# Regional and Global Groupings for UPSC: SCO, BRICS, BIMSTEC, SAARC, IORA, G20, G7, GCC, OTS and the 2025-26 Summits Source: https://tracknation.in/story/regional-and-global-groupings-for-upsc-sco-brics-bimstec-saarc-iora-g20-g7-gcc-ots-and-the-2025-26-summits (TrackNation — free UPSC notes with PYQs) > Groupings for UPSC: a card for the SCO, BRICS, BIMSTEC, SAARC, IORA, G20, G7 and NAM (founding, members, headquarters, India's status), the GCC, Arab League, OIC, APEC and OTS, the G20 membership trap, and the 2025-26 summits (Kazan, Rio, Tianjin, Bangkok, Johannesburg, Bishkek, New Delhi). Includes practice questions, the real PYQs and exact Mains questions. ## How UPSC Tests the Groupings 🎯 **Exam priority: Tier-1. Groupings supply about 11 of our 100 IR questions, and each is a facts-about-an-organisation question.** *UPSC asked: BIMSTEC's members, founding and sector leads (2025); the 16th BRICS summit, Indonesia's membership and its theme (2025); BIMSTEC's centres and where they sit (2026, provisional key); G20's origin and India's priorities (2023); G20 membership of country groups (2020); ASEAN's free-trade partners (2018); the Organization of Turkic States (2022); the GCC (2016); NATO (2025); the EU (2023, 2026); and the New Development Bank (2016). In Mains: BIMSTEC versus SAARC (2022), SCO (2021, 2023), BRICS (2026), AUKUS and the Quad.* Each grouping has the same six facts: **founding year, members, headquarters, chair, India's status, and the latest summit**. This note gives all six for the groupings that matter most. ## The Grouping Card: SCO, BRICS, BIMSTEC, SAARC, IORA, G20, G7 and NAM Learn this table until you can fill it from memory. ## The grouping card | **Grouping** | **Founded and members** | **HQ and chair** | **India's status and latest news** | | SCO | Shanghai Five (1996) became the SCO in 2001; ten members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan (2017), Iran (2023), Belarus (2024) | Secretariat in Beijing; RATS in Tashkent. Kyrgyzstan chaired 2025-26; Pakistan takes the chair | India's 'SECURE' vision (Security, Economic development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, Environment). At Tianjin (31 Aug-1 Sept 2025) it proposed a Civilisational Dialogue Forum; the summit set up a Universal Centre against challenges and threats and an Anti-Drug Centre and condemned the Pahalgam attack. The 26th summit was held in Bishkek on 31 Aug-1 Sept 2026 (secondary) | | BRICS | Brazil, Russia, India, China (2009), South Africa (2010); Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE (2024); Indonesia (January 2025); Saudi Arabia is listed by many sources but has not formally confirmed; partner countries since the 2024 Kazan summit | No fixed secretariat; the chair rotates. NDB (Shanghai) is the bank. India chairs in 2026 | 17th summit in Rio de Janeiro on 6-7 July 2025; the 18th in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026 adopted the New Delhi Declaration by consensus (secondary) | | BIMSTEC | Founded in 1997 (Bangkok Declaration) as BIST-EC; Myanmar joined in 1997, Nepal and Bhutan in 2004. Seven members: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan | Secretariat in Dhaka | Sixth summit in Bangkok on 4 April 2025 (earlier: 2004, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2022). India set up centres of excellence (disaster management, sustainable maritime transport, traditional medicine, agriculture), the BODHI skills programme and hosts the Energy Centre at Bengaluru (operational from 1 April 2025) | | SAARC | Founded 1985 at Dhaka; eight members: Afghanistan (2007), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka | Secretariat in Kathmandu | Dormant: the 2016 Islamabad summit did not take place after Uri; India uses BIMSTEC. The 60th Programming Committee still met in Kathmandu in April 2025 | | IORA | Founded in 1997; 23 members (India, Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Oman, UAE and others) | Secretariat at Ebene, Mauritius | India: founding member; Vice-Chair 2023-25; Chair for 2025-27 from 12 November 2025 | | G20 | Created in 1999 for finance ministers and central bank governors; leaders' summits from 2008; 19 countries plus the EU and the African Union (a member since 2023) | No permanent secretariat; presidency rotates: India 2023, Brazil 2024, South Africa 2025 (Johannesburg, first on African soil), the US 2026, the UK 2027 | India's 2025 proposals in Johannesburg included a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository, an Africa Skills Multiplier and a Global Healthcare Response Team. The US presidency (1 Dec 2025 to 30 Nov 2026) planned a Miami summit and did not invite South Africa (secondary) | | G7 | Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US (plus the EU); Russia was suspended after 2014 | France chaired 2026 | India attended the 2025 summit (Kananaskis, Canada, June) and the 52nd at Evian (15-17 June 2026) as a partner country (secondary for 2026) | | Non-Aligned Movement | Founded in 1961 (Belgrade) by Nehru, Nasser, Tito, Sukarno and Nkrumah; about 120 members | No secretariat; Uganda chairs | India is a founding member; 19th mid-term ministerial in Kampala on 15-16 October 2025 | ## GCC, Arab League, OIC, APEC, OTS and the G20 Membership Trap These are the Middle East, Africa and trade groupings that UPSC uses in 'which of these' questions. ## Other groupings | **Grouping** | **Key facts** | **Common trap** | | GCC (1981) | Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman; HQ Riyadh | Iran, Iraq and Yemen are not members (2016 PYQ) | | Arab League (1945) | 22 members; HQ Cairo | Not the same as the OIC | | OIC (1969) | 57 members; HQ Jeddah | - | | OPEC | Mainly Gulf and African producers; HQ Vienna | OPEC+ adds Russia and others | | APEC (1989) | 21 economies of the Pacific rim | India is not a member; the New Development Bank is a BRICS bank, not an APEC one (2016 PYQ) | | Commonwealth | 56 members, mostly former British colonies | - | | African Union (2002) | 55 members; HQ Addis Ababa; permanent G20 member since 2023 | - | | Organization of Turkic States | Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan | Armenia, Croatia and Romania are not members (2022) | | NATO and the EU | 32 and 27 members; EU members Poland and Germany; Belarus and Switzerland are not EU members (2026) | Four EU members are outside NATO | | ASEAN free-trade partners | Australia-New Zealand, China, India, Japan, South Korea | Canada and the US are not FTA partners (2018) | ## G20 membership questions - The G20's 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, the UK and the US; the EU and the African Union make 21 members. In 2020 the right group was Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Türkiye; Malaysia, New Zealand, Iran, Vietnam and Singapore are not members. - The 2023 PYQ asked two facts: the G20 began as a finance-ministers' forum, and digital public infrastructure was an Indian presidency priority. ## What Changed in 2025-26: Rio, Tianjin, Bangkok, Johannesburg, New Delhi The 2025-26 summits changed the status of several of these groups. Use this checklist. ## What changed in 2025-26 - **BRICS:** Indonesia joined in January 2025; India chairs in 2026. The New Delhi Declaration of 12 September 2026 backed a two-state solution, criticised unilateral tariff measures and sanctions not authorised by the UN Security Council, called for 'maximum restraint' on the Iran war without naming the sides, and did not name Ukraine (secondary sources). - **SCO:** the Tianjin summit created counter-terrorism and anti-drug centres; Belarus is the newest member (2024); the Bishkek summit (31 August-1 September 2026) handed the chair to Pakistan (secondary). - **BIMSTEC:** six summits so far; the 2026 PYQ tested where its centres sit: Cultural Industries Observatory (Thimphu), Energy Centre (Bengaluru), Centre for Weather and Climate (NOIDA) and Technology Transfer Facility (Colombo). - **G20:** India's 2025 contribution and the exclusion of South Africa from the 2026 US presidency are the two items most likely to be asked. - **NAM:** the Kampala mid-term ministerial of October 2025. ## Further Reading - the Ministry of External Affairs Annual Report, MEA and PIB press releases and joint statements, United Nations and treaty-body websites, and an atlas — the primary sources behind every fact above. ## How UPSC Could Ask This Next Here are the questions this chapter is most likely to produce next. ## How UPSC could ask this next - **Membership counts:** 'how many of these are SCO / BRICS / G20 / BIMSTEC members', where one entry is a new member (Belarus, Indonesia) or a partner (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam). - **Sector leads and centres:** which BIMSTEC sector India leads; where centres are hosted. - **Summits:** where and when the last summit was held, and its theme (Kazan 2024, Rio 2025, New Delhi 2026; Tianjin 2025, Bishkek 2026). - **Statements:** 'SAARC is dormant', 'India is a member of RCEP / APEC' (false), 'NDB was set up by APEC' (false). - **Mains:** BRICS as a counterweight to the West (2026), SCO's problems (2023), BIMSTEC versus SAARC (2022), the Quad and AUKUS, and the G20's relevance after 2025. ## Test Yourself: Practice Questions and PYQs Twelve practice questions on the groupings, followed by the real UPSC Prelims questions and exact Mains questions. ## Practice Questions **Q1.** Consider the following statements about the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): 1. India and Pakistan became full members in 2017. 2. Iran became a member in 2023 and Belarus in 2024. 3. Its Secretariat is in Tashkent. Which of the statements given above are correct? - (a) 1 and 2 only - (b) 1 and 3 only - (c) 2 and 3 only - (d) 1, 2 and 3 **Answer: (a)** — The SCO Secretariat is in Beijing; its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is in Tashkent. **Q2.** Which of the following is NOT a full member of BRICS? - (a) Indonesia - (b) Türkiye - (c) Egypt - (d) Ethiopia **Answer: (b)** — Türkiye has not joined. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joined in 2024 and Indonesia in January 2025. **Q3.** Consider the following statements about BIMSTEC: 1. It has seven members. 