AFGHANISTAN (continued 28)

Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant.

Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase energy and activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines (Desoxyn, Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy (clarity, essence, doctor, Adam), phenmetrazine (Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others (Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate).

Imports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis.

Imports - commodities: This entry provides a rank ordering of imported products starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.

Imports - partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.

Independence: For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. Dependent areas include the notation "none" followed by the nature of their dependency status. Also see the Terminology note.

Industrial production growth rate: This entry gives the annual percentage increase in industrial production (includes manufacturing, mining, and construction).

Industries: This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting with the largest by value of annual output.

Infant mortality rate: This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year. This rate is often used an indicator of the level of health in a country.

Inflation rate (consumer prices): This entry furnishes the annual percent change in consumer prices compared with the previous year's consumer prices.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): This entry supplies the number of Internet Service Providers within a country. An ISP is defined as a company that provides access to the Internet.

International disputes: see Disputes - international

International organization participation: This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way.

International organizations: This information is presented in [8]Appendix C: International Organizations and Groups which includes the name, abbreviation, address, telephone, FAX, date established, aim, and members by category.

Introduction: This category includes one entry, Background.

Irrigated land: This entry gives the number of square kilometers of land area that is artificially supplied with water.

Judicial branch: This entry contains the name(s) of the highest court(s) and a brief description of the selection process for members.

Labor force: This entry contains the total labor force figure.

Labor force - by occupation: This entry contains a rank ordering of component parts of the labor force by occupation.

Land boundaries: This entry contains the total length of all land boundaries and the individual lengths for each of the contiguous border countries.

Land use: This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area for five different types of land use: arable land - land cultivated for crops that are replanted after each harvest like wheat, maize, and rice; permanent crops - land cultivated for crops that are not replanted after each harvest like citrus, coffee, and rubber; permanent pastures - land permanently used for herbaceous forage crops; forests and woodland - land under dense or open stands of trees; other - any land type not specifically mentioned above, such as urban areas, roads, desert, etc.

Languages: This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with the largest and sometimes includes the percent of total population speaking that language.

Legal system: This entry contains a brief description of the legal system's historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.

Legislative branch: This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral, bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of office. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats held by each party in the last election.

Life expectancy at birth: This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures.

Literacy: This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

Location: This entry identifies the country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.

Map references: This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference map on which a country may be found. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries.

Maritime claims: This entry includes the following claims: contiguous zone, continental shelf, exclusive economic zone, exclusive fishing zone, extended fishing zone, none (usually for a landlocked country), other (unique maritime claims like Libya's Gulf of Sidra Closing Line or North Korea's Military Boundary Line), and territorial sea. The proximity of neighboring states may prevent some national claims from being extended the full distance.

Merchant marine: Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc.; or a grouping of merchant ships by nationality or register. This entry contains information in two subfields - total and ships by type. Total includes the total number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, intermodal ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunction large-load carriers, oil tankers, passenger ships, passenger-cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, tanker tug-barges, and vehicle carriers.

A captive register is a register of ships maintained by a territory, possession, or colony primarily or exclusively for the use of ships owned in the parent country; it is also referred to as an offshore register, the offshore equivalent of an internal register. Ships on a captive register will fly the same flag as the parent country, or a local variant of it, but will be subject to the maritime laws and taxation rules of the offshore territory. Although the nature of a captive register makes it especially desirable for ships owned in the parent country, just as in the internal register, the ships may also be owned abroad. The captive register then acts as a flag of convenience register, except that it is not the register of an independent state.

A flag of convenience register is a national register offering registration to a merchant ship not owned in the flag state. The major flags of convenience (FOC) attract ships to their registers by virtue of low fees, low or nonexistent taxation of profits, and liberal manning requirements. True FOC registers are characterized by having relatively few of the registered ships actually owned in the flag state. Thus, while virtually any flag can be used for ships under a given set of circumstances, an FOC register is one where the majority of the merchant fleet is owned abroad. It is also referred to as an open register.

A flag state is the nation in which a ship is registered and which holds legal jurisdiction over operation of the ship, whether at home or abroad. Maritime legislation of the flag state determines how a ship is crewed and taxed and whether a foreign-owned ship may be placed on the register.

An internal register is a register of ships maintained as a subset of a national register. Ships on the internal register fly the national flag and have that nationality but are subject to a separate set of maritime rules from those on the main national register. These differences usually include lower taxation of profits, use of foreign nationals as crew members, and, usually, ownership outside the flag state (when it functions as an FOC register). The Norwegian International Ship Register and Danish International Ship Register are the most notable examples of an internal register. Both have been instrumental in stemming flight from the national flag to flags of convenience and in attracting foreign-owned ships to the Norwegian and Danish flags.

A merchant ship is a vessel that carries goods against payment of freight; it is commonly used to denote any nonmilitary ship but accurately restricted to commercial vessels only.

A register is the record of a ship's ownership and nationality as listed with the maritime authorities of a country; also, it is the compendium of such individual ships' registrations. Registration of a ship provides it with a nationality and makes it subject to the laws of the country in which registered (the flag state) regardless of the nationality of the ship's ultimate owner.

Military: This category includes the entries dealing with a country's military structure, manpower, and expenditures.

Military branches: This entry lists the names of the ground, naval, air, marine, and other defense or security forces.

Military expenditures - dollar figure: This entry gives current military expenditures in US dollars; the figure is calculated by multiplying the estimated defense spending in percentage terms by the gross domestic product (GDP) calculated on an exchange rate basis not purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. However, in the case of Russia, estimates of military expenditures have been made using PPP. Dollar figures for military expenditures should be treated with caution because of different price patterns and accounting methods among nations, as well as wide variations in the strength of their currencies.

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: This entry gives current military expenditures as an estimated percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Military manpower - availability: This entry gives the total numbers of males and females age 15-49 and assumes that every individual is fit to serve.

Military manpower - fit for military service: This entry gives the number of males and females age 15-49 fit for military service. This is a more refined measure of potential military manpower availability which tries to correct for the health situation in the country and reduces the maximum potential number to a more realistic estimate of the actual number fit to serve.

Military manpower - military age: This entry gives the minimum age at which an individual may volunteer for military service or be subject to conscription.

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: This entry gives the number of draft-age males and females entering the military manpower pool in any given year and is a measure of the availability of draft-age young adults.

Military - note: This entry includes miscellaneous military information of significance not included elsewhere.

Money figures: All money figures are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars unless otherwise indicated.

National holiday: This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually independence day.

Nationality: This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun and adjective.

Natural hazards: This entry lists potential natural disasters.

Natural resources: This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.

Net migration rate: This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population change. High levels of migration can cause problems such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic strife (if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force, perhaps in certain key sectors (if people are leaving).

People: This category includes the entries dealing with the characteristics of the people and their society.

People - note: This entry includes miscellaneous demographic information of significance not included elsewhere.

