Champions of the Earth, the highest environmental honour of the United Nations, is awarded by:

The correct answer is B, Paris. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has its headquarters at Place de Fontenoy in Paris, France. Its Constitution was signed in London in November 1945 and came into force in November 1946, and India was among the founding members. Option A is wrong because Geneva hosts the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization and the office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, but not UNESCO. Option C is wrong because New York is the seat of the United Nations headquarters itself, with the General Assembly and the Security Council, as well as of UNICEF. Option D is wrong because Vienna houses the International Atomic Energy Agency and the office on drugs and crime. Keep the four cities apart, because papers list them together in a single question.

The correct answer is A, popularisation of science. The Kalinga Prize honours writers, editors, lecturers, film makers and broadcasters who explain science, research and technology to the general public, and it is awarded by UNESCO. The fund for it was endowed in 1951 and the first prize was given in 1952 to the French physicist Louis de Broglie. Option B is wrong because peace work is recognised by the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize of UNESCO, created in 1989. Option C is wrong because heritage sites are protected under the World Heritage Convention of 1972, which is a listing system and not a prize. Option D is wrong because literacy is rewarded by the King Sejong Literacy Prize and the Confucius Prize for Literacy, presented on International Literacy Day.

The correct answer is A, Biju Patnaik. Biju Patnaik, the aviator and industrialist who later became Chief Minister of Odisha, gave the endowment in 1951 that allowed UNESCO to create the prize, and it was named after the ancient kingdom of Kalinga in that region, where the Mauryan emperor Ashoka fought the war that changed him. Option B is wrong because Madanjeet Singh, the Indian artist, writer and diplomat, endowed the separate UNESCO prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence, created in 1995. Option C is wrong because J R D Tata, the aviation pioneer and industrialist, is connected with the United Nations Population Award, which he received in 1992. Option D is wrong because Homi Bhabha built India's atomic energy programme and endowed no UNESCO prize.

The correct answer is B, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO is the specialised agency of the United Nations for education, the sciences, culture, communication and information, with its headquarters at Paris. Its Constitution declares that since wars begin in the minds of men, the defences of peace must be built in the minds of men. Option A is wrong because economic and social matters are handled by the Economic and Social Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. Option C is wrong because the environment is the responsibility of the United Nations Environment Programme, which has its headquarters at Nairobi in Kenya. Option D is wrong because it is simply a rearranged form that does not match the agency's real name, and such near-miss expansions are the usual distractors.

The correct answer is A, press freedom. The UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was instituted in 1997 and honours a person or an organisation that has defended freedom of the press, often at great personal risk. It is named after a Colombian journalist who was killed for his reporting, and it is presented every year on World Press Freedom Day, which falls on 3 May. Option B is wrong because child welfare is the work of UNICEF, which gives the Maurice Pate Award. Option C is wrong because disaster risk reduction is recognised by the Sasakawa Award of the United Nations disaster risk office. Option D is wrong because conservation work is recognised through Champions of the Earth, the environmental honour of the United Nations Environment Programme. Fix the date 3 May with this prize.