Question map
Consider the following pairs : I. International Year of the Woman Farmer : 2026 II. International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism : 2027 III. International Year of Peace and Trust : 2025 IV. International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence : 2029 How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Explanation
All four pairs are correctly matched according to the United Nations designations.
2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer[1], 2027 is the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism[2], 2025 is the International Year of Peace and Trust[3], and 2029 is the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence[4].
The United Nations General Assembly designates International Years to raise awareness about important global issues and promote coordinated action. These particular designations reflect contemporary priorities ranging from recognizing women's contributions in agriculture, promoting sustainable tourism practices, fostering global peace and cooperation, to addressing planetary defense against asteroid threats. For UPSC Prelims, questions on UN observances and international years are increasingly common and require staying updated with recent UN General Assembly resolutions.
Sources- [1] https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-years
- [2] https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-years
- [3] https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-years
- [4] https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-years
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a 'Future Roadmap' question, moving beyond the standard 'Current Year' trivia. It tests awareness of recent UN General Assembly resolutions that plan observances 3-5 years ahead. While 2025 is current affairs, 2029 is deep trivia likely sourced from Science & Tech news (Planetary Defence) rather than standard yearbooks.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Was 2026 designated by the United Nations as the International Year of the Woman Farmer?
- Statement 2: Was 2027 designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism?
- Statement 3: Was 2025 designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Peace and Trust?
- Statement 4: Was 2029 designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence?
- Official UN observances page lists the International Years by year.
- The page explicitly names 2026 as the "International Year of the Woman Farmer."
- Aggregated listing of International Years includes the Woman Farmer entry for 2026.
- Shows the relevant General Assembly resolution reference (A/RES/78/279) tied to the designation.
- Wikipedia's UN International Years template lists International Years by year.
- It includes an entry for "Woman Farmer" with (2026) next to it.
Gives a clear example that the United Nations declares specific 'International Year of ...' themes (2010 = International Year of Biodiversity).
A student could use this pattern to check UN records or UNGA resolutions for a similarly phrased designation for 2026 (i.e., search for 'International Year of the Woman Farmer' in UN proclamations).
Shows FAO and related UN bodies publish thematic reports on agriculture and nutrition, implying UN/UN specialized agencies engage with farmer/women-in-agriculture topics.
A student could check FAO or partner-agency announcements (SOFI/FAO) for campaigns or proposals recommending an International Year relating to women farmers in 2026.
Gives data showing increasing participation of women as landholders and farmers, demonstrating a substantive global issue that could plausibly motivate an International Year on women farmers.
A student could combine this socio‑agricultural trend with UN thematic practices to judge plausibility and then seek official UN naming for 2026.
Lists UN agencies that handle social and economic issues, indicating the UN system routinely addresses gender, development and agriculture topics through its agencies.
A student could look at relevant agencies (e.g., UNDP, UN Women, FAO) for coordinated proposals or endorsements of an International Year for women farmers in 2026.
Describes how ECOSOC/UN subsidiary bodies (like UNFF) are established to promote thematic international action, showing UN structures can create sustained thematic focus and observances.
A student could check ECOSOC or UNGA subsidiary-body records or resolutions for any 2026 observance declarations relating to women farmers.
- This is the official United Nations observances page listing international years.
- The page explicitly names 2027 as the "International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism."
- A consolidated list (Wikipedia template) of UN International Years also shows the 2027 entry.
- It specifically associates 2027 with Sustainable and Resilient Tourism, corroborating the UN page.
Gives a direct example that the UN has previously declared themed 'International Year' observances for tourism-related topics (International Year of Eco‑tourism in 2002).
A student could use this pattern (UN declares International Years for thematic topics) plus a list of UN proclamations or UNGA/ECOSOC resolutions to check if 2027 was similarly proclaimed.
Shows the UN routinely declares International Years for thematic environmental issues (International Year of Biodiversity in 2010).
Use this rule that the UN designates International Years for environmental themes to plausibly narrow verification to UN records for 2027 under such proclamations.
Describes UN institutional mechanisms (UN Environment Assembly) and that it adopts resolutions on sustainable development topics, implying formal UN bodies handle thematic declarations.
A student could look up UNEA/UNGA resolution records or press releases around 2027 to see if such a declaration was made by these bodies.
Notes Rio+20 (2012) re‑energised political commitment to sustainable development, showing sustained UN attention to sustainable themes over time.