Personal Names - Capitalization: The Factbook capitalizes the surname or family name of individuals for the convenience of our users who are faced with a world of different cultures and naming conventions. An example would be President SADDAM Husayn of Iraq. Saddam is his name and Husayn is his father's name. He may be referred to as President SADDAM Husayn or President SADDAM, but not President Husayn. The need for capitalization, bold type, underlining, italics, or some other indicator of the individual's surname is apparent in the following examples: MAO Zedong, Fidel CASTRO Ruz, William Jefferson CLINTON, and TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah. By knowing the surname, a short form without all capital letters can be used with confidence as in President Saddam, President Castro, Chairman Mao, President Clinton, or Sultan Tunku Salahuddin. The same system of capitalization is extended to the names of leaders with surnames that are not commonly used such as Queen ELIZABETH II.

Personal Names - Spelling: The romanization of personal names in the Factbook normally follows the same transliteration system used by the US Board on Geographic Names for spelling place names. At times, however, a foreign leader expressly indicates a preference for, or the media or official documents regularly use, a romanized spelling that differs from the transliteration derived from the US Government standard. In such cases, the Factbook uses the alternative spelling.

Personal Names - Titles: The Factbook capitalizes any valid title (or short form of it) immediately preceding a person's name. A title standing alone is lowercased. Examples: President PUTIN and President CLINTON are chiefs of state. In Russia, the president is chief of state and the premier is the head of the government, while in the US, the president is both chief of state and head of government.

Pipelines: This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.

Political parties and leaders: This entry includes a listing of significant political organizations and their leaders.

Political pressure groups and leaders: This entry includes a listing of organizations with leaders involved in politics, but not standing for legislative election.

Population: This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world and within its region. Note: starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken into account the effects of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Population below poverty line: National estimates of the percentage of the population lying below the poverty line are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of people in each group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous standards of poverty than poor nations.

Population growth rate: The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen as threatening by neighboring countries.

Ports and harbors: This entry lists the major ports and harbors selected on the basis of overall importance to each country. This is determined by evaluating a number of factors (e.g., dollar value of goods handled, gross tonnage, facilities, military significance).

Radio broadcast stations: This entry includes the total number of AM, FM, and shortwave broadcast stations.

Radios: This entry gives the total number of radio receivers.

Railways: This entry includes the total route length of the railway network and component parts by gauge: broad, dual, narrow, standard, and other.

Reference maps: This section includes world, regional, and special or current interest maps.

Religions: This entry includes a rank ordering of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population.

Sex ratio: This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually it could cause unrest among young adult males who are unable to find partners.

Suffrage: This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted.

Telephone numbers: All telephone numbers in the Factbook consist of the country code in brackets, the city or area code (where required) in parentheses, and the local number. The one component that is not presented is the international access code, which varies from country to country. For example, an international direct dial telephone call placed from the US to Madrid, Spain, would be as follows:

011 [34] (1) 577-xxxx, where

011 is the international access code for station-to-station calls

(01 is for calls other than station-to-station calls),

[34] is the country code for Spain,

(1) is the city code for Madrid,

577 is the local exchange, and

xxxx is the local telephone number.

An international direct dial telephone call placed from another country to the US would be as follows:

international access code + [1] (202) 939-xxxx, where

[1] is the country code for the US,

(202) is the area code for Washington, DC,

939 is the local exchange, and

xxxx is the local telephone number.

Telephone system: This entry includes a brief characterization of the system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:

Africa ONE - a fiber-optic submarine cable link encircling the continent of Africa.

Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia).

Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense).

CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications.

cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a regular telephone exchange.

Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each other.

coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of a central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies.

Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US).

DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense Communications System (US Department of Defense).

Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Paris).

fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the signal (voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light.

GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised by the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization organization, Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications (CEPT) in 1982.

HF - high-frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz range.

Inmarsat - International Mobile Satellite Organization (London); provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial, distress, and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land.

Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Washington, DC).

Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications (Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East European countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with earth stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia.

landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is installed on poles or buried in the ground.

Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency.

Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate in the Inmarsat system.

Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern telecommunications network, primarily by microwave radio relay, linking Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; it was initially started in Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications Network.

microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone calls and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves that are received and sent on from one booster station to another on an optical path.

NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system that was developed jointly by the national telecommunications authorities of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).

Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a packet-switched digital telephone network.

radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and reception of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using telephone handsets.

PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT).

satellite communication system - a communication system consisting of two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provides long distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system.

satellite earth station - a communications facility with a microwave radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required receiving and transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites.

satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only transmission) or two-way (telephone channels).

SHF - super-high-frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-MHz range.

shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over long distances.

Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of international telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere.

Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite telecommunications.

submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water.

TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America.

telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the public switched telephone network or the international Datel network.

telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated electric impulse transmission.

telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters connected by wire through automatic exchanges.

tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals; reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances up to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the range of this system for very long distances.

trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by multichannel trunk lines.

UHF - ultra-high-frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to 3,000-MHz range.

VHF - very-high-frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz range.

Telephones - main lines in use: This entry gives the total number of main telephone lines in use.

Telephones - mobile cellular: This entry gives the total number of mobile cellular telephones in use.

Television - broadcast stations: This entry gives the total number of separate broadcast stations plus any repeater stations.

Televisions: This entry gives the total number of television sets.

Terminology: Due to the highly structured nature of the Factbook database, some collective generic terms have to be used. For example, the word Country in the Country name entry refers to a wide variety of dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other entities in addition to the traditional countries or independent states. Military is also used as an umbrella term for various civil defense, security, and defense activities in many entries. The Independence entry includes the usual colonial independence dates and former ruling states as well as other significant nationhood dates such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession that are not strictly independence dates. Dependent areas have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry.

Terrain: This entry contains a brief description of the topography.

Total fertility rate: This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population growth in the country. High rates will also place some limits on the labor force participation rates for women. Large numbers of children born to women indicate large family sizes that might limit the ability of the families to feed and educate their children.

Transnational Issues: This category includes only two entries at the present time - Disputes - international and Illicit drugs - that deal with current issues going beyond national boundaries.

Transportation: This category includes the entries dealing with the means for movement of people and goods.

Transportation - note: This entry includes miscellaneous transportation information of significance not included elsewhere.

Unemployment rate: This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.

United Nations System: This information is presented in [9]Appendix B: United Nations System as a chart, table, or text (depending on the version of the Factbook) that shows the organization of the UN in detail.

Waterways: This entry gives the total length and individual names of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.

Weights and measures: This information is presented in [10]Appendix E: Weights and Measures and includes mathematical notations (mathematical powers and names), metric interrelationships (prefix; symbol; length, weight, or capacity; area; volume), and standard conversion factors.

Years: All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is an accounting period of 12 months from 1 January to 31 December. The fiscal year is an accounting period of 12 months other than 1 January to 31 December.

Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was compiled from material in the public domain and does not represent Intelligence Community estimates.

