established—1 July 1953, effective 29 September 1954;
aim—to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only;
members—(14) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK;
observers—(3) Poland (scheduled to become a member 1 July 1991), Turkey, Yugoslavia ————————————————————————————————————- _#_European Space Agency (ESA)
established—31 July 1973, effective 1 May 1975;
aim—to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology;
members—(13) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK;
associate member—(1) Finland ————————————————————————————————————- _#First World—another term for countries with advanced, industrialized economies; see developed countries (DCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#_Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
established—16 October 1945;
aim—UN specialized agency to raise living standards and increase availability of agricultural products;
members—(157) all UN members except Brunei, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Liechtenstein, Singapore, South Africa, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR; other members are Cook Islands, North Korea, South Korea, Switzerland, Tonga ————————————————————————————————————- _#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 includes Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan ————————————————————————————————————-#Four Tigers—another term for the Four Dragons; see Four Dragons ————————————————————————————————————-#_Franc Zone (FZ)
established—NA;
aim—monetary union among countries whose currencies are linked to the French franc;
members—(15) Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Ivory Coast, 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—NA;
aim—to achieve black majority rule in South Africa;
members—(7) Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe ————————————————————————————————————- _#_General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
established—30 October 1947, effective 1 January 1948;
aim—to promote the expansion of international trade on a nondiscriminatory basis;
members—(101) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria,Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil,Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic,Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia,Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia,Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland,India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan,Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar,Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, SierraLeone, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden,Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia,Turkey, Uganda, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia,Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_Group of 2 (G-2)
established—informal term that came into use about 1986;
aim—bilateral economic cooperation between the two most powerful economic giants;
members—(2) Japan, US ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 3 (G-3)
established—NA October 1990;
aim—mechanism for policy coordination;
members—(3) Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 5 (G-5)
established—22 September 1985;
aim—the five major non-Communist economic powers;
members—(5) France, Germany, Japan, UK, US ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 6 (G-6)—not to be confused with the Big Six;
established—22 May 1984;
aim—seeks to achieve nuclear disarmament;
members—(6) Argentina, Greece, India, Mexico, Sweden, Tanzania ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 7 (G-7)—membership is the same as the Big Seven;
established—22 September 1985;
aim—the seven major non-Communist 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—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—(8) Australia, Canada, EC (as one member), Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, US ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 9 (G-9)
established—NA;
aim—informal group that meets occasionally on matters of mutual interest;
members—(9) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Yugoslavia ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 10 (G-10), also known as the Paris Club;
established—NA October 1962;
aim—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;
members—(11) Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 11 (G-11), also known as the Cartagena Group;
established—22 June 1984, in Cartagena, Colombia;
aim—forum for largest debtor nations in Latin America;
members—(11) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 19 (G-19)
established—NA October 1975;
aim—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—(19) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 24 (G-24)
established—NA January 1972;
aim—to promote the interests of developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America within the IMF;
members—(24) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iran, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 30 (G-30)
established—NA 1979;
aim—to discuss and propose solutions to the world's economic problems;
members—(30) informal group of 30 leading international bankers, economists, financial experts, and businessmen organized by Johannes Witteveen (former managing director of the IMF) ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 33 (G-33)
established—NA 1987;
aim—to promote solutions to international economic problems;
members—(33) leading economists from 13 countries ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Group of 77 (G-77)
established—NA October 1967;
aim—to promote economic cooperation among developing countries; name persists in spite of increased membership;
members—(123 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization)Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, TheBahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia,Botswana, Brazil, Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, CapeVerde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo,Costa Rica, Cuba, 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, Ivory Coast, Jamaica,Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho,Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta,Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua,Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and theGrenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles,Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan,Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad andTobago, Tunisia, Uganda, UAE, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam,Western Samoa, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe, PalestineLiberation Organization————————————————————————————————————-_#_Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), also known as the CooperationCouncil for the Arab States of the Gulf;
established—25-26 May 1981;
aim—to promote regional cooperation in economic, social, political, and military affairs;
members—(6) Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE ————————————————————————————————————- _#Habitat—see United Nations Center for Human Settlements (UNCHS) ————————————————————————————————————-#high-income countries—another term for the industrialized countries with high per capita GNPs/GDPs; see developed countries (DCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#industrial countries—another term for the developed countries; see developed countries (DCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#_Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), also known as Banco Interamericano de Desarollo (BID);
established—8 April 1959; effective 30 December 1959;
aim—to promote economic and social development in Latin America;
members—(44) Argentina, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD)
established—NA January 1986;
aim—to promote cooperation on drought-related matters;
members—(6) Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
established—26 October 1956, effective 29 July 1957;
aim—to promote peaceful uses of atomic energy;
