Thailandcontrols only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore
Timor-LesteTimor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the islandof Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest andeasternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands
Togothe country's length allows it to stretch through six distinctgeographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna
Tokelauconsists of three atolls (Atafu, Fakaofo, Nukunonu), eachwith a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varyinglength and rising to over 3 m above sea level
Tongaarchipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)
Trinidad and TobagoPitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, isthe world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
Tunisiastrategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta andTunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of thecontinental shelf between their countries, particularly for oilexploration
Turkeystrategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus,Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; MountArarat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the fareastern portion of the country
Turkmenistanlandlocked; the western and central low-lying desolateportions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert,which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau
Turks and Caicos Islandsabout 40 islands (eight inhabited)
Tuvaluone of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; sixof the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau,Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumayaand Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon
Ugandalandlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes andrivers
Ukrainestrategic position at the crossroads between Europe andAsia; second-largest country in Europe
United Arab Emiratesstrategic location along southern approaches toStrait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
United Kingdomlies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 kmfrom France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; becauseof heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km fromtidal waters
United Statesworld's third-largest country by size (after Russiaand Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinleyis highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest pointon the continent
United States Pacific Island Wildlife RefugesBaker, Howland, andJarvis Islands: scattered vegetation consisting of grasses,prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting,roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marinewildlife; closed to the publicJohnston Atoll: Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands,which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) andEast Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging;the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the publicKingman Reef: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closedto the publicMidway Islands: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refugeand open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the formof wildlife observation and photographyPalmyra Atoll: the high rainfall and resulting lush vegetation makethe environment of this atoll unique among the US Pacific Islandterritories; supports a large undisturbed stand of Pisonia beachforest
Uruguaysecond-smallest South American country (after Suriname);most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) isgrassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising
Uzbekistanalong with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doublylandlocked countries in the world
Vanuatua Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smallerislands; several of the islands have active volcanoes
Venezuelaon major sea and air routes linking North and SouthAmerica; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highestwaterfall
Vietnamextending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 kmacross at its narrowest point
Virgin Islandsimportant location along the Anegada Passage - a keyshipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the bestnatural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
Wake Islandstrategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergencylanding location for transpacific flights
Wallis and Futunaboth island groups have fringing reefs
West Banklandlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel'scoastal aquifers; there are about 340 Israeli civiliansites—including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank and29 sites in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)
Western Saharathe waters off the coast are particularly richfishing areas
Worldthe world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old,just about one-third of the 13.7-billion-year age estimated for theuniverse
Yemenstrategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking theRed Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shippinglanes
Zambialandlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundarywith Zimbabwe
Zimbabwelandlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundarywith Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive VictoriaFalls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
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@2115 Political pressure groups and leaders
Afghanistanother: religious groups; tribal leaders
AlbaniaCitizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation ofTrade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for AlbanianNational Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement; Omonia[Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH[Gezim KALAJA]
AlgeriaThe Algerian Human Rights League or LADDH [Hocine ZEHOUANE];SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]
American SamoaPopulation Pressure LAS (addresses the growingpopulation pressures)
AndorraNA
AngolaFront for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC[N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE]
AnguillaNA