2. Its Secretariat is in Dhaka. 3. Pakistan is a member. Which of the statements given above are correct? - (a) 1 and 2 only - (b) 2 and 3 only - (c) 1, 2 and 3 - (d) 1 and 3 only **Answer: (a)** — BIMSTEC links South Asia and South-East Asia on the Bay of Bengal and excludes Pakistan. **Q4.** The headquarters of SAARC is at - (a) New Delhi - (b) Colombo - (c) Kathmandu - (d) Dhaka **Answer: (c)** — SAARC was founded at Dhaka in 1985 but its Secretariat is in Kathmandu. **Q5.** The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) has its Secretariat at - (a) Perth, Australia - (b) Muscat, Oman - (c) Colombo, Sri Lanka - (d) Ebene, Mauritius **Answer: (d)** — India assumed the IORA Chairship for 2025-27 on 12 November 2025. **Q6.** Which one of the following is NOT a member of the G7? - (a) India - (b) Italy - (c) Canada - (d) Japan **Answer: (a)** — India is invited as a partner country, not a member. The G7 has seven members plus the EU. **Q7.** Which of the following is a permanent member of the G20 since 2023? - (a) ASEAN - (b) BRICS - (c) The Gulf Cooperation Council - (d) The African Union **Answer: (d)** — The AU was admitted at the 2023 Delhi summit, making 21 members with the EU. **Q8.** The G20 Leaders' Summit of 2025 was held in - (a) Rio de Janeiro - (b) Miami - (c) New Delhi - (d) Johannesburg, the first on African soil **Answer: (d)** — Brazil hosted 2024, South Africa 2025 and the US holds the 2026 presidency. **Q9.** Consider the following statements about the Arab League and the OIC: 1. The Arab League has its headquarters in Cairo. 2. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has its headquarters in Jeddah. 3. Iran is a member of the GCC. Which of the statements given above are correct? - (a) 1, 2 and 3 - (b) 1 and 2 only - (c) 1 and 3 only - (d) 2 and 3 only **Answer: (b)** — Iran is not a GCC member. **Q10.** The 18th BRICS Summit was held in September 2026 in - (a) New Delhi - (b) Johannesburg - (c) Rio de Janeiro - (d) Kazan **Answer: (a)** — India holds the BRICS chair in 2026 (secondary-source date). **Q11.** Which of the following is a founder of the Non-Aligned Movement? - (a) Iran - (b) India - (c) Pakistan - (d) Israel **Answer: (b)** — The NAM was founded in 1961 at Belgrade by Nehru, Nasser, Tito, Sukarno and Nkrumah. **Q12.** The New Development Bank, headquartered in Shanghai, was created by - (a) BRICS - (b) APEC - (c) SCO - (d) ASEAN **Answer: (a)** — The NDB was set up by the BRICS countries; India is a founding member; APEC is a trade forum. ### UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs) *Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key.* **Q1.** (2025) Consider the following statements in respect of BIMSTEC: I. It is a grouping consisting of seven member States till January 2025. II. It came into existence with the signing of the Dhaka Declaration, 1999. III. Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal are founding member States of BIMSTEC. IV. In BIMSTEC, the subsector of 'tourism' is being led by India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) I and IV - (b) I only - (c) II and III - (d) I and II **Answer: (b)** — BIMSTEC has seven members (Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan). It was formed by the 1997 Bangkok Declaration (not Dhaka 1999), and Nepal and Bhutan joined only in 2004, so II and III are wrong; UPSC's key also treats IV as wrong. Only Statement I is right. **Q2.** (2026, provisional key) Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists: List I (BIMSTEC Centre/Establishment) : List II (Location) A. BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory : 1. NOIDA B. BIMSTEC Energy Centre : 2. Bengaluru C. BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate : 3. Colombo D. BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility : 4. Thimphu Code (A B C D): - (a) 4 2 1 3 - (b) 4 1 2 3 - (c) 3 1 2 4 - (d) 3 2 1 4 **Answer: (a)** — The Cultural Industries Observatory is in Thimphu, the Energy Centre in Bengaluru, the Centre for Weather and Climate in NOIDA and the Technology Transfer Facility in Colombo (provisional key). **Q3.** (2025) Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS: I. 16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan. II. Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS. III. The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was 'Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security'. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) I and II - (b) I and III - (c) II and III - (d) I only **Answer: (a)** — The 16th BRICS summit (Kazan, Oct 2024) was chaired by Russia, and Indonesia became a full member in January 2025. The Kazan theme was 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security', not 'multiculturalism'. **Q4.** (2023) Consider the following statements about G-20: 1. The G-20 group was originally established as a platform for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss the international economic and financial issues. 