International Organizations & Treaties

What you'll learn

• Recall the founding dates, headquarters and membership of the major international organisations
• Explain the structure and functions of the UN system and its specialised agencies
• Summarise the key arms control, environmental and human rights treaties
• Describe Bangladesh's role in the UN, peacekeeping and regional organisations
• Answer written questions on foreign policy and multilateral diplomacy with accurate detail

About this course

International Affairs carries 20 marks in the BCS preliminary and 100 marks in the written exam, and it dominates the viva. Most questions are factual: when an organisation was founded, where it is headquartered, how many members it has, what a treaty covers. This course organises the whole field into twenty lessons. It begins with the United Nations — its organs, Security Council, specialised agencies and finances — then covers the World Trade Organization, the regional and economic groupings, Bangladesh's membership and peacekeeping record, and the great families of treaties: arms control, environment and human rights. The later lessons cover the post-war world order, major conflicts and peace accords, diplomacy and international law, political geography, global economic institutions, contemporary global issues and Bangladesh's foreign policy. Membership numbers and office-holders change. The figures here are current at the time of writing; confirm the latest from official websites and monthly current affairs digests.

Course content

Who this course is for

• BCS preliminary and written candidates
• Bank and other government job candidates