Antigua and BarbudaAntigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [WilliamROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]
ArgentinaArgentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA);Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); ArgentineRural Confederation or CRA (small to medium landowners'association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners'association); Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical unionfor employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Laboror CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); RomanCatholic Churchother: business organizations; Peronist-dominated labor movement;Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be eitherpro or anti-government); students
ArmeniaAylentrank (Impeachment) [Nikol PASHINYAN]; Yerkrapah Union[Manvel GRIGORIAN]
Arubaother: environmental groups
Australiaother: business groups; environmental groups; socialgroups; trade unions
AustriaAustrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominallyindependent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal EconomicChamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV;Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization,Catholic Actionother: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party orOeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernmentorganizations in the areas of environment and human rights
AzerbaijanArmenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (self-proclaimed);Karabakh Liberation Organization; Sadval, Lezgin movement; Talyshindependence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces or UPAF
Bahamas, TheFriends of the Environmentother: trade unions
BahrainShia activists; Sunni Islamist legislatorsother: several small leftist and other groups are active
BangladeshAdvocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA(Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs)other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders;teachers; union leaders
BarbadosBarbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST];Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress ofTrade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includesthe BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados WorkersUnion or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [DavidCOMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
BelarusAssembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH];Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK];Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; BelarusianOrganization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [AndreySANNIKOV]; For Freedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; LeninCommunist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party ofCommunists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs[Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [NikolayASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO];Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement[Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH,Sergey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]
BelgiumChristian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federationof Belgian Industriesother: numerous other associations representing bankers,manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medicalprofessions; various organizations represent the cultural interestsof Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christiand groups representing immigrants
BelizeSociety for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR[Gustavo PERERA]; Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [DavidVASQUEZ]; National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [ReneGOMEZ]
Beninother: economic groups; environmentalists; political groups;teachers' unions and other educational groups
BermudaBermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda IndustrialUnion or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union orBPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]
BhutanUnited Front for Democracy (exiled)other: Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leadingmilitant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community
BoliviaSole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCBother: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions
Bosnia and Herzegovinaother: displaced persons associations;student councils; war veterans
BotswanaFirst People of the Kalahari (Bushman organization); PitsoYa Ba Tswana; Society for the Promotion of Ikalanga Language(Kalanga elites)other: diamond mining companies
BrazilLandless Workers' Movement or MSTother: labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations;religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and theCatholic Church
British Virgin IslandsThe Family Support Network; The Women's Deskother: environmentalists
BruneiNA
BulgariaConfederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria orCITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederationother: numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups withvarious agendas
Burkina FasoBurkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB [ToleSAGNON]; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP [ChrysigoneZOUGMORE]; Group of 14 February [Benewende STANISLAS]; NationalConfederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB [Laurent OUEDRAOGO];National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL [Paul KABORE]other: watchdog/political action groups throughout the country inboth organizations and communities
BurmaEthnic Nationalities Council or ENC (based in Thailand);Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union andlabor advocates); National Coalition Government of the Union ofBurma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["PrimeMinister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimatelyelected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a borderarea and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallelgovernment in exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; KarenNational Union or KNU; Karenni National People's Party or KNPP;National Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition ofopposition groups); United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarityand Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social andpolitical mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary]; 88Generation Students (pro-democracy movement) [MIN KO NAING]other: several Shan factions