______________________________________________________________________

@Appendix A: Abbreviations

A

ABEDA Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

ACC Arab Cooperation Council

ACCT Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique; see Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation; changed name in 1996 to Agence de la francophonie or Agency for the French-Speaking Community

ACP Group African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States

AfDB African Development Bank

AFESD Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

AG Andean Group; see Andean Community of Nations (CAN)

Air Pollution Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Air Pollution-Sulphur 85 Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30%

Air Pollution-Sulphur 94 Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes

AL Arab League

ALADI Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion; see Latin American Integration Association (LAIA)

AMF Arab Monetary Fund

AMU Arab Maghreb Union

Ancom Andean Common Market; see Andean Community of Nations (CAN)

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

ANZUS Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty

APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Arabsat Arab Satellite Communications Organization

AsDB Asian Development Bank

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Autodin Automatic Digital Network

B

BAD Banque Africaine de Developpement; see African Development Bank (AfDB)

BADEA Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique; see Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA)

BCIE Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico; see Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE)

BDEAC Banque de Developpment des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale; see Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC)

Benelux Benelux Economic Union

BID Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo; see Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)

Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity

BIS Bank for International Settlements

BOAD Banque Ouest-Africaine de Developpement; see West African Development Bank (WADB)

BSEC Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone

C

C Commonwealth

CACM Central American Common Market

CAEU Council of Arab Economic Unity

CAN Andean Community of Nations

Caricom Caribbean Community and Common Market

CB citizen's band mobile radio communications

CBSS Council of the Baltic Sea States

CCC Customs Cooperation Council

CDB Caribbean Development Bank

CE Council of Europe

CEAO Communaute Economique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest; see West African Economic Community (CEAO)

CEEAC Communaute Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale; see Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)

CEI Central European Initiative

CEMA Council for Mutual Economic Assistance; also known as CMEA or Comecon

CEPGL Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs; see Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL)

CERN Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire; see European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

CG Contadora Group

c.i.f. cost, insurance, and freight

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

CITES see Endangered Species

Climate Change United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

CMEA Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA); also known as Comecon

COCOM Coordinating Committee on Export Controls

Comecon Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA); also known as CMEA

Comsat Communications Satellite Corporation

CP Colombo Plan

CSCE Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe; see Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

CY calendar year

D

DC developed country

Desertification United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

DSN Defense Switched Network

DWT deadweight ton

E

EADB East African Development Bank

EAPC Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EC European Community; see European Union (EU)

ECA Economic Commission for Africa

ECAFE Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East; see Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

ECE Economic Commission for Europe

ECLA Economic Commission for Latin America; see Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

ECO Economic Cooperation Organization

ECOSOC Economic and Social Council

ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States

ECS European Coal and Steel Community; see European Union (EU)

ECWA Economic Commission for Western Asia; see Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

EEC European Economic Community; see European Union (EU)

EFTA European Free Trade Association

EIB European Investment Bank

EMU European Monetary Union

Endangered Species Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)

Entente Council of the Entente

Environmental Modification Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques

ESA European Space Agency

ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

est. estimate

EU European Union

Euratom European Atomic Energy Community; see European Community (EC)

Eutelsat European Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Ex-Im Export-Import Bank of the United States

F

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

FAX facsimile

f.o.b. free on board

FLS Front Line States

FRG Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany); used for information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91

FSU former Soviet Union

FY fiscal year

FYROM The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

FZ Franc Zone

G

G-2 Group of 2

G-3 Group of 3

G-5 Group of 5

G-6 Group of 6 (not to be confused with the Big Six)

G-7 Group of 7

G-8 Group of 8

G-9 Group of 9

G-10 Group of 10

G-11 Group of 11

G-15 Group of 15

G-19 Group of 19

G-24 Group of 24

G-30 Group of 30

G-33 Group of 33

G-77 Group of 77

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; subsumed by the World Trade Organization (WTrO) on 1 January 1995

GCC Gulf Cooperation Council

GDP gross domestic product

GDR German Democratic Republic (East Germany); used for information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91

GNP gross national product

GRT gross register ton

GWP gross world product

H

Hazardous Wastes Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

HF high-frequency

I

IADB Inter-American Development Bank

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

IBEC International Bank for Economic Cooperation

IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization

ICC International Chamber of Commerce

ICEM Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration; see International Organization for Migration (IOM)

ICFTU International Confederation of Free Trade Unions; see World Confederation of Labor (WCL)

ICJ International Court of Justice (World Court)

ICM Intergovernmental Committee for Migration; see International Organization for Migration (IOM)

ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

ICRM International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

IDA International Development Association

IDB Islamic Development Bank

IEA International Energy Agency

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development

IFC International Finance Corporation

IFCTU International Federation of Christian Trade Unions

IFRCS International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

IGAD Inter-Governmental Authority on Development

IGADD Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development

IHO International Hydrographic Organization

IIB International Investment Bank

ILO International Labor Organization

IMCO Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization; see International Maritime Organization (IMO)

IMF International Monetary Fund

IMO International Maritime Organization

Inmarsat International Mobile Satellite Organization

InOC Indian Ocean Commission

Intelsat International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Interpol International Criminal Police Organization

Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications

IOC International Olympic Committee

IOM International Organization for Migration

ISO International Organization for Standardization

ITU International Telecommunication Union

K

kHz kilohertz

km kilometer

kW kilowatt

kWh kilowatt hour

L

LAES Latin American Economic System

LAIA Latin American Integration Association

LAS League of Arab States; see Arab League (AL)

Law of the Sea United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)

LDC less developed country

LLDC least developed country

London Convention see Marine Dumping

LORCS League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; see International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)

LOS see Law of the Sea

M

m meter

Marecs Maritime European Communications Satellite

Marine Dumping Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter

Marine Life Conservation Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas

MARPOL see Ship Pollution

Medarabtel Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union

Mercosur Mercado Comun del Cono Sur; see Southern Cone Common Market

MHz megahertz

MINURSO United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

MINUGUA United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala

MIPONUH United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti

MONUA United Nations Observer Mission in Angola

MONUC United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

N

NA not available

NACC North Atlantic Cooperation Council; see Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)

NAM Nonaligned Movement

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NC Nordic Council

NEA Nuclear Energy Agency

NEGL negligible

NIB Nordic Investment Bank

NIC newly industrializing country; see newly industrializing economy (NIE)

NIE newly industrializing economy

nm nautical mile

NMT Nordic Mobile Telephone

NSG Nuclear Suppliers Group

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water

NZ New Zealand

O

OAPEC Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

OAS Organization of American States

OAU Organization of African Unity

ODA official development assistance

OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OECS Organization of Eastern Caribbean States

OIC Organization of the Islamic Conference

ONUSAL United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador

OOF other official flows

OPANAL Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe; see Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

OPCW Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Ozone Layer Protection Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer

P

PCA Permanent Court of Arbitration

PDRY People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]; used for information dated before 22 May 1990 or CY91

