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UPSC Prelims 2026 GS Paper 1, question 69

Topic: International relations and organisations

Q69

Consider the following statements about platforms for multilateral co-operation :

  1. The ‘Colombo Process’ is a regional consultative process in which member states take binding decisions by consensus.

  2. The ‘Abu Dhabi Dialogue’ is a voluntary non-binding consultative process among Asian countries of labour origin and destination to facilitate regional cooperation on contractual labour mobility.

  3. The ‘Global Forum for Migration and Development’, created upon the proposal of a former UN Secretary General, is a voluntary forum whose decisions are non-binding in nature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  1. (a) 1, 2 and 3
  2. (b) 1 and 3 only
  3. (c) 2 and 3 onlyCorrect answer
  4. (d) 2 only

Solution.

Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only

  1. Statement 1 is incorrect: the Colombo Process is a regional consultative process on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour for Asian countries of origin, and its recommendations are non-binding.
  2. Statement 2 is correct: the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (established in 2008) is a voluntary, non-binding consultative forum between Asian labour-origin and labour-destination countries.
  3. Statement 3 is correct: the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), initiated following UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's 2006 proposal at the High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, is a voluntary, informal, non-binding state-led process.