20 June 2023

• International law: The UN High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) was adopted, creating the first governance framework for 50 per cent of Earth's surface.
• Child welfare: India removed from the UN's annual report on children in armed conflict for the first time since 2010.
• Defence: The theatre command restructuring of India's military was reviewed as the government weighed consolidating 19 commands into 3-4 integrated commands.
• Agriculture: India's child labour problem examined: 10.1 million children in labour, with 70 per cent in agriculture.

GS area: International Relations, Environment

The United Nations adopted the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, known as the BBNJ Agreement or the High Seas Treaty, in June 2023 after 15 years of negotiations.

• Coverage: The high seas, which make up approximately 50 per cent of Earth's surface and 64 per cent of the ocean area. This area lies beyond any national Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nautical miles from shore).
• Current protection: Only about 1 per cent of the high seas was under any form of protection before this treaty.
• Key provisions:
  • Establishment of Marine Protected Areas on the high seas.
  • Mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments before deep-sea mining and other extractive activities.
  • A benefit-sharing regime for marine genetic resources (the genetic material of organisms found in the high seas that may have pharmaceutical or industrial value).
  • A Conference of the Parties to oversee compliance.
• Entry into force: Requires 60 ratifications.
• UNCLOS: The parent framework is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982). India ratified UNCLOS in 1995.

Static linkage: International relations; environment; international law.

GS area: Internal Security, International Relations

India was removed from the UN Secretary-General's annual report on children and armed conflict for the first time since 2010.

• The report: Mandated by the UN General Assembly since 1996 (Resolution 51/77). It tracks six "grave violations" against children in conflict zones.
• Six grave violations: Killing and maiming of children; recruitment and use in armed forces; sexual violence; abduction; attacks on schools and hospitals; denial of humanitarian access.
• Why India was on the list: India appeared primarily due to conflict in Jammu and Kashmir and LWE-affected areas, where children were affected by conflict operations.
• Steps taken: India established child welfare committees and juvenile justice boards under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, suspended pellet gun use in some situations, and strengthened safeguards in conflict-affected districts.
• Context: The 2023 report found highest violations in the DRC, Palestine, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Yemen.

Static linkage: Internal security; international relations; social justice.

GS area: Defence, Polity

The debate on integrating India's military into theatre commands continued.

• Current structure: 19 functional commands: 7 Army, 7 Air Force, 3 Navy, plus the Andaman and Nicobar Tri-Services Command and the Strategic Forces Command.
• Proposed structure: 3 to 4 integrated theatre commands, each responsible for a specific operational theatre:
  • A Northern Command covering the China border.
  • A Western Command covering the Pakistan border.
  • A Maritime Command for peninsular India and the Indian Ocean.
• Benefits: Integrated joint operations, reduced duplication of assets, unified command for war-fighting.
• Challenges: Inter-service rivalry about which service leads each theatre. Air Force concerns about dividing assets across commands. Resource allocation questions.
• Chief of Defence Staff: Created in December 2019. The CDS is the single-point military adviser to the government and heads the Department of Military Affairs. CDS is key to driving the theatre command reform.

Static linkage: Defence; polity.

GS area: Social Justice, Governance

A review of child labour data found 10.1 million children engaged in labour in India.

• ILO estimate: 10.1 million children working.
• Geographic concentration: Uttar Pradesh leads (2.1 million). Five states (UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, MP) account for 55 per cent.
• Sector: 70 per cent are in agriculture. Rural prevalence (14 per cent) is 3 times urban (5 per cent).
• Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 (amended 2016): Bans employment of children below 14 in any occupation and those below 18 in hazardous ones. Allows family-based employment for education outside school hours (controversial).
• Samagra Shiksha: The National Child Labour Project (NCLP), which provided bridge schools, vocational training, and stipends to working children, was subsumed into Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, an integrated school education programme.

Static linkage: Social justice; governance; child welfare.

• Thol Pavai Koothu: A shadow puppetry tradition from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, using translucent goat-skin puppets to project shadows on a screen. The tradition was showcased at the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) convention.
• INS Kirpan transferred to Vietnam: India transferred the indigenously built missile corvette INS Kirpan to the Vietnamese Navy as part of defence diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific. This marks an increase in India's defence export footprint.
• ISRO satellite terminals on fishing boats: ISRO deployed mobile satellite service terminals on fishing boats across 13 coastal states, utilising the NavIC satellite navigation system for positioning and distress alert functions.