.

India and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

• India is a founder member of NAM. It participated actively in NAM meetings till 1970s but India’s inclination towards erstwhile USSR created confusion in smaller members.
  
  • It led to the weakening of NAM and small nations drifted towards either the US or USSR.
• Further India’s New Economic Policy and inclination towards the US raised questions over India’s seriousness over non-alignment.
  
  • The disintegration of the USSR led to the unipolar world order dominated by the US.
• Moreover, NAM continued losing relevance for India in a unipolar world, especially after the founding members failed to support India during the crisis.
  
  • For instance, during the 1962 War with China, Ghana and Indonesia adopted explicitly pro-China positions.
  • During the 1965 and 1971 wars, Indonesia and Egypt took an anti-India stance and supported Pakistan.
• Recently, the Prime Minister of India skipped the second NAM summit in a row (17^th and 18^th NAM Summit).
  
  • It had been the customary practice ever since the inception of NAM that India had always participated in the summit meetings through its prime minister, with the single exception of the 6^th NAM Summit when Chaudhury Charan Singh was the caretaker PM and hence missed it.
• Moreover, India has started to actively engage with new and old global powers.
  
  • India joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a coalition seen by many as a counter force to China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific and Shanghai cooperation organization led by China shown India’s balancing approach in the new world order.

Source: PIB

Developing Country Status in WTO

The South Korean Government has decided not to seek any special treatment as a developing country from future negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

• However, this does not mean that the country would forego its developing country status at the WTO.
• South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, has maintained its developing country status as a member of the WTO since the body’s creation in 1995, mainly to guard its agriculture industry. E.g.:
  
  • It imposes a tariff of more than 500% on rice imports.

Developing Country Status in WTO

• There are no WTO definitions of “developed” and “developing” countries. Members announce for themselves whether they are “developed” or “developing” countries.
  
  • However, other members can challenge the decision of a member to make use of provisions available to developing countries.
• The WTO Agreements contain special provisions which give developing countries special rights. These provisions are referred to as “Special and Differential Treatment” (S&D) provisions.
• The special provisions include:
  
  • Longer time periods for implementing Agreements and commitments,
  • Measures to increase trading opportunities for developing countries,
  • Provisions requiring all WTO members to safeguard the trade interests of developing countries,
  • Support to help developing countries build the capacity to carry out WTO work, handle disputes, and implement technical standards, and
  • Provisions related to least-developed country (LDC) Members.
• Benefits to Developing Countries in the WTO:
  
  • The Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (also known as “the WTO Agreement”) specifies that international trade should benefit the economic development of developing and least-developed countries.
  • General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)— gives developing countries the right to restrict imports, if doing so would promote the establishment or maintenance of a particular industry, or assist in cases of balance-of-payments difficulties.
  • Part IV of the GATT includes provisions on the concept of non-reciprocal preferential treatment for developing countries, i.e. when developed countries grant trade concessions to developing countries they should not expect the developing countries to make matching offers in return.
    
    • However, developing countries claim that Part IV has been without practical value as it does not contain any obligations for developed countries.
• Issues:
  
  • Recently, U.S. President had put pressure on the WTO to change how it designates developing countries, singling out China, with which the United States is engaged in a trade war, for unfairly getting preferential treatment.
  • The United States also recently proposed, that in current and future negotiations, following should not invoke the self-declaration option:
    
    • Members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
    • Members of the Group of 20 (G-20),
    • High income countries as per the World Bank definition, or
    • Countries that account for 0.5% or more of global merchandise trade.
  • In a rebuttal to the US approach, China, India, South Africa, and others submitted a proposal of their own. While reiterating that self-declaration is appropriate in the WTO context, they make the point that per capita indicators must be given top priority when assessing development levels.
  • WTO members can consider the following steps to help integrate developing countries in global trade:
    
    • Countries can decide to follow South Korea’s example and not claim differentiated treatment, without the need to declare themselves “developed.”
    • Negotiations should provide for differentiated treatment taking into account the policy making challenges in developing countries without establishing permanent exemptions. These provisions should either be time-bound or have clear threshold and phaseout criteria, as in the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.

Source: India Today

Excavation Sites of Sangam Age

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has approved the Tamil Nadu’s request to continue excavations at four locations including Keeladi.
• This development is expected to bridge the 1000 years gap in history between the Sangam Age and the Indus Valley civilization.
• The excavation will be undertaken at the following sites:
  
  • Keeladi-
    
    • Located in Sivaganga district on the banks of river Vaigai.
    • It is an urban settlement of Sangam Age.
  • Kodumanal-
    
    • Village located in Erode district, TN.
    • Flourishing ancient trade city known as Kodumanam (as inscribed in Pathitrupathu of Sangam Literature).
    • It is located on the northern banks of Noyyal River (a tributary of the Cauvery).
  • Sivagalai-
    
    • Village in the Tuticorin district, TN.
    • It was once known as ‘Small Ceylon’ by Britishers.
    • Evidence of megalithic archaeological remains were found here in 2018.
  • Adichanallur-
    
    • Located in Thoothukudi district, TN.
    • In 2004, iron-age (1500 BC to 500 BC) burial sites were unearthed by ASI from here.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

• ASI is the premier organization for the archaeological research, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and preservation of protected monuments.
• It is an attached office under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Culture.
• ASI was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the first Director-General of ASI.

Sangam Age

• The word ‘Sangam’ is the Tamil form of the Sanskrit word ‘Sangha’ which means a group of persons or an association.
• The Sangam literature was largely consolidated from the third Sangam and throws information on conditions of life of people around the beginning of the Christian era.
• The Age of the Sangam is the age to which the Sangam literature belonged.

Source: IE

Sakhalin Oil Field

Recently the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas has visited Sakhalin oil field in Russia.

• Exxon Mobil (US), Rosneft (Russia), Japanese SODECO and ONGC Videsh are the partners in this field which will continue to produce oil and gas till 2055.
• During the recent Vladivostok Summit, there was agreement on a roadmap of cooperation over the next five years in the hydrocarbon sector.
  
  • It included strengthening Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exports to India; encouraging Russian companies to participate in gas projects in India; exploring the possibility of Indian companies collaborating in LNG projects, including in Arctic LNG infrastructure projects; cooperation at the university level, among others.
  • Sourcing of coking coal from the Russian Far East is now a major priority.

Source: PIB

Australia’s Uluru Rock

Australia’s giant Red Monolith- Uluru (Also known as Ayers Rock) has been permanently closed for trekking by the Australian government.

• The spiritual significance for Anangu (An aboriginal tribe of Australia) is responsible for the ban.

Uluru

• It is the huge red rock monolith located in the Central Australian desert.
• Ayers Rock (now Uluru) was first declared a national park in 1950 and renamed as Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in 1993.
  
  • Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List for both its natural and cultural values.
• Uluru is made up of sandstone and is about half a billion years old.
• It stands 348 metres high and has a circumference of 9.4 km.

Source:HT