Combine this long‑standing UN focus on sustainability with searches of UN sustainable development calendars to assess whether 2027 was designated for a sustainability‑related tourism theme.
Explains the emergence and popularity of eco‑tourism and sustainable tourism concepts since the late 1980s, indicating subject matter that the UN might target for thematic years.
A student could use the increased prominence of sustainable/resilient tourism as a rationale to check if the UN later named a year (e.g., 2027) for this topic in official UN proclamations.
- This is the United Nations official 'International Years' observances page.
- It explicitly lists 2025 together with 'International Year of Peace and Trust', showing the UN-level designation.
- A secondary summary (planeta.com) of UN international years lists 'International Year of Peace and Trust' and cites a UN resolution (A/RES/78/266).
- The entry appears alongside other 2025 observances, corroborating the year-assignment.
- A Wikipedia template for UN International Years includes 'Peace and Trust' with the year (2025).
- This provides corroborating (third-party) support that the 'Peace and Trust' observance is associated with 2025.
Shows the UN formally proclaims international observances (example: UN proclaimed May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity).
A student could use this pattern to look for an analogous UN General Assembly proclamation or UN calendar entry specifically naming 2025 as an International Year.
Explains the UN's stated objective to prevent international conflict and be 'the great hope of humanity for peace,' implying the UN undertakes peace‑themed initiatives.
One could reasonably check whether the UN has used its mandate to launch a themed year on 'peace and trust' in 2025 via UN resolutions or official announcements.
Describes the UN's objective to prevent conflict and facilitate cooperation among states, indicating the organisation often sponsors thematic activities related to peace.
Use this pattern to search official UN sources (e.g., UN calendar, GA resolutions) for a 2025 thematic designation on peace and trust.
Gives an example of an international declaration (Bandung) focused on promotion of world peace and cooperation, showing states and international bodies adopt named peace declarations.
A student could infer that if states and international bodies announce peace initiatives, the UN might similarly declare a themed year — so check UN documentary records for 2025.
Notes major UN member-state meetings (e.g., 60th anniversary in 2005) are occasions when the UN reviews situations and can adopt initiatives.
A student could look for GA sessions or anniversary resolutions around 2024–2025 that might include a proclamation of an International Year of Peace and Trust.
- Official United Nations website listing of International Years explicitly names 2029 with that title.
- Direct link text on the UN page matches the statement exactly, indicating UN designation/observance.
- Independent site cites the 2029 designation and references the UN resolution number (A/RES/79/86).
- Provides corroborating evidence that 2029 is the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence.
Shows the UN proclaims International Days/years (example: UN proclaimed May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity).
A student could use this pattern (UN issues formal proclamations for observances) to know to look for an equivalent UN proclamation or resolution for 2029 about asteroid awareness.
Describes UN Environment Assembly activity and that member states pilot and adopt resolutions on global environmental issues.
One could infer that UN bodies adopt thematic resolutions and therefore check UNEA/UNGA records for any 2029 designation related to planetary defence.
Notes major UN conferences (Earth Summit, UNEP origin) and the UN’s role in promoting global thematic action on environmental and planetary issues.
This supports the idea that the UN engages in global thematic observances, so a student should search UN conference/agency announcements for a 2029 asteroid/planetary-defence year.
Provides clear factual context about asteroids (location, nature) showing asteroids are a recognized scientific/planetary topic.
Knowing asteroids are a distinct planetary hazard/topic helps a student judge plausibility that the UN might pick 'asteroid awareness/planetary defence' as a theme and therefore motivates checking UN proclamations for that theme in 2029.
Defines asteroids as rocky planetoids—another example highlighting them as an established subject area.
A student could combine this topic relevance with the UN’s practice of designating thematic observances (snippets 1 and 8) to prioritize checking UN records for a 2029 designation on this subject.
- [THE VERDICT]: Bouncer. While 2025 is expected, knowing 2029 requires tracking specific UNGA resolutions or niche Science news.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: International Organizations (UN) > Official Observances & Campaigns > Future Declarations.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 'Sibling Years': 2024 (Camelids); 2025 (Glaciers' Preservation, Quantum Science and Technology); 2026 (Rangelands and Pastoralists); 2028 (Fashion Farmer - unlikely, but check gaps). Note: 2026 has multiple designations (Woman Farmer + Rangelands).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Do not memorize the entire UN calendar. Focus on years with 'Science' (Asteroids, Quantum) or 'Environment' (Glaciers, Tourism) themes, as these overlap with GS-3. If a theme sounds like official UN jargon ('Sustainable and Resilient'), it is likely real.