members—(111) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia,Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma,Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia,Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia,Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti,Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy,Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea,Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar,Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia,Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama,Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania,Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Spain,Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand,Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, UAE, UK,US, USSR, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zaire,Zambia, Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_International Bank for Economic Cooperation (IBEC)
established—22 October 1963;
aim—to promote economic cooperation and development;
members—(9) Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), also known as the World Bank;
established—22 July 1944, effective 27 December 1945;
aim—UN specialized agency that initially promoted economic rebuilding after World War II and now provides economic development loans;
members—(152) all UN members except Albania, Angola, Brunei, Bulgaria, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Liechtenstein, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR; other members are Kiribati, South Korea, Tonga ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
established—NA 1919;
aim—to promote free trade, private enterprise, and represent business interests at national and international levels;
members—(60 national councils) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
established—7 December 1944, effective 4 April 1947;
aim—UN specialized agency to promote international cooperation in civil aviation;
members—(161) all UN members except Albania, Belize, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Dominica, Liechtenstein, Namibia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Western Samoa; other members are Cook Islands, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, San Marino, Switzerland, Tonga ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
established—NA 1863;
aim—to provide humanitarian aid in wartime;
members—(25 individuals) all Swiss nationals ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
established—NA December 1949;
aim—to promote the trade union movement;
members—(142 national organizations in the following 95 areas)Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas,Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina,Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, Greece,Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India,Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kiribati, South Korea, Lebanon,Lesotho, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico,Montserrat, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Norway,Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,Puerto Rico, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UK, US,USSR, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Western Samoa————————————————————————————————————-_#_International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as theWorld Court;
established—26 June 1945, effective 24 October 1945;
aim—primary judicial organ of the UN;
members—(15 judges) elected by the General Assembly and Security Council to represent all principal legal systems ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)
established—13 June 1956;
aim—to promote international cooperation between criminal police authorities;
members—(151) Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei,Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde,Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo,Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica,Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji,Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada,Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India,Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica,Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon,Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi,Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco,Morocco, Mozambique, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ,Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Pakistan,Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar,Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent andthe Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles,Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga,Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, USSR, Uruguay,Venezuela, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_International Development Association (IDA)
established—26 January 1960, effective 24 September 1960;
aim—UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate that provides economic loans for low income countries;
members—(136);
established—15 November 1974;
aim—established by the OECD to promote cooperation on energy matters, especially emergency oil sharing and relations between oil consumers and oil producers;
members—(21) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Finance Corporation (IFC)
established—25 May 1955, effective 20 July 1956;
aim—UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate that helps private enterprise sector in economic development;
members—(133) Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize,Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon,Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark,Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana,Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati,South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg,Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius,Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia,Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia,South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria,Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Samoa,Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
established—NA November 1974;
aim—UN specialized agency that promotes agricultural development;
members—(144);
Category I—(21 industrialized aid contributors) Australia, Austria,Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Spain, Sweden,Switzerland, UK, US;
Category II—(12 petroleum-exporting aid contributors) Algeria, Gabon,Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE,Venezuela;
Category III—(111 aid recipients) Afghanistan, Angola,Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin,Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon,Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica,Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Israel, Ivory Coast,Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho,Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania,Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman,Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal,Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan,Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga,Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Vietnam,Western Samoa, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_International Investment Bank (IIB)
established—7 July 1970;
aim—to promote economic development;
members—(9) Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Labor Organization (ILO)
established—11 April 1919 (affiliated with the UN 14 December 1946);
aim—UN specialized agency concerned with world labor issues;
members—(148) all UN members except Albania, Bhutan, Brunei, The Gambia, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Oman, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa; other members are San Marino, Switzerland ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Maritime Organization (IMO)—name changed from Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) on 22 May 1982;
established—17 March 1958;
aim—UN specialized agency concerned with world maritime affairs;
