Important Summits and Conferences – Themes and Venue

A summit or a summit conference is a meeting of heads of governments of different nations. They are important to maintaining foreign and diplomatic relations. The summits can be with an agenda or can be just to discuss the functioning of different nations of the world.

There are many conferences and summits taking place every year in India. But only a few are important from an exam point of view. India is part of many international summits. Let’s take a look at a few important national and international summits and conferences-

List of Important Summits and Conferences

1. Indian Science Congress

Indian Science Congress Association hosts this congress every year in the month of January. The main idea is to promote the cause of science in India. Theorists, Researchers, and Scientists from different corners of the globe gather every year for this congress.

The theories, journals, and much more discussed here. The first congress took place in 1914. The 2020 Indian Science Congress was in Bangalore. The theme was “Science and Technology for Rural Development”.

2. Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit ( ASEAN )

It is a summit which takes place every six months. It is a diplomatic conference of South Asian countries to discuss economic, social, and cultural matters. The head of state from each country has to attend this summit to formulate policies for the region.

The country for the summit is decided alphabetically. The host nation for ASEAN Summit 2020 is Vietnam.

3. G 20 Summit

G20 is an international association of 19 nations and the European Union. The member nations are mostly developing countries who come together to discuss important issues of the global economy.

This summit takes place annually and is attended by heads of the states. The host nation for 2020 is Saudi Arabia.

4. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation includes 21 member nations. The main idea is to promote free and fair trade in the pacific region of the continent.

This summit takes place annually to discuss different aspects of APEC as an organization and the objectives they want to achieve. The host nation for APEC Summit 2020 is Malaysia.

5. Indian Economic Association Conference

This association came into being in 1917. The main idea is to promote economic science and improve the Indian economy. This conference takes place annually in different Indian states. The host state for Indian Economic Association Conference in Rajasthan.

The theme for 2020 is “Accelerating Economic Growth, Balanced Regional Development, and Sustainable Urbanization in the aftermath of COVID-19”.

6. OPEC International Seminar

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries came into being in 1960. It organizes the OPEC International Seminar every three years inviting all the member nations. There are 13 petroleum exporting countries that are part of this organization.

This seminar focuses on improving and promoting the petrol trade in the global market. The host nation for the year 2018 was Austria. The theme was “Petroleum – cooperation for a sustainable future”.

7. Nuclear Security Summit

The first nuclear security summit took place in 2010 with the participation of 47 countries. The USA took the initiative to start this Summit. This summit discusses the prevention of nuclear terrorism around the globe. It takes place biennially. The theme for 2020 is “Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening”.

8. CHOGM Meeting

It is a biennial meeting for all commonwealth nations. The first meeting took place in 1971 in Singapore. The current global issues concerning member nations are discussed here. The host nation for 2020 is Rwanda. And the theme for 2020 is “Delivering A Common Future: Connecting and Innovating”.

9. Indo-Africa Forum Summit

The first Indo-Africa Summit took place in 2008 in Delhi. It takes place every three years. It is between the government of India and the Government of selected African nations.

The main discussion is about rising oil and food prices. Other topics of discussion are – agricultural sector, trade, investment, security, promotion of good governance, and communication technology. The last summit took place in 2018 with the theme “India and Africa: Deepening the Security Engagement”.

10. Global Summit on Wellness and AYUSH

The first summit took place in 2017 under the Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Commerce & Industry in Delhi. The discussion revolves around Ayurveda, Yoga, Homoeopathy, and other elements of the Indian medicine system.

This summit discusses the importance of the Indian system of medicine in contemporary times. The theme for 2019 was “An integrative system of healthcare and wellness for the world”. It took place in Varanasi, India.

These were some prominent summits. But there are other important summits and conferences too. This list will cover them with their themes, venue, and a small description. Here it is –

Conclusion

The GK segment of many competitive exams will have questions related to summits and conferences. The questions are especially about their venue and themes. They are an important part of global governance. It is important to know the basic information about them.

Exams like UPSC, SSC, RRB, Banking, and more have GK sections. This article covers facts and basic descriptions of the summits. It should help make your learning process smoother. Aspirants must give this article a read before the exams.