BurundiObservatoire de lutte contre la corruption et lesmalversations economiques or OLUCOME [Gabriel RUFYIRI](anti-corruption pressure group)other: Hutu and Tutsi militias (loosely organized)
CambodiaCambodian Freedom Fighters or CFF; Partnership forTransparency Fund or PTF (anti-corruption organization); StudentsMovement for Democracy; The Committee for Free and Fair Elections orComfrelother: human rights organizations; vendors
CameroonHuman Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president];Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]
Canadaother: agricultural sector; automobile industry; businessgroups; chemical industry; commercial banks; communications sector;energy industry; environmentalists; public administration groups;steel industry; trade unions
Cape Verdeother: environmentalists; political pressure groups
Cayman IslandsNational Trustother: environmentalists
Central African RepublicMonam (combating gender-base violence)
Chadrebel groups
ChileRoman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includestrade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederationsother: revitalized university student federations at all majoruniversities
Chinathe China Democracy Party; the Falungong spiritual movementnote: no substantial political opposition groups exist, although thegovernment has identified the organizations listed above assubversive groups
Christmas Islandnone
Cocos (Keeling) IslandsThe Cocos Islands Youth Support Centre
ColombiaNational Liberation Army or ELN; Revolutionary Armed Forcesof Colombia or FARCnote: two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia
Comorosother: environmentalists
Congo, Democratic Republic of theMONUC - UN organization workingwith the government; FARDC (Forces Armees de la Republique du Congo)- Army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo which commitsatrocities on citizens; FDLA (Forces Democratiques de Liberation duRwanda) - Rwandan militia group
Congo, Republic of theCongolese Trade Union Congress or CSC;General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC;Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of CongoleseSocialist Youth or UJSC
Cook IslandsReform Conference (lobby for political system changes)other: various groups lobbying for political change
Costa RicaAuthentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD(Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; ConfederatedUnion of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa RicanConfederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Partyaffiliate); Costa Rican Exporter's Chamber or CADEXCO; Costa RicanSolidarity Movement; Costa Rican Union of Private Sector Enterprisesor UCCAEP [Rafael CARRILLO]; Federation of Public Service Workers orFTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE;National Association of Educators or ANDE; National Association ofPublic and Private Employees or ANEP [Albino VARGAS]; Rerum Novarumor CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN]
Cote d'IvoireFederation of University and High School Students ofCote d'Ivoire or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of Houphouetists forDemocracy and Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots[Charles BLE GOUDE]
Croatiaother: human rights groups
CubaHuman Rights Watch; National Association of Small Farmers
CyprusConfederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK (pro-West);Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is; Federation ofTurkish Cypriot Labor Unions or Turk-Sen; Pan-Cyprian LaborFederation or PEO (Communist controlled)
Czech RepublicCzech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS[Milan STECH]
DenmarkDanish Free Press Society (freedom of speech); DanishNational Socialist Movement or DNSB [Jonni HANSEN] (neo-Naziorganization)other: human rights groups
DjiboutiUnion for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includesRPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD(opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, and UDJ)
DominicaDominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)
Dominican RepublicCitizen Participation Group (ParticipacionCiudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundationfor Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS)
EcuadorConfederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador orCONAIE [Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements orCMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists ofEcuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation ofIndigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LACRUZ, president]
EgyptMuslim Brotherhood (technically illegal)note: despite a constitutional ban against religious-based partiesand political activity, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhoodconstitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most significant politicalopposition
El Salvadorlabor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of ElSalvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, SimilarTransport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; NationalConfederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union ofSalvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador orSIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers orUSEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union ofElectrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - NationalAssociation of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran AssemblyIndustry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association orASI
Equatorial GuineaASODEGUE (Madrid-based pressure group fordemocratic reform); Global Witness (anti-corruption)