members—(132) Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium,Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon,Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba,Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland,France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala,Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India,Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica,Japan, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia,Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania,Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ,Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea,Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Lucia,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles,Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka,Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo,Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, US, USSR, Uruguay,Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire;
associate member—(1) Hong Kong ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT)
established—3 September 1976, effective 26 July 1979;
aim—to provide worldwide communications for maritime and other applications;
members—(55) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, UAE, UK, US, USSR ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Monetary Fund (IMF)
established—22 July 1944, effective 27 December 1945;
aim—UN specialized agency concerned with world monetary stability and economic development;
members—(154) all UN members except Albania, Brunei, Bulgaria, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Cuba, Liechtenstein, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR; other members are Kiribati, South Korea, Tonga ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Olympic Committee (IOC)
established—23 June 1894;
aim—to promote the Olympic ideals and administer the Olympic games:
1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France (8-23 February);
1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain (25 July-9 August);
1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway (12-27 February);
1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States (20 July-4 August):
1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan (date NA);
members—(165) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa,Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia,Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize,Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, British VirginIslands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burma, Cameroon, Canada,Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark,Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia,Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana,Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya,North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco,Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua,Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea,Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar,Romania, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino,Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore,Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga,Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, USSR, Uruguay,Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Western Samoa, Yemen,Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_International Organization for Migration (IOM)—established asProvisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrantsfrom Europe; renamed Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration(ICEM) on 15 November 1952; renamed Intergovernmental Committee forMigration (ICM) on NA November 1980; current name adopted14 November 1989;
established—5 December 1951;
aim—to facilitate orderly international emigration and immigration;
members—(35) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia,Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel,Italy, Kenya, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway,Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Switzerland, Thailand, US,Uruguay, Venezuela;
observers—(22) Belize, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Egypt, Finland, France, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Mexico, NZ, San Marino, Somalia, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK, Vatican City, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
established—NA February 1947;
aim—to promote the development of international standards;
members—(72 national standards organizations) Albania, Algeria,Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria,Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark,Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India,Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica,Japan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia,Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria,Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, US, USSR,Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia;
correspondent members—(14) Bahrain, Barbados, Brunei, Guinea, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jordan, Kuwait, Malawi, Mauritius, Oman, Senegal, UAE, Uruguay ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
established—NA 1928;
aim—to promote worldwide humanitarian aid through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in wartime, and League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS) in peacetime;
members—(9) 2 representatives from ICRC, 2 from LORCS, and 5 from national societies elected by the international conference of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
established—9 December 1932, effective 1 January 1934, affiliated with the UN 15 November 1947;
aim—UN specialized agency concerned with world telecommunications;
members—(164) all UN members except Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Seychelles; other members are Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Monaco, Nauru, San Marino, Switzerland, Tonga, Vatican City ————————————————————————————————————- _#_International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT)
established—20 August 1971, effective 12 February 1973;
aim—to develop and operate a global commercial telecommunications satellite system;
members—(118) Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia,Austria, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia,Brazil, Burkina, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon,Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland,India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast,Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali,Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal,Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan,Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar,Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Spain,Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania,Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK,US, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire,Zambia, Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_Islamic Development Bank (IDB)
established—15 December 1973;
aim—to promote Islamic economic aid and social development;
members—(43 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei, Burkina, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Latin American Economic System (LAES), also known as Sistema Economico Latinoamericana (SELA);
established—17 October 1975;
aim—to promote economic and social development through regional cooperation;
members—(26) Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Latin American Integration Association (LAIA), also known as Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion (ALADI);
established—12 August 1980, effective 18 March 1981;
aim—to promote freer regional trade;
members—(11) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela;
observers—(13) Andean Group, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Inter-American Development Bank, Organization of American States, Panama, Portugal, Spain, UN Development Program, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ————————————————————————————————————- _#League of Arab States (LAS)—see Arab League (AL) ————————————————————————————————————-#_League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS)