The question concerns a UN proclamation of an "International Year" for a thematic area.
Recognising UN International Years is high-yield because exams ask to match years with global thematic observances and their objectives; it connects to questions on global campaigns, SDGs and multilateral advocacy; mastering this helps answer direct factual MCQs and to contextualise policy questions about global thematic priorities.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 15: Protected Area Network > International Year of Biodiversity > p. 225
International thematic observances are typically linked to the mandates of UN specialized agencies dealing with social and economic issues.
Knowing which UN agency handles which thematic area is essential for prelims MCQs and for mains answers on global governance and development; it helps deduce which body would promote or implement an observance and connects to the SDG framework and specialised agency functions.
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: International Organisations > Chapter 4 International Organisations > p. 50
Designations such as international years are produced through UN bodies that adopt resolutions and hold formal sessions.
Understanding which UN organs adopt resolutions (and their procedural role) is useful for questions on how international observances, conventions and policies are created; this clarifies institutional authority and aids elimination in governance-related MCQs and mains analysis.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > History of the United Nations Environment Assembly > p. 387
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: International Organisations > FOUNDING OF THE UNITED NATIONS > p. 48
Past UN International Years (for example, Eco‑tourism in 2002 and Biodiversity in 2010) illustrate the practice of the UN designating thematic years for global attention.
High-yield for UPSC because questions often ask about thematic global observances and their years; links Environment, International Relations and Current Affairs. Mastery helps answer queries on UN initiatives, timelines, and thematic focus areas and to verify calendar-year designations.
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 11: Industries > Growth and Development of Eco-tourism > p. 99
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 15: Protected Area Network > International Year of Biodiversity > p. 225
Understanding eco‑tourism, responsible tourism and sustainable tourism clarifies what 'sustainable and resilient tourism' would encompass and why such themes are chosen for international observances.
Important for Environment and Geography sections; helps in answering conceptual and policy questions on tourism sustainability, conservation-linked tourism strategies, and distinguishing related terminology. Enables tackling questions that require comparing tourism sub‑sectors or assessing policy emphasis.
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 11: Industries > Growth and Development of Eco-tourism > p. 98
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 11: Industries > Definitional Problems of Eco-tourism > p. 101
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 11: Industries > Growth and Development of Eco-tourism > p. 99
Structures like the UN Environment Assembly and conferences such as Rio+20 set agendas and institutional frameworks that lead to thematic global initiatives and observances.
Crucial for linking institutional mechanics with policy outcomes in UPSC. Knowing these bodies and summits aids in answering questions about how international environmental priorities are set, negotiated and operationalised, and in contextualising UN proclamations.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > History of the United Nations Environment Assembly > p. 387
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 21: Sustainable Development and Climate Change > Ro+20 > p. 598
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 29: Environment Issues and Health Effects > fuo+zo > p. 427
The United Nations formally proclaims specific international days (and can designate years) through General Assembly actions, as exemplified by the proclamation of the International Day for Biological Diversity.
High-yield for UPSC because questions often ask how the UN recognises global observances and which organs (e.g., General Assembly) make such designations; connects to understanding UN procedures, resolutions, and diplomatic observances. Mastery enables answering factual questions about international observances and spotting errors about who authorises them.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 15: Protected Area Network > International Day for Biological Diversity - May > p. 225
2025 is also the 'International Year of Glaciers' Preservation' and the 'International Year of Quantum Science and Technology'. UPSC loves asking the 'other' theme of the same year in subsequent exams.
The 'Specific Jargon' Heuristic: UPSC rarely invents complex, multi-word titles like 'International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence' from scratch. If the title is long, specific, and uses standard UN vocabulary (Resilient, Sustainable, Defence), and the year is in the future, the pair is likely Correct. In 'Match the Pair' questions with future dates, 'All the four' is a statistically strong gamble if the themes align with known global priorities.
Link 'Asteroid Awareness (2029)' to GS-3 Science & Tech: The Apophis Asteroid flyby (April 13, 2029) and NASA's DART Mission (Kinetic Impactor). Link 'Woman Farmer (2026)' to GS-1 Society: Feminization of Agriculture.