PFP Partnership for Peace

R

Ramsar see Wetlands

RG Rio Group

S

SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

SACU Southern African Customs Union

SADC Southern African Development Community

SADCC Southern African Development Coordination Conference; see Southern African Development Community (SADC)

SELA Sistema Economico Latinoamericana; see Latin American Economic System (LAES)

SFRY Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; dissolved 5 December 1991

SHF super-high-frequency

Ship Pollution Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL)

Sparteca South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement

SPC South Pacific Commission

SPF South Pacific Forum

sq km square kilometer

sq mi square mile

T

TAT Trans-Atlantic Telephone

Tropical Timber 83 International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983

Tropical Timber 94 International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994

U

UAE United Arab Emirates

UDEAC Union Douaniere et Economique de l'Afrique Centrale; see Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC)

UEMOA Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine; see West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)

UHF ultra-high-frequency

UK United Kingdom

UN United Nations

UNAMIR United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda

UNAMSIL United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone

UNAVEM III United Nations Angola Verification Mission III

UNCRO United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNDOF United Nations Disengagement Observer Force

UNDP United Nations Development Program

UNEP United Nations Environment Program

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

UNFICYP United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus

UNFPA United Nations Fund for Population Activities; see UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization

UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

UNIKOM United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission

UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNMIH United Nations Mission in Haiti

UNMIBH United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

UNMIK United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

UNMOGIP United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan

UNMOP United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka

UNMOT United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan

UNMOVIC United Nations Monitoring and Verification Commission

UNOMIG United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia

UNOMIL United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia

UNOMOZ United Nations Operation in Mozambique

UNOMSIL United Nations Mission of Observers in Sierra Leone

UNOMUR United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda

UNOSOM II United Nations Operation in Somalia II

UNPREDEP United Nations Preventive Deployment Force

UNPROFOR United Nations Protection Force

UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

UNSCOM United Nations Special Commission for the Elimination of Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction; see United Nations Monitoring and Verification Commission (UNMOVIC)

UNSMIH United Nations Support Mission in Haiti

UNTAC United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia

UNTAES United Nations Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Sirmium

UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

UNTSO United Nations Truce Supervision Organization

UNU United Nations University

UPU Universal Postal Union

US United States

USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated before 25 December 1991

USSR/EE Union of Soviet Socialist Republics/Eastern Europe

V

VHF very-high-frequency

VSAT very small aperture terminal

W

WADB West African Development Bank

WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union

WCL World Confederation of Labor

WCO World Customs Organization; see Customs Cooperation Council

Wetlands Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat

WEU Western European Union

WFC World Food Council

WFP World Food Program

WFTU World Federation of Trade Unions

Whaling International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

WHO World Health Organization

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization

WMO World Meteorological Organization

WP Warsaw Pact

WTO see WToO for World Tourism Organization or WTrO for World Trade Organization

WToO World Tourism Organization

WTrO World Trade Organization

Y

YAR

Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen]; used for information dated before 22 May 1990 or CY91

Z

ZC Zangger Committee

______________________________________________________________________

@Appendix B: United Nations System

______________________________________________________________________

@Appendix C: International Organizations and Groups

advanced developing countries another term for those less developed countries (LDCs) with particularly rapid industrial development; see newly industrializing economies (NIEs) _________________________________________________________________

advanced economies a new term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the top group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; recently published IMF statistics include the following 28 advanced economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, US; note - this group would presumably also cover the following seven smaller countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Faroe Islands, Holy See, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino which are included in the more comprehensive group of "developed countries" _________________________________________________________________

African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group) address - Avenue Georges Henri 451, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium telephone - [32] (2) 743 06 00 FAX - [32] (2) 735 55 73 established - 6 June 1975 aim - to manage their preferential economic and aid relationship with the EU members - (71) Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe _________________________________________________________________

African Development Bank (AfDB) note - also known as Banque Africaine de Developpement (BAD) address - 01 BP 1387, Abidjan 01, Cote d'Ivoire telephone - [225] 20 44 44 FAX - [225] 21 77 53 established - 4 August 1963 aim - to promote economic and social development regional members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe nonregional members - (25) Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK, US _________________________________________________________________

Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique (ACCT) see Agency for the French-speaking Community (ACCT) _________________________________________________________________

Agence de la francophonie (ACCT) see Agency for the French-speaking Community (ACCT) _________________________________________________________________

Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT) see Agency for the French-speaking Community (ACCT); acronym from Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique _________________________________________________________________

Agency for the French-Speaking Community (ACCT) note - formerly Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation address - 13 Quai Andre-Citroen, F-75015 Paris, France telephone - [33] (1) 44 37 33 00 FAX - [33] (1) 45 79 14 98 established - 20 March 1970 name changed - 1996 aim - to promote cultural and technical cooperation among French-speaking countries members - (41) Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Niger, Romania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam associate members - (5) Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Morocco, Saint Lucia participating governments - (2) New Brunswick (Canada), Quebec (Canada) _________________________________________________________________

Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) note - acronym from Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe (OPANAL) address - Temistocles 78, Col Polanco, CP 011560, Mexico City 5 DF, Mexico telephone - [52] (5) 280 4923, 280 5064, 280 2715 FAX - [52] (5) 280 2965 established - 14 February 1967 under the Treaty of Tlatelolco effective - 25 April 1969 on the 11th ratification of the treaty aim - to encourage the peaceful uses of atomic energy and prohibit nuclear weapons members - (32) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela _________________________________________________________________

Andean Community of Nations (CAN) note - formerly known as the Andean Group (AG), the Andean Parliament, and most recently as the Andean Common Market (Ancom) address - c/o General Secretariat of the Andean Community, Paseo de la Republica 3895, Casilla 18-1177, Lima 18, Peru telephone - [51] (1) 221 2222 FAX - [51] (1) 221 3329 established - 26 May 1969; present name established 1 October 1992 effective - 16 October 1969 aim - to promote harmonious development through economic integration members - (5) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela associate member - (1) Panama _________________________________________________________________

Andean Group (AG) see Andean Community of Nations (CAN) _________________________________________________________________

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA) note - also known as Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA) address - Abdel Rahman El Mahdi Avenue, P. O. Box 2640, Khartoum, Sudan telephone - [249] (11) 770498, 773646, 773709 FAX - [249] (11) 770600 established - 18 February 1974 effective - 16 September 1974 aim - to promote economic development members - (17 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Palestine Liberation Organization; note - these are all the members of the Arab League excluding Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen _________________________________________________________________

Arab Cooperation Council (ACC) established - 16 February 1989 aim - to promote economic cooperation and integration, possibly leading to an Arab Common Market members - (4) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen _________________________________________________________________

Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) address - P. O. Box 21923, Safat 13080, Kuwait telephone - [965] 4844500 FAX - [965] 4815750, 4815760, 4815770 established - 16 May 1968 aim - to promote economic and social development members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt (suspended from 1979 to 1988), Iraq (suspended 1993), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia (suspended 1993), Sudan (suspended 1993), Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization _________________________________________________________________