EritreaEritrean Democratic Party (EDP) [HAGOS, Mesfin]; EritreanIslamic Jihad or EIJ (includes Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement orEIJM also known as the Abu Sihel Movement); Eritrean IslamicSalvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); EritreanLiberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean NationalAlliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a numberof ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF[ARADOM Iyob]
EstoniaNochnoy Dozor/Night Watch anti-fascist movement (leaderAlexander KOROBOV)
EthiopiaEthiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden NationalLiberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)Falkland Islands Association(supports freedom of the people from external causes)
Faroe IslandsSea Shepard [Paul WATSON] (preservation of smallwhales)other: conservationists
FijiGroup Against Racial Discrimination or GARD [Dr. Anirudk SINGH](for restoration of a democratic government); Viti LandownersAssociation
FranceConfederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT,left-leaning labor union with approximately 803,000 members;Confederation Generale des Cadres or CGC, independent white-collarunion with 196,000 members; Confederation Generale du Travail orCGT, historically communist labor union with approximately 700,000members; Confederation Generale du Travail - Force Ouvriere or FO,independent labor union with an estimated 300,000 members; Mouvementdes Entreprises de France or MEDEF, employers' union with 750,000companies as members (claimed)French Guiana: conservationists; gold mining pressure groups;hunting pressure groupsGuadeloupe: Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe orKLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; GeneralUnion of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for an IndependentGuadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal MovementMartinique: Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Unionfor Martinique Workers or CSTM; Frantz Fanon Circle; League ofWorkers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAPReunion: NA
French PolynesiaNA
GabonNA
Gambia, TheNational Environment Agency or NEA; West African PeaceBuilding Network-Gambian Chapter or WANEB-GAMBIA; Youth EmploymentNetwork Gambia or YENGambiaother: special needs group advocates; teachers and principals
Georgiaother: Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz governmentin exile; separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and SouthOssetia
Germanyother: business associations and employers' organizations;religious, trade unions, immigrant, expellee, and veterans groups
GhanaChristian Aid (water rights); Committee for Joint Action orCJA (education reform); National Coalition Against the Privatizationof Water or CAP (water rights); Oxfam (water rights); Public Citizen(water rights); Students Coalition Against EPA [Kwabena OsosukeneOKAI] (education reform); Third World Network (education reform)
GibraltarChamber of Commerce; Gibraltar RepresentativesOrganization; Women's Association
GreeceCivil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS];Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Dimitris DASKALOPOULOS];General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Ioannis PANAGOPOULOS]
Greenlandother: conservationists; environmentalists
GrenadaCommittee for Human Rights in Grenada or CHRG; New JewelMovement Support Group; The British Grenada Friendship Society; TheNew Jewel 19 Committee
GuamGuam Federation of Teachers' Union; Guam Waterworks AuthorityWorkersother: activists; indigenous groups
GuatemalaAgrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunityor AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committeeof Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associationsor CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM
GuernseyStop Traffic Endangering Pedestrian Safety or STEPS; NoMore Masts [Colin FALLAIZE]
GuineaNational Confederation of Guinean Workers-Labor Union ofGuinean Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance (includes NationalConfederation of Guinean Workers or CNTG [Rabiatou Sarah DIALLO] andLabor Union of Guinean Workers or USTG [Dr. Ibrahima FOFANA]);National Council of Civil Society Organizations of Guinea or CNOSCG[Ben Sekou SYLLA]; Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers orSLECG [Dr. Louis M'Bemba SOUMAH]
Guinea-BissauNA
GuyanaAmerindian People's Association; Guyana Bar Association;Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Human Rights Association; GuyanaPublic Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; TradesUnion Congress
HaitiAutonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [FignoleST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation ofWorkers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of IndependentHaitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, orKOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movementor MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations GatheringPower or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church
Holy See (Vatican City)none (exclusive of influence exercised bychurch officers)
HondurasCommittee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras orCODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; CoordinatingCommittee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General WorkersConfederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise orCOHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH;National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; UnitedConfederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH
Hong KongChinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); ChineseManufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of TradeUnions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEECheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries;Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong,executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the PatrioticDemocratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong andKowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamberof Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNGMan-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center orNWSC (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHARNWUT, executivecommittee member]