2. Digital public infrastructure is one of India's G-20 priorities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) Neither 1 nor 2 - (b) Both 1 and 2 - (c) 1 only - (d) 2 only **Answer: (b)** — The G20 began in 1999 as a forum of finance ministers and central bank governors, and digital public infrastructure was a priority of India's 2023 presidency. **Q5.** (2020) In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G20? - (a) Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam - (b) Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea - (c) Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey - (d) Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand **Answer: (c)** — Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey are all G20 members; Malaysia, New Zealand, Iran, Vietnam and Singapore are not. **Q6.** (2016) Which of the following is not a member of 'Gulf Cooperation Council'? - (a) Saudi Arabia - (b) Oman - (c) Kuwait - (d) Iran **Answer: (d)** — The Gulf Cooperation Council has six members: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Iran sits across the Gulf and is not a member. **Q7.** (2022) Consider the following countries: 1. Armenia 2. Azerbaijan 3. Croatia 4. Romania 5. Uzbekistan Which of the above are members of the Organization of Turkic States? - (a) 2 and 5 - (b) 1 and 3 - (c) 1, 2 and 4 - (d) 3, 4 and 5 **Answer: (a)** — The Organization of Turkic States (2021, formerly the Turkic Council) had Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan as members when asked; Armenia, Croatia and Romania are not Turkic states. **Q8.** (2025) Consider the following countries: I. Austria II. Bulgaria III. Croatia IV. Serbia V. Sweden VI. North Macedonia How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? - (a) All the six - (b) Only four - (c) Only three - (d) Only five **Answer: (b)** — Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia and Sweden (joined March 2024) are NATO members. Austria is neutral and Serbia is not a member, so four. **Q9.** (2023) Consider the following statements: The 'Stability and Growth Pact' of the European Union is a treaty that 1. limits the levels of the budgetary deficit of the countries of the European Union 2. makes the countries of the European Union to share their infrastructure facilities 3. enables the countries of the European Union to share their technologies How many of the above statements are correct? - (a) All three - (b) Only one - (c) None - (d) Only two **Answer: (b)** — The EU's Stability and Growth Pact is a fiscal-discipline arrangement that caps budget deficits (3 per cent of GDP) and public debt (60 per cent); it has nothing to do with sharing infrastructure or technology. **Q10.** (2026, provisional key) Which of the following countries are members of the European Union? 1. Belarus 2. Poland 3. Germany 4. Switzerland Select the answer using the code given below: - (a) 1 and 4 only - (b) 1, 2 and 4 - (c) 2 and 3 - (d) 2 and 4 only **Answer: (c)** — Poland and Germany are EU members; Belarus and Switzerland are not (provisional key). **Q11.** (2018) Consider the following countries: 1. Australia 2. Canada 3. China 4. India 5. Japan 6. USA Which of the above are among the 'free-trade partners' of ASEAN? - (a) 2, 3, 4 and 6 - (b) 1, 2, 4 and 5 - (c) 3, 4, 5 and 6 - (d) 1, 3, 4 and 5 **Answer: (d)** — ASEAN has free-trade agreements with Australia-New Zealand, China, India, Japan and Korea. Canada and the USA are not FTA partners. ### Mains Practice Questions Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover. - "BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South." Explain the role of BRICS in projecting itself as an alternative to other groupings. - 'Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO.' In the light of this statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems. - Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organisation like SAARC? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two? - Assess the relevance of the G20 after the 2025 Johannesburg summit and the 2026 US presidency. ### UPSC Mains — Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years) These are the **actual GS Mains questions** UPSC has asked on this theme — real proof of how, and when, it is tested. Try to write a full answer to each. - 2026 (GS-II): "BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South." Explain the role of BRICS in projecting itself as an alternative to other groupings. - 2023 (GS-II): 'Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO.' In the light of the above statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems. - 2022 (GS-II): Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organisation like the SAARC? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realized by forming this new organisation? - 2021 (GS-II): Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India? - 2016 (GS-II): "Increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in India and growing interference in the internal affairs of several member-states by Pakistan are not conducive for the future of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)." Explain with suitable examples.