Arab League (AL) note - also known as League of Arab States (LAS) address - Midan Attahrir, Tahrir Square, P. O. Box 11642, Cairo, Egypt telephone - [20] (2) 750 511 FAX - [20] (2) 740 331 established - 22 March 1945 aim - to promote economic, social, political, and military cooperation members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization _________________________________________________________________

Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) address - 27 Avenue Okba Agdal, Rabat, Morocco telephone - [212] (7) 77 26 82, 77 26 76, 77 26 68 FAX - [212] (7) 77 26 93 established - 17 February 1989 aim - to promote cooperation and integration among the Arab states of northern Africa members - (5) Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia _________________________________________________________________

Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) address - P. O. Box 2818, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates telephone - [971] (2) 215000, 328500 FAX - [971] (2) 326454 established - 27 April 1976 effective - 2 February 1977 aim - to promote Arab cooperation, development, and integration in monetary and economic affairs members - (20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization _________________________________________________________________

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) address - APEC Secretariat, 438 Alexandra Road, 14-00 Alexandra Point, 14th Floor 01/04, Singapore 119958, Singapore telephone - [65] 276 1880 FAX - [65] 276 1775 established - 7 November 1989 aim - to promote trade and investment in the Pacific basin members - (21) Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, US, Vietnam observers - (3) Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference, South Pacific Forum _________________________________________________________________

Asian Development Bank (AsDB) address - 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong, 0401 METRO Manila, Philippines telephone - [63] (2) 711 3851 FAX - [63] (2) 741 7961, 631 6816 established - 19 December 1966 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation regional members - (41) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam nonregional members - (16) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US _________________________________________________________________

Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion (ALADI) see Latin American Integration Association (LAIA) _________________________________________________________________

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) note - the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) consists of the 9 ASEAN members, 2 observers, 2 consultative partners, and 8 dialogue partners: Australia, Canada, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, US address - 70 A Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Jakarta 12110, Indonesia telephone - [62] (21) 7262991, 7243372 FAX - [62] (21) 7398234, 7243504 established - 8 August 1967 aim - to encourage regional economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the non-Communist countries of Southeast Asia members - (10) Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam observer - (1) Papua New Guinea consultative partners - (2) China, Russia _________________________________________________________________

Australia Group established - 1984 aim - to consult on and coordinate export controls related to chemical and biological weapons members - (28) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US; note - may now include only 23 countries observer - (1) Singapore _________________________________________________________________

Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS) address - c/o Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bag 8, Queen Victoria Terrace, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia telephone - [61] (6) 261 91 11 FAX - [61] (6) 261 21 51 established - 1 September 1951 effective - 29 April 1952 aim - to implement a trilateral mutual security agreement, although the US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986; Australia and the US continue to hold annual meetings members - (3) Australia, NZ, US _________________________________________________________________

Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico (BCIE) see Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) _________________________________________________________________

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) see Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) _________________________________________________________________

Bank for International Settlements (BIS) address - Centralbahnplatz 2, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland telephone - [41] (61) 280 80 80 FAX - [41] (61) 280 91 00, 280 81 00 established - 20 January 1930 effective - 17 March 1930 aim - to promote cooperation among central banks in international financial settlements members - (45) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US, Yugoslavia (suspended) _________________________________________________________________

Banque Africaine de Developpement (BAD) see African Development Bank (AfDB) _________________________________________________________________

Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA) see Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA) _________________________________________________________________

Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale (BDEAC) see Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC) _________________________________________________________________

Banque Ouest-Africaine de Developpement (BOAD) see West African Development Bank (WADB) _________________________________________________________________

Benelux Economic Union (Benelux) note - acronym from Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg address - Rue de la Regence 39, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium telephone - [32] (2) 519 38 11 FAX - [32] (2) 513 42 06 established - 3 February 1958 effective - 1 November 1960 aim - to develop closer economic cooperation and integration members - (3) Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands _________________________________________________________________

Big Seven note - membership is the same as the Group of 7 established - NA 1975 aim - to discuss and coordinate major economic policies members - (7) Big Six (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) plus the US _________________________________________________________________

Big Six note - not to be confused with the Group of 6 established - NA 1967 aim - to foster economic cooperation members - (6) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK _________________________________________________________________

Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC) address - Istinye Cad Musir Fuad Pasa Yalisi Eski Tersame, Istinye 80860, Istanbul, Turkey telephone - [90] (212) 229 6330 FAX - [90] (212) 229 6336 established - 25 June 1992 aim - to enhance regional stability through economic cooperation members - (11) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine observers - (7) Austria, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Tunisia _________________________________________________________________

Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) address - Caricom, P. O. Box 10827, Bank of Guyana Building, 3rd floor, Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, Guyana telephone - [592] (2) 69281 through 69289 FAX - [592] (2) 66091, 67816, 57341 established - 4 July 1973 effective - 1 August 1973 aim - to promote economic integration and development, especially among the less developed countries members - (14) Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago associate members - (3) Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands observers - (10) Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Venezuela _________________________________________________________________

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) address - P. O. Box 408, Wildey, St. Michael, Barbados telephone - [1] (246) 431 1600 FAX - [1] (246) 426 7269 established - 18 October 1969 effective - 26 January 1970 aim - to promote economic development and cooperation regional members - (20) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela nonregional members - (6) Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, UK _________________________________________________________________

Cartagena Group see Group of 11 _________________________________________________________________

Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) note - acronym from Union Douaniere et Economique de l'Afrique Centrale address - BP 969, Bangui, Central African Republic telephone - [236] 61 09 22, 61 45 77 FAX - [236] 61 21 35 established - 8 December 1964 effective - 1 January 1966 aim - to promote the establishment of a Central African Common Market members - (6) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon _________________________________________________________________

Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC) note - acronym from Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale address - BDEAC, Place du Gouvernement, BP 1177, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo telephone - [242] 81 18 85 FAX - [242] 81 18 80 established - 3 December 1975 aim - to provide loans for economic development members - (9) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Germany, Kuwait _________________________________________________________________

Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) note - acronym from Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico address - Apartado Postal 772, Tegucigalpa DC, Honduras telephone - [504] 228 2243 FAX - [504] 228 2185 established - 13 December 1960 signature of Articles of Agreement; 31 May 1961 began operations aim - to promote economic integration and development members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua nonregional members - (4) Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan _________________________________________________________________

Central American Common Market (CACM) address - c/o SIECA, Apartado Postal 1237, 4a Avenida 10-25, Zona 14, Guatemala 01901, Guatemala telephone - [502] (2) 682151, 682152, 682153, 682154 FAX - [502] (2) 681071 established - 13 December 1960, collapsed in 1969, reinstated in 1991 aim - to promote establishment of a Central American Common Market members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua; note - Panama, although not a member, pursues full regional cooperation _________________________________________________________________