HungaryAir Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns andcities); Company For Freedom Rights (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert)or TASZ (personal data protection); Danube Circle (protests thebuilding of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); Green Future (proteststhe impact of lead contamination of local factory on health of thepeople); environmentalists: Hungarian Ornithological and NatureConservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet)or MME; GreenAlternative (Zold Alternativa)
IcelandIcelandic Psychiatric Human Rights Group
IndiaAll Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley(separatist group); Bajrang Dal (religious organization); NationalSocialist Council of Nagaland in the northeast (separatist group);Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (religious organization); Vishwa HinduParishad (religious organizationother: numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations;various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regionalautonomy
IndonesiaIndonesian Women's Coalition (Koalisi Perempuan - humanrights group); Islamic Defenders Front or FPI; National Alliance forFreedom of Religion and Faith; Oil Palm Watch (environmental)
Irangroups that generally support the Islamic Republic: Ansar-eHizballah-Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh); Followers of the Lineof the Imam and the Leader; Islamic Engineers Society; TehranMilitant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat); active pro-reform studentgroup: Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU); opposition groups:Baluchistan People's Party (BPP); Freedom Movement of Iran; Marz-ePor Gohar; National Front; and various ethnic and Monarchistorganizations; armed political groups that have been repressed bythe government: Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI);Jundallah; Komala; Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO);People's Fedayeen; People's Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK)
IraqSunni militias; Shia militias, some associated with politicalparties
IrelandFamilies Acting for Innocent Relatives or FAIR [BrianMcCONNELL] (seek compensation for victims of violence); FamiliesAgainst Intimidation and Terror or FAIT (oppose terrorism);Gaeltacht Civil Rights Campaign (Coiste Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeilge)or CCSG (encourages the use of the Irish language and campaigns forgreater civil rights in Irish speaking areas); Irish Republican Armyor IRA (terrorist group); Keep Ireland Open (environmental group);Midland Railway Action Group or MRAG [Willie ALLEN] (transportationpromoters); Rail Users Ireland (formerly the Platform 11 -transportation promoters); 32 Country Sovereignty Movement or 32CSM(supports a fully sovereign Ireland); Ulster Defence Association orUDA (terrorist group)
Isle of ManAlliance for Progressive Government or APG (a governmentwatchdog); Mec Vannin (political party advocating a sovereign stateand environment policies); note - has only had one member elected tothe Tynwald
IsraelB'Tselem [Jessica MONTELL, Executive Director] monitors humanrights abuses; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary General]supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip;YESHA Council of Settlements [Danny DAYAN, Chairman] promotessettler interests and opposes territorial compromise
Italymanufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio;Confindustria; organized farm groups - Confcoltivatori;Confagricoltura; Roman Catholic Church; three major trade unionconfederations - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL[Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing; Confederazione Italiana deiSindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNO], which is RomanCatholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [LuigiANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)
JamaicaNew Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (blackreligious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Japanother: business groups; trade unions
JerseyInstitute of Directors, Jersey branch (provides businesssupport); Jersey Hospitality Association [Robert JONES] (tradeassociation); Jersey Rights Association [David ROTHERHAM] (humanrights); La Societe Jersiaise (education and conservation group);Progress Jersey [Darius J. PEARCE, Daren O'TOOLE, Gino RISOLI](human rights); Royal Jersey Agriculture and Horticultural Societyor RJA&HS (development and management of the Jersey breed ofcattle); Save Jersey's Heritage (protects heritage through buildingpreservation)
JordanAnti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vicechairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman];Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; MuslimBrotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, controller general]
KazakhstanAdil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [NinelFOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For aJust Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV]; For Fair Elections [YevgeniyZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV];Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS,executive director]; Pan-National Social Democratic Party ofKazakhstan [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAI]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye[Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of InternationalMonitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]
KenyaCouncil of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh IdrisMOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI];Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National ConventionExecutive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of politicalparties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA];Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [CanonPeter Karanja MWANGI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches;Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafural-BUSAIDY]other: labor unions
KiribatiNA
Korea, Northnone