established—5 May 1919;
aim—to provide humanitarian aid in peacetime;
members—(147) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina,Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium,Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burma,Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central AfricanRepublic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba,Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany,Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy,Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea,Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein,Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius,Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ,Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea,Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda,Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome andPrincipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia,South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden,Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, USSR, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam,Western Samoa, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe;
associate members—(2) Equatorial Guinea, Gabon ————————————————————————————————————- _#_least developed countries (LLDCs)—that subgroup of the less developed countries (LDCs) initially identified by the UN General Assembly in 1971 as having no significant economic growth, per capita GNPs/GDPs normally less than $500, and low literacy rates; also known as the undeveloped countries;
the 41 LLDCs are—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, Yemen ————————————————————————————————————- _#_less developed countries (LDCs)—the bottom group in the comprehensive but mutually exclusive hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), USSR/Eastern Europe (USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); mainly countries with low levels of output, living standards, and technology; per capita GNPs/GDPs are generally below $5,000 and often less than $1,000; includes the advanced developing countries, developing countries, Four Dragons (Four Tigers), least developed countries (LLDCs), low-income countries, middle-income countries, newly industrializing economies (NIEs), the South, Third World, underdeveloped countries, undeveloped countries;
the 173 LDCs are—Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, The Gambia, Gaza Strip, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jersey, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Isle of Man, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau), Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe ————————————————————————————————————- _#low-income countries—another term for the less developed countries with below-average per capita GNPs/GDPs; see less developed countries (LDCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#middle-income countries—another term for the less developed countries with above-average per capita GNPs/GDPs; see less developed countries (LDCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#newly industrializing countries (NICs)—former term for the newly industrializing economies; see newly industrializing economies (NIEs) ————————————————————————————————————-#newly industrializing economies (NIEs)—that subgroup of the less developed countries (LDCs) that has experienced particularly rapid industrialization of their economies; formerly known as the newly industrializing countries (NICs); also known as advanced developing countries; usually includes the Four Dragons (Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan) plus Brazil and Mexico ————————————————————————————————————-#_Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
established—1-6 September 1961;
aim—political and military cooperation apart from the traditional East or West blocs;
members—(102 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization)Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, The Bahamas, Bahrain,Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina,Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad,Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt,Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea,Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast,Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho,Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta,Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda,Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles,Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, UAE,Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe,Palestine Liberation Organization;
observers—(9) Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Uruguay;
guests—(11) Australia, Austria, Dominican Republic, Finland, Greece, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Nordic Council (NC)
established—16 March 1952, effective 12 February 1953;
aim—to promote regional economic, cultural, and environmental cooperation;
members—(5) Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden; note—Denmark includes Faroe Islands and Greenland ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)
established—4 December 1975, effective 1 June 1976;
aim—to promote economic cooperation and development;
members—(5) Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden ————————————————————————————————————- _#North—a popular term for the rich industrialized countries generally located in the northern portion of the Northern Hemisphere; the counterpart of the South; see developed countries (DCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#_North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
established—17 September 1949;
aim—mutual defense and cooperation in other areas;
members—(16) Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK, US ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
established—NA 1958;
aim—associated with OECD, seeks to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy;
members—(23) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US ————————————————————————————————————- _#Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe (OPANAL)—see Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) ————————————————————————————————————-#_Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
established—14 December 1960, effective 30 September 1961;
aim—to promote economic cooperation and development;
members—(24) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan,Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US;
special member—(1) Yugoslavia ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Organization of African Unity (OAU)
established—25 May 1963;
aim—to promote unity and cooperation among African states;
members—(51) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Organization of American States (OAS)
established—30 April 1948, effective 13 December 1951;
aim—to promote peace and security as well as economic and social development;
members—(35) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba (excluded from formal participation since 1962), 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, US, Uruguay, Venezuela;
observers—(22) Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, EC, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Vatican City ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)
established—9 January 1968;
aim—to promote cooperation in the petroleum industry;
members—(10) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
established—18 June 1981, effective 4 July 1981;
aim—to promote political, economic, and defense cooperation;
members—(7) Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
associate member—(1) British Virgin Islands ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
established—14 September 1960;
aim—to coordinate petroleum policies;
members—(13) Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
established—22-25 September 1969;
aim—to promote Islamic solidarity and cooperation in economic, social, cultural, and political affairs;