Central European Initiative (CEI) note - evolved from the Quadrilateral Initiative and the Hexagonal Group address - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2EH, UK telephone - [44] (171) 338 6152 FAX - [44] (171) 338 7472 established - 11 November 1989 as the Quadrilateral Initiative, 27 July 1991 became the Hexagonal Initiative, NA 1992 present name adopted aim - to form an economic and political cooperation group for the region between the Adriatic and the Baltic Seas members - (16) Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine _________________________________________________________________

centrally planned economies a term applied mainly to the traditionally communist states that looked to the former USSR for leadership; most are now evolving toward more democratic and market-oriented systems; also known formerly as the Second World or as the communist countries; through the 1980s, this group included Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, GDR, Hungary, North Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yugoslavia _________________________________________________________________

Colombo Plan (CP) address - Colombo Plan Bureau, P. O. Box 596, 12 Melbourne Avenue, Colombo 4, Sri Lanka telephone - [94] (1) 581813, 581853, 581754 FAX - [94] (1) 581754 established - NA May 1950 proposal was adopted; 1 July 1951 commenced full operations aim - to promote economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific members - (24) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, US _________________________________________________________________

Commission for Social Development note - formerly Social Commission address - General Assembly and ECOSOC Affairs Division, Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, United Nations, Room S-2950, New York, NY 10017, US telephone - [1] (212) 963 1234 FAX - [1] (212) 963 5935 established - 21 June 1946 as the Social Commission, renamed 29 July 1966 aim - to deal, as part of the Economic and Social Council, with social development programs of UN members - (46) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice address - Center for International Crime Prevention, Vienna International Center, P. O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria telephone - [43] (1) 21345, extension 4272 FAX - [43] (1) 21345 5898, 21345 5841 established - 6 February 1992 aim - to provide guidance, as part of the Economic and Social Council, on crime prevention and criminal justice members - (40) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Commission on Human Rights address - c/o Secretariat, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, United Nations Office at Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland telephone - [41] (22) 917 90 00, 907 92 60 FAX - [41] (22) 917 90 11 established - 18 February 1946 aim - to assist, as part of the Economic and Social Council, with human rights programs of UN members - (53) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Commission on Narcotic Drugs address - c/o United Nations Drug Control Programme, Treaty Implementation and Legal Affairs Branch, P. O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria telephone - [43] (1) 213450 FAX - [43] (1) 21345-5885 established - 16 February 1946 aim - Economic and Social Council organization dealing with illicit drugs programs of UN members - (53) selected on a rotating basis from all regions with emphasis on producing and processing countries _________________________________________________________________

Commission on Population and Development address - Division for Policy and Coordination and ECOSOC Affairs, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, United Nations, Room 2963, New York, NY 10017, US telephone - [1] (212) 963 1234 FAX - [1] (212) 963 5935 established - 10 August 1948 aim - to deal with population matters of importance to the UN, as part of Economic and Social Council members - (47) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Commission on Science and Technology for Development address - General Assembly and ECOSOC Affairs Division, Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, US telephone - [1] (212) 963 1234 FAX - [1] (212) 963 5935 established - 20 July 1992 aim - to promote international cooperation, as part of the Economic and Social Council, in the field of science and technology members - (33) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Commission on Sustainable Development address - Division for Sustainable Development, United Nations Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Room DC2-2274, New York, NY 10017, US telephone - [1] (212) 963 0902 FAX - [1] (212) 963 4260 established - 12 February 1993 aim - to monitor, as part of the Economic and Social Council, implementation of agreements reached at the UN Conference on Environment and Development members - (53) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Commission on the Status of Women address - Division for the Advancement of Women, Department for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, Room DC2-1200, New York, NY 10017, US telephone - [1] (212) 963 3177 FAX - [1] (212) 963 3463 established - 21 June 1946 aim - to deal, as part of the Economic and Social Council, with women's rights goals of UN members - (45) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Commonwealth (C) note - also known as Commonwealth of Nations address - c/o Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX, UK telephone - [44] (171) 839 3411, 747 6535 FAX - [44] (171) 930 0827, 839 9081 established - 31 December 1931 aim - to foster multinational cooperation and assistance, as a voluntary association that evolved from the British Empire members - (53) Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, NZ, Nigeria, Pakistan (suspended), Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, UK, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe special members - (1) Tuvalu _________________________________________________________________

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) address - Kirov Street 17, 220000 Minsk, Belarus telephone - [375] 223434, 223517 FAX - [375] 261944, 272339 established - 8 December 1991 effective - 21 December 1991 aim - to coordinate intercommonwealth relations and to provide a mechanism for the orderly dissolution of the USSR members - (12) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan _________________________________________________________________

Commonwealth of Nations see Commonwealth (C) _________________________________________________________________

Communaute Economique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (CEAO) see West African Economic Community (CEAO) _________________________________________________________________

Communaute Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale (CEEAC) see Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) _________________________________________________________________

Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs (CEPGL) see Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) _________________________________________________________________

communist countries traditionally the Marxist-Leninist states with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; most of the original and the successor states are no longer communist; see centrally planned economies _________________________________________________________________

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) see Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) _________________________________________________________________

Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire (CERN) see European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) _________________________________________________________________

Contadora Group (CG) established 5 January 1983 (on the Panamanian island of Contadora) to reduce tensions and conflicts in Central America; members included Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela; has evolved into the Rio Group (RG) _________________________________________________________________

Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf see Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) _________________________________________________________________

Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM) established in 1949 to control the export of strategic products and technical data from member countries to proscribed destinations; members were Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK, US; abolished 31 March 1994; COCOM members are working on a new organization with expanded membership which focuses on nonproliferation export controls as opposed to East-West control of advanced technology _________________________________________________________________

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA) note - also known as CMEA or Comecon established 25 January 1949 to promote the development of socialist economies and abolished 1 January 1991; members included Afghanistan (observer), Albania (had not participated since 1961 break with USSR), Angola (observer), Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia (observer), GDR, Hungary, Laos (observer), Mongolia, Mozambique (observer), Nicaragua (observer), Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yemen (observer), Yugoslavia (associate) _________________________________________________________________

Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU) address - International Trade Center Building, 12th Floor, 1191 Cornish El Nile, P. O. Box 1, Mohamad Fareed, Cairo, Egypt telephone - [20] (2) 754252, 755321 FAX - [20] (2) 754090 established - 3 June 1957 effective - 30 May 1964 aim - to promote economic integration among Arab nations members - (11 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization _________________________________________________________________

Council of Europe (CE) address - Palais de l'Europe, F-67075 Strasbourg CEDEX, France telephone - [33] (3) 88 41 20 00 FAX - [33] (3) 88 41 27 81, 88 41 27 82 established - 5 May 1949 effective - 3 August 1949 aim - to promote increased unity and quality of life in Europe members - (41) Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK guests - (3) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina observers - (4) Canada, Israel, Japan, US _________________________________________________________________

Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) address - Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Box 16121, S-10323 Stockholm, Sweden telephone - [46] (8) 405 1000 FAX - [46] (8) 723 1176 established - 6 March 1992 aim - to promote cooperation among the Baltic Sea states in the areas of aid to new democratic institutions, economic development, humanitarian aid, energy and the environment, cultural programs and education, and transportation and communication members - (12) Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden _________________________________________________________________

Council of the Entente (Entente) address - 01 BP 3734, Angle Avenue Verdier-Rue de Tessieres, Abidjan 01, Cote d'Ivoire telephone - [225] 33 10 01, 33 28 35, 32 10 74 FAX - [225] 33 11 49 established - 29 May 1959 aim - to promote economic, social, and political coordination members - (5) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo _________________________________________________________________

countries in transition a new term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the middle group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; recently published IMF statistics include the following 28 countries in transition: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; note - this group is identical to the group traditionally referred to as the "former USSR/Eastern Europe" except for the addition of Mongolia _________________________________________________________________

Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) note - also known as World Customs Organization (WCO) address - Rue du Marche 30, B-1210 Brussels, Belgium telephone - [32] (2) 209 92 11 FAX - [32] (2) 109 92 92 established - 15 December 1950 aim - to promote international cooperation in customs matters members - (145) Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe _________________________________________________________________

developed countries (DCs) the top group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); includes the market-oriented economies of the mainly democratic nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Bermuda, Israel, South Africa, and the European ministates; also known as the First World, high-income countries, the North, industrial countries; generally have a per capita GDP in excess of $10,000 although four OECD countries and South Africa have figures well under $10,000 and two of the excluded OPEC countries have figures of more than $10,000; the 35 DCs are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US; note - similar to the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) term "advanced economies" which adds Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan but drops Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey _________________________________________________________________

developing countries a new term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the bottom group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; recently published IMF statistics include the following 126 developing countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe; note - this category would presumably also cover the following 46 other countries that are traditionally included in the more comprehensive group of "less developed countries": American Samoa, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Cuba, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gaza Strip, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Jersey, North Korea, Macau, Isle of Man, Martinique, Mayotte, Montserrat, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tokelau, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara _________________________________________________________________

East African Development Bank (EADB) address - 4 Nile Avenue, P. O. Box 7128, Kampala, Uganda telephone - [256] (41) 230021, 230825 FAX - [256] (41) 259763 established - 6 June 1967 effective - 1 December 1967 aim - to promote economic development members - (3) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda _________________________________________________________________

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) address - United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand telephone - [66] (2) 2881234 FAX - [66] (2) 2881000 established - 28 March 1947 as Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) aim - to carry out the commitment of the Economic and Social Council of the UN to promote economic development members - (51) Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, UK, US, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam associate members - (9) American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong, Macau, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands _________________________________________________________________

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) address - P. O. Box 11-8575, Riad El-Sohl Square, Beirut, Lebanon telephone - [961] (10) 981301 FAX - [961] (10) 981510 established - 9 August 1973 as Economic Commission for Western Asia (ECWA) aim - to promote economic development as a regional commission for the UN's Economic and Social Council members - (12 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization _________________________________________________________________

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) address - United Nations, New York, NY 10017, US telephone - [1] (212) 963 1234 FAX - [1] (212) 758 2718 established - 26 June 1945 effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN; includes five regional commissions (see Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) and 10 functional commissions (see Commission for Social Development, Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Population and Development, Statistical Commission, Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Commission on Sustainable Development, and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice) members - (54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions _________________________________________________________________

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) address - P. O. Box 3001-3005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia telephone - [251] (1) 51 72 00 FAX - [251] (1) 51 44 16 established - 29 April 1958 aim - to promote economic development as a regional commission of the UN's Economic and Social Council members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe associate members - (2) France, UK _________________________________________________________________

Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) see Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) _________________________________________________________________

Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) address - Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland telephone - [41] (22) 917 4444 FAX - [41] (22) 917 0505 established - 28 March 1947 aim - to promote economic development as a regional commission of the UN's Economic and Social Council members - (55) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia _________________________________________________________________

Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) see Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) _________________________________________________________________

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) address - Edificio Naciones Unidas, Avenida Dag Hammarskjold, Casilla 179 D, Santiago, Chile telephone - [56] (2) 2102000 FAX - [56] (2) 2080252, 2081946 established - 25 February 1948 as Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) aim - to promote economic development as a regional commission of the UN's Economic and Social Council members - (41) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela associate members - (7) Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands _________________________________________________________________

Economic Commission for Western Asia (ECWA) see Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) _________________________________________________________________

Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) note - acronym from Communaute Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale address - CEEAC, BP 2112, Libreville, Gabon telephone - [241] 73 35 47, 73 35 48, 73 36 77 established - 18 October 1983 treaty adopted aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and establish a Central African Common Market members - (11) Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe _________________________________________________________________

Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) note - acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs address - IRAZ-CEPGL, BP 91, Gitega, Burundi established - 20 September 1976 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and integration members - (3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda _________________________________________________________________

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) address - 6 King George V Road, PMB 12745, Lagos, Nigeria telephone - [234] (1) 636839, 636841, 636064, 630398 FAX - [234] (1) 636822 established - 28 May 1975 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation members - (16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo _________________________________________________________________

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) address - No. 1 Goulbou Alley, Kamraniyeh, P. O. Box 14155-6176, Teheran, Iran Islamic Republic telephone - [98] (21) 2831731, 2831733 FAX - [98] (21) 2831732 established - 27-29 January 1985 aim - to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation, communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development members - (10) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan associate member - (1) "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" _________________________________________________________________

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) note - began as the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO address - c/o NATO, B-1110 Brussels, Belgium telephone - [32] (2) 728 41 11 FAX - [32] (2) 728 45 79 established - 8 November 1991 effective - 20 December 1991 aim - to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues members - (44) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan _________________________________________________________________

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) address - EBRD Headquarters, One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2EH, UK telephone - [44] (171) 338 6000 FAX - [44] (171) 338 6100 established - 8-9 January 1990 (proposals made); 15 April 1991 (bank inaugurated) aim - to facilitate the transition of seven centrally planned economies in Europe (Bulgaria, former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, former USSR, and former Yugoslavia) to market economies by committing 60% of its loans to privatization members - (60) Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, EU, European Investment Bank (EIB), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan; note - includes all 25 members of the OECD; also includes the EU as a single entity _________________________________________________________________

European Community (or European Communities, EC) was established 8 April 1965 to integrate the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), the European Coal and Steel Community (ESC), the European Economic Community (EEC or Common Market), and to establish a completely integrated common market and an eventual federation of Europe; merged into the European Union (EU) on 7 February 1992; member states at the time of merger were Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK _________________________________________________________________

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) address - 9-11 Rue de Varembe, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland telephone - [41] (22) 749 11 11 FAX - [41] (22) 733 92 91 established - 4 January 1960 effective - 3 May 1960 aim - to promote expansion of free trade members - (4) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland _________________________________________________________________