Korea, SouthFederation of Korean Industries; Federation of KoreanTrade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean NationalCouncil of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans'Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National DemocraticAlliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations;National Federation of Student Associations
KosovoCouncil for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedom (humanrights); Humanitarian Law Centre (human rights); Movement forSelf-Determination; Serb National Council (SNV)
Kuwaitother: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secularliberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups
KyrgyzstanAdilet Legal Clinic [Cholpon JAKUPOVA]; Coalition forDemocracy and Civil Society [Dinara OSHURAKHUNOVA]; Interbilim[Asiya SASYKBAYEVA]
LaosNA
LatviaHeadquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB)[Aleksandr KAZAKOV]
LebanonHizballah military wingother: Palestinian militias; Maronite Christians; Sunnis and theirmilitias; Shi'as and their militias
LesothoMedia Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [ThabangMATJAMA] (pushes for media freedom)
Liberiaother: demobilized former military officers
Libyaother: Arab nationalist movements; anti-QADHAFI Libyan exileMovement; Islamic elements
LiechtensteinNA
LithuaniaEurope House (promotes the EU); European Movement(promotes the EU); Lithuanian Future Forum (promotes the EU)
LuxembourgABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sectortrade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agriculturalproducers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade unionrepresenting civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber ofCommerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL(federation of industrialists); Greenpeace (environment protection);LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection ofecology); OGBL (center-left trade union)
MacauMacau Society of Tourism and Entertainment or STDM [StanleyHO]; Roman Catholic Church; Union for Democracy Development [AntonioNG Kuok-cheong]
MacedoniaFederation of Free Trade Unions [Svetlana PETROVIC];Federation of Trade Unions [Vanco MURATOVSKI]; Trade Union ofEducation, Science and Culture [Dojcin CVETANOSKI]; World MacedonianCongress [Todor PETROV]
MadagascarCommittee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR;Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; NationalCouncil of Christian Churches or FFKM
MalawiAgri-Ecology Media (agriculture and environmental group);Malawi Law Society (human rights); Malawi Movement for theRestoration of Democracy or MMRD (acts to restore and maintaindemocracy); National Democratic Alliance or NDA (acts to restoredemocracy; Public Affairs Committee or PAC (promotes democracy,development, peace and unity)
MalaysiaBersih (electoral reform); Sharia High Courtother: religious groups; women's groups; youth groups
Maldivesother: various unregistered political parties
Maliother: the army; Islamic authorities; rebels in the northernregion; state-run cotton company CMDT; tuaregs
MaltaAlleanza Liberal-Demokratika Maltra ro ALDM (against illegalimmigration); Alleanza Nazzionali Repubblikana or ANR (encouragestourism); Alternattiva Demokratika (campaign to reform rent law, andother campaigns); Azzjoni Nazzjonali or AN (freedom to participatein democratic government); Ghazdatal-Konsumaturi (consumer rights);Nazi Watch Malta (exposing Nazis)other: environmentalists
Marshall IslandsNA
MauritaniaGeneral Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM[Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; IndependentConfederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE];Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretarygeneral]other: Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; Islamists
Mauritiusother: various labor unions
MayotteNA
MexicoBroad Progressive Front or FAP; Businessmen's CoordinatingCouncil or CCE; Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republicor COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN;Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of NationalChambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign TradeBusiness Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions ProvidingGoods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of TransformationIndustries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC;National Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate ofEducation Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; PopularAssembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church
Micronesia, Federated States ofNA
MoldovaNA
MonacoNA
Mongoliaother: human rights groups; women's groups
MontenegroSandzak People's Movement [Cemal SULFEJIC]
MontserratNA
MoroccoDemocratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI];General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL];Moroccan Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; NationalLabor Union of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of MoroccanWorkers or UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK]
MozambiqueEtica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Human Rights andDevelopment (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [ArtemisiaFRANCO, secretary general]; Institute for Peace and Democracy(Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS,president]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz eCidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dosDireitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]
NamibiaEarthlife Namibia [Berthchen KOHRS] (environmentalistgroup); National Society for Human Rights or NSHR; The WorldInformation Services of Energy or WISE (group against nuclear power)
NauruWoman Information and News Agency (women's issues)
Nepalother: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southernborder with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomyfor individual ethnic groups
NetherlandsChristian Trade Union Federation or CNV [Rene PAAS];Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers or VNO-NCW[Bernard WIENTJES]; Federation for Small and Medium-sized businessesor MKB [Loek HERMANS]; Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV[Agnes JONGERIUS]; Social Economic Council or SER [Alexander RINNOOYKan]; Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or MHP [AdVERHOEVEN]
