Recent 6 months news in International

The Ministry of External Affairs has operationalised the resident diplomatic mission of India in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, effective from October 10, 2026. The mission was established to expand the diplomatic presence of India in Central America.

Pakistan has been named the incoming chair of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group for 2027, during their annual meetings held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ahad Khan Cheema, the World Bank Governor from Pakistan, was designated as the incoming chair.

Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik has attended the 20th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers’ Meeting (EAS EMM) held in Manila, Philippines.

During the summit, India welcomed the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030. India also emphasized cooperation under the ASEAN-India Plan of Action 2026-2030, focusing on the ASEAN Power Grid, regional transmission, multilateral power trade, clean energy, and energy security.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin has visited India at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, and technology under the India - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).

Both leaders attended the 2nd India-EFTA Prosperity Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, marking the anniversary of the India-EFTA TEPA which came into force on October 01, 2025. They signed 5 key agreements to boost cooperation in mobility, science, and technology.

Union Minister Dr S Jaishankar has visited 3 African nations: Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ethiopia, to deepen bilateral relations in trade, investment, and infrastructure development.

During his visit to Ghana, two major MoUs were signed in the fields of agriculture and zoological research. In Côte d’Ivoire, he held talks with Minister Niale Kaba, focusing on cooperation in trade, infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare. Additionally, India will organise the next edition of the Jaipur Artificial Limb Fitment camp in Ethiopia.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has attended the Group of Twenty (G20) Trade Ministers’ Meeting held in Milwaukee, USA.

The Joint Ministerial Statement was released by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and was signed by 15 participating countries, including India and the USA.

India has highlighted that its forest and tree cover has expanded to 82.74 million hectares, accounting for 25.17% of the geographical area of the country, at the 28th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Committee on Forestry (COFO 28) held in Rome, Italy.

The biennial session of COFO 28, bringing together 128 member countries, was held alongside the 10th World Forest Week under the theme “Forests for food, resilience and prosperity”. The session was chaired by Pierre Taty of the Republic of the Congo.

India has reaffirmed its commitment to the conservation of whales and other cetaceans at the 70th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC-70) held in Hobart, Australia.

The meeting coincided with the 80th anniversary of the signing of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, which is the international treaty for whale conservation. It is to be noted that Dr Urbain Brito of Benin was elected as the Chair of the IWC-70, and Anne-Marie Svoboda of Netherlands was appointed as the Vice-Chair.

The IWC-70 adopted the “Hobart Declaration” by consensus and passed resolutions to address fish-maw trade-related cetacean bycatch, vessel strikes, and cetacean strandings. India advocated for the implementation of science-based conservation strategies during the proceedings.

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) was held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, presided over by Khalilur Rahman, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

The session was held under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All”, with the Indian delegation led by Union Minister S Jaishankar.

The assembly unanimously adopted its first-ever declaration on rising sea-levels to provide assurances to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying coastal countries. During the session, the UN Women launched a new digital, innovation, and AI hub focused on gender equality.

Union Minister S Jaishankar signed the UN Convention against Cybercrime, which serves as the first comprehensive international treaty focused on cybercrime. It is to be noted that India has been officially placed on the “Strategic Partner Stream” in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

Furthermore, India and Liberia jointly launched a new international initiative named “The Group of Friends on Safety & Security of Shipping & Seafarers (GoFonS4)” to focus on the safety and security of commercial shipping and maritime personnel.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, belonging to the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), has been appointed as the Prime Minister (PM) of Morocco by King Mohammed VI.

She becomes the first woman to hold the office of PM in the country, succeeding Aziz Akhannouch.

India has participated in the 14th East Asia Summit - Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) and the 23rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Economic Ministers Consultation held in Manila, Philippines.

The Indian delegation for these high-level meetings was led by Nitin Kumar Yadav. It is to be noted that the bilateral trade between India and the ASEAN region reached a total of $128.38 billion in 2025-26.

Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a former television news anchor, has been crowned as the 13th King (Omukama) of the Tooro Kingdom in Uganda.

The 2nd Joint Defence Cooperation meeting between India and Ethiopia was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting focused on areas of mutual interest such as military training, joint exercises, medical cooperation, peacekeeping, and defence industries.

Union Minister Manohar Lal has led the Indian delegation at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting held in Houston, USA, under the USA G20 Presidency.

The meeting focused on three key pillars: Energy Security & Affordable Baseload, Permitting & Regulatory Efficiency, and Critical Minerals & Resilient Supply Chains.

Union Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited Bhutan at the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Bhutan DN Dhungyel to review bilateral cooperation. During the visit, he held high-level meetings with the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and PM Tshering Tobgay.

He launched 5 developmental initiatives in the fields of healthcare, connectivity, agriculture, clean mobility, and energy. Both nations reviewed the progress of the Punatsangchhu-I (1,200 MW) and Punatsangchhu-II (1,020 MW) Hydroelectric Projects under the ‘Joint Vision on Energy Partnership’ (March 2024).

India has extended a concessional Line of Credit (LoC) worth ₹4,000 crore to Bhutan for projects in the energy sector to enhance infrastructure and hydropower development.

US President Donald Trump, along with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, has signed a trilateral security agreement titled “Infinite Life” at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The pact allows for the expansion of the military presence of the USA in the Arctic region without changing the territorial status of Greenland. The agreement grants the USA permanent basing, overflight, and operational rights. It is to be noted that the agreement serves as an update to the original defense pact which was established in 1951.

Typhoon Dujuan has hit the eastern part of Japan, resulting in record-breaking precipitation and violent winds. The weather event has triggered severe flooding and landslides across the affected regions.

Bart De Wever, the PM of Belgium, has paid his first-ever official visit to India at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi to strengthen bilateral relations in trade, investment, defence, technology, and connectivity.

High-level talks were held at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, where the two nations signed 5 key MoUs to formalize cooperation. In Mumbai, PM Bart De Wever participated in the India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue to discuss the India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA), focusing on trade, ports, logistics, and investment.

India, through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), has joined the global ‘Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security’ initiative alongside the USA and 24 other nations.

The initiative aims to strengthen international collaboration to develop secure, interoperable, and innovation-driven 6G (sixth-generation) telecommunication networks.

The United Nations has adopted the “Correct the Map” resolution with 164 votes to promote a more accurate global representation. The resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by the African Union, advocates for the use of the “Equal Earth” projection as a replacement for the 16th-century “Mercator map”.

It is to be noted that the Mercator map distorts the relative size of landmasses. For instance, the true size of Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland, which is often misrepresented in older projections.