European Investment Bank (EIB) address - Boulevard Konrad Adenauer 100, L-2950 Luxembourg, Luxembourg telephone - [352] 4379 3122 FAX - [352] 4379 3188, 4379 3189 established - 25 March 1957 effective - 1 January 1958 aim - to promote economic development of the EU and its predecessors, the EEC and the EC members - (15) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK _________________________________________________________________

European Monetary Union (EMU) note - an integral part of the European Union; also known as the European Economic and Monetary Union address - c/o European Commission, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium telephone - [32] (2) 299 11 11 proposed - 1-2 December 1969 at summit conference of heads of government signed - 7 February 1992 Maastrict Treaty aim - to promote a single market by creating a single currency, the euro; time table - 2 May 1998: European exchange rates fixed for 1 January 1999; 1 January 1999: all banks and stock exchanges begin using euros; 1 January 2002: the euro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002 local currencies no longer accepted members - (11) Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain; note - Denmark, Sweden, and UK decided not to join, and Greece did not meet all the criteria to take part _________________________________________________________________

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire address - CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland telephone - [41] (22) 767 4101, 767 2141 FAX - [41] (22) 785 0247 established - 1 July 1953 effective - 29 September 1954 aim - to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only members - (20) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK observers - (7) EU, Israel, Japan, Russia, Turkey, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), US _________________________________________________________________

European Space Agency (ESA) address - ESA Headquarters, 8-10 Rue Mario Nikis, F-75738 Paris CEDEX 15, France telephone - [33] (1) 53 69 76 54 FAX - [33] (1) 53 69 75 60 established - 31 May 1975 aim - to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology members - (14) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK cooperating state - (1) Canada _________________________________________________________________

European Union (EU) note - evolved from the European Community (EC) address - c/o European Commission, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium telephone - [32] (2) 299 11 11 FAX - [32] (2) 295 01 38 through 295 01 40 established - 7 February 1992 effective - 1 November 1993 aim - to coordinate policy among the 15 members in three fields: economics, building on the European Economic Community's (EEC) efforts to establish a common market and eventually a common currency to be called the 'euro', which will supersede the EU's accounting unit, the ECU; defense, within the concept of a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP); and justice and home affairs, including immigration, drugs, terrorism, and improved living and working conditions members - (15) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK membership applicants - (13) Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey _________________________________________________________________

First World another term for countries with advanced, industrialized economies; this term is fading from use; see developed countries (DCs) _________________________________________________________________

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) address - Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy telephone - [39] (6) 57051 FAX - [39] (6) 5705 3152 established - 16 October 1945 aim - to raise living standards and increase availability of agricultural products, as a UN specialized agency members - (176) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe _________________________________________________________________

former Soviet Union (FSU) a collective term often used to identify as a group the successor nations to the Soviet Union or USSR; this group of 15 countries consists of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan _________________________________________________________________

former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE) the middle group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); these countries are in political and economic transition and may well be grouped differently in the near future; this group of 27 countries consists of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; this group is identical to the IMF group "countries in transition" except for the IMF's inclusion of Mongolia _________________________________________________________________

Four Dragons the four small Asian less developed countries (LDCs) that have experienced unusually rapid economic growth; also known as the Four Tigers; this group consists of Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan; these countries are included in the IMF's "advanced economies" group _________________________________________________________________

Four Tigers another term for the Four Dragons; see Four Dragons _________________________________________________________________

Franc Zone (FZ) note - also known as Conference des Ministres des Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc address - c/o Banque de France, Service de la Zone Franc, 39 Rue des Croix des Petits Champs, F-75001 Paris, France telephone - [33] (1) 42 92 42 92 FAX - [33] (1) 42 96 04 23 established - NA 1964 aim - to form a monetary union among countries whose currencies are linked to the French franc members - (16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo; note - France includes metropolitan France, the four overseas departments of France (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion), the two territorial collectivities of France (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon), and the three overseas territories of France (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna) _________________________________________________________________

Front Line States (FLS) established to achieve black majority rule in South Africa; has since gone out of existence; members included Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe _________________________________________________________________

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was established 30 October 1947 to promote the expansion of international trade on a nondiscriminatory basis; subsumed by the World Trade Organization (WTrO) on 1 January 1995; members at the time were Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe _________________________________________________________________

Group of 2 (G-2) informal term that came into use about 1986; to facilitate bilateral economic cooperation between the two most powerful economic giants Japan, US _________________________________________________________________

Group of 3 (G-3) address - c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Grupo de los Tres, Caracas, Venezuela established - NA September 1990 aim - mechanism for policy coordination members - (3) Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela _________________________________________________________________

Group of 5 (G-5) established - 22 September 1985 aim - to coordinate the economic policies of five major noncommunist economic powers members - (5) France, Germany, Japan, UK, US _________________________________________________________________

Group of 6 (G-6) note - also known as Groupe des Six Sur le Desarmement; not to be confused with the Big Six established - 22 May 1984 aim - to achieve nuclear disarmament members - (6) Argentina, Greece, India, Mexico, Sweden, Tanzania _________________________________________________________________

Group of 7 (G-7) note - membership is the same as the Big Seven established - 22 September 1985 aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the seven major noncommunist economic powers members - (7) Group of 5 (France, Germany, Japan, UK, US) plus Canada and Italy _________________________________________________________________

Group of 8 (G-8) established - NA October 1975 aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the developed countries (DCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC), held in several sessions between NA December 1975 and 3 June 1977 members - (9) Canada, EU (as one member), France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, US _________________________________________________________________

Group of 9 (G-9) established - NA aim - to discuss matters of mutual interest on an informal basis members - (9) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Yugoslavia _________________________________________________________________

Group of 10 (G-10) note - also known as the Paris Club; includes the wealthiest members of the IMF who provide most of the money to be loaned and act as the informal steering committee; name persists in spite of the addition of Switzerland on NA April 1984 address - c/o IMF Office in Europe, 64-66 Avenue d'Iena, F-75116 Paris, France telephone - [33] (1) 40 69 30 80 FAX - [33] (1) 47 23 40 89 established - NA October 1962 aim - to coordinate credit policy members - (11) Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US nonstate participants - (4) BIS, EU, IMF, OECD _________________________________________________________________

Group of 11 (G-11) note - also known as the Cartagena Group established - 21-22 June 1984, in Cartagena, Colombia aim - to provide a forum for largest debtor nations in Latin America members - (11) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela _________________________________________________________________

Group of 15 (G-15) note - byproduct of the Nonaligned Movement address - Technical Support Facility, Ch du Champ d'Ancier 17, Case Postale 326, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland telephone - [41] (22) 798 42 10 FAX - [41] (22) 798 38 49 established - September 1989 aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing nations; to act as the main political organ for the Nonaligned Movement members - (15) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Venezuela, former Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe _________________________________________________________________

Group of 19 (G-19) established in NA October 1975 to represent the interests of the less developed countries (LDCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC) held in several sessions between NA December 1975 and 3 June 1977; members included Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zambia _________________________________________________________________