members—(44 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization)Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei, Burkina,Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea,Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman,Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan,Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, Yemen, Palestine LiberationOrganization; note—Afghanistan was suspended in January 1980, but inMarch 1989 the self-proclaimed Afghan Interim Government based inPakistan was given membership;
observer—(1) Turkish-Cypriot administered area of Cyprus ————————————————————————————————————- _#Paris Club—see Group of 10 ————————————————————————————————————-#_Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
established—NA 1899;
aim—to facilitate the settlement of international disputes;
members—(75) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia,Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic,Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czechoslovakia,Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland,France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary,Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Lebanon,Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua,Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal,Romania, Senegal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden,Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukrainian Soviet SocialistRepublic, UK, US, USSR, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zimbabwe————————————————————————————————————-_#_Population Commission
established—3 October 1946;
aim—ECOSOC organization dealing with population matters;
members—(27) selected on a rotating basis from all regions ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Rio Group (RG)
established—NA 1988;
aim—a consultation mechanism on regional Latin American issues;
members—(11) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela; note—Panama was expelled in 1988 ————————————————————————————————————- _#Second World—another term for the traditionally Marxist-Leninist states with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; see centrally planned economies ————————————————————————————————————-#socialist countries—in general, countries in which the government owns and plans the use of the major factors of production; note—the term is sometimes used incorrectly as a synonym for Communist countries ————————————————————————————————————-#South—a popular term for the poorer, less industrialized countries generally located south of the developed countries; the counterpart of the North; see less developed countries (LDCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#_South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
established—8 December 1985;
aim—to promote economic, social, and cultural cooperation;
members—(7) Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka ————————————————————————————————————- _#_South Pacific Commission (SPC)
established—6 February 1947, effective 29 July 1948;
aim—to promote regional cooperation in economic and social matters;
members—(27) American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, NZ, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau), Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, UK, US, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Western Samoa ————————————————————————————————————- _#_South Pacific Forum (SPF)
established—5 August 1971;
aim—to promote regional cooperation in political matters;
members—(15) Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, NZ, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Samoa;
observer—(1) Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau) ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
established—11 December 1969;
aim—to promote free trade and cooperation in customs matters;
members—(9) Bophuthatswana, Botswana, Ciskei, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Transkei, Venda ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC)
established—1 April 1980;
aim—to promote regional economic development and reduce dependence on South Africa;
members—(10) Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe ————————————————————————————————————- _#_Statistical Commission
established—21 June 1946;
aim—ECOSOC organization dealing with development and standardization of national statistics;
members—(24) selected on a rotating basis from all regions ————————————————————————————————————- _#Third World—another term for the less developed countries; see less developed countries (LDCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#underdeveloped countries—refers to those less developed countries with the potential for above-average economic growth; see less developed countries (LDCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#undeveloped countries—refers to those extremely poor less developed countries (LDCs) with little prospect for economic growth; see least developed countries (LLDCs) ————————————————————————————————————-#Union Douaniere et Economique de l'Afrique Centrale (UDEAC)—see Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) ————————————————————————————————————-#_United Nations (UN)
established—26 June 1945, effective 24 October 1945;
aim—to maintain international peace and security as well as promote cooperation involving economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems;
members—(159) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua andBarbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil,Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Byelorussian SovietSocialist Republic, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, CentralAfrican Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo,Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica,Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany,Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, NorthKorea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia,Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi,Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius,Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, 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, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia,South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden,Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,Uganda, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, UAE, UK, US, USSR, Uruguay,Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire,Zambia, Zimbabwe;note—all UN members are represented in the General Assembly;
observers—(4) Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City ————————————————————————————————————- _#_United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM)
established—20 December 1988;
aim—established by the UN Security Council to verify the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola;
members—(10) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Congo, Czechoslovakia, India, Jordan, Norway, Spain, Yugoslavia ————————————————————————————————————- _#_United Nations Center for Human Settlements (UNCHS or Habitat)
established—12 October 1978;
aim—to assist in solving human settlement problems;
members—(88) selected on a rotating basis from all regions ————————————————————————————————————- _#_United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)—acronym retained from the predecessor organization UN International Children's Emergency Fund;
established—11 December 1946;
aim—to help establish child health and welfare services;
members—(41) selected on a rotating basis from all regions ————————————————————————————————————- _#_United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
established—30 December 1964;
aim—to promote international trade;
members—(166) all UN members plus North Korea, South Korea, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Tonga, Vatican City ————————————————————————————————————- _#_United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
established—22 November 1965;
aim—to provide technical assistance to stimulate economic and social development;
members—(48) selected on a rotating basis from all regions ————————————————————————————————————- _#_United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)
established—31 May 1974;