Netherlands AntillesEmployers Association (VBC); Unions (AVBO)
New CaledoniaNA
New ZealandWomen's Electoral Lobby or WELother: apartheid groups; civil rights groups; farmers groups; Maori;nuclear weapons groups; women's rights groups
NicaraguaNational Workers Front or FNT (a Sandinista umbrella groupof eight labor unions including: Farm Workers Association or ATC,Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and MartyrsConfederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, NationalAssociation of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union ofEmployees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG,Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists ofNicaragua or UPN); Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT (an umbrellagroup of four non-Sandinista labor unions including: AutonomousNicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of LaborUnification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor orCGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS); NicaraguanWorkers' Central or CTN (an independent labor union); SuperiorCouncil of Private Enterprise or COSEP (a confederation of businessgroups)
NigerThe Nigerien Movement for Justice or MNJ, a predominantlyTuareg rebel group
NigeriaAcademic Staff Union for Universities or ASUU; Campaign forDemocracy or CD; Civil Liberties Organization or CLO; Committee forthe Defense of Human Rights or CDHR; Constitutional Right Project orCRP; Human Right Africa; National Association of Democratic Lawyersor NADL; National Association of Nigerian Students or NANS; NigerianBar Association or NBA; Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC; NigerianMedical Association or NMA; the Press; Universal Defenders ofDemocracy or UDD
NiueNA
Norfolk Islandnone
Northern Mariana IslandsNA
NorwayNorwegian Aid Committee or NORWAC; Norwegian Association ofthe Disabled; Pure Salmon Campaign; The Consumer Council (consumeradvocacy group)other: environmental groups; media; reform movements
Omannone
Pakistanother: military (most important political force); ulema(clergy); landowners; industrialists; small merchants
PalauNA
PanamaChamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Councilof Organized Workers or CONATO; National Council of PrivateEnterprise or CONEP; National Union of Construction and SimilarWorkers (SUNTRACS); Panamanian Association of Business Executives orAPEDE; Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; WorkersConfederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP
Papua New GuineaAhora [Andrew MAMOKO] (represents local tribes);Centre for Environment Law and Community Rights or Celcor [DamienASE]; Community Coalition Against Corruption
ParaguayAhorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board ofCampesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federationof Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central orCNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan WorkersConfederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Centralor CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo]
PeruShining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), GabrielMACARIO (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group); TupacAmaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned),Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrillagroup)
PhilippinesAKBAYAN [Etta ROSALES, Mario AGUJA, and RisaHONTIVEROS-BARAQUIEL]; ALAGAD [Rodante MARROLITA]; ALIF [AcmadTOMAWIS]; An Waray [Horencio NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv HATAMIN];ANAKPAWIS [Crispin BELTRAN and Rafael MARIANO]; Association ofPhilippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) [Sunny Rose MADAMBA, ErnestoPABLO, and Edgar VALDEZ]; AVE [Eulogio MAGSAYSAY]; Bayan Muna [SaturOCAMPO, Joel VIRADOR, and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; BUHAY [Rene VELARDEand Hans Christian SENERES]; BUTIL [Benjamin CRUZ]; CIBAC [EmmanuelJoel VILLANUEVA]; COOP-NATCO [Guillermo CUA]; GABRIELA [Liza MAZA];Partido Ng Manggagawa [Renato MAGTUBO]; Veterans Federation of thePhilippines [Ernesto GIDAYA]
Pitcairn Islandsnone
PolandAll Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [JanGUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, ArchbishopJozef MICHALIK]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]
Portugalthe media
Puerto RicoBoricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group alsoknown as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups areconsidered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces forNational Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance,Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution
Qatarnone
Romaniaother: various human rights and professional associations
RussiaLevada Center (conducts polls); Memorial (human rights group;Movement Against Illegal Migration; Pamjat (preservation ofhistorical monuments and recording of history); Russian OrthodoxChurch; Russian-Chechen Friendship Societyother: ecology groups; human rights groups; nationalist pragmatists(no foreign influence over Central Eurasia); neo-Eurasianists(against Western influence for the area); religious groups;westernizers (lean towards the West)
RwandaIBUKA (association of genocide survivors)
Saint BarthelemyThe Marine Reserve (protection of fish); Rotary Club
Saint Helenaother: private sector; unions
Saint Kitts and NevisNA
Saint LuciaNA
Saint MartinNA
Saint Pierre and MiquelonNA
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesNA
SamoaNA
San MarinoNA
Sao Tome and PrincipeAssociation of Sao Tome and Principe NGOs orFONGother: the media
Saudi ArabiaAnsar Al Marah (supports women's rights)other: gas companies; religious groups
Senegalother: labor; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including theMourides and Tidjanes; teachers
SerbiaNA
SeychellesRoman Catholic Churchother: trade unions
Sierra Leoneother: student unions; trade unions
SingaporeUNFEM [Saleeman ISMAIL]other: investment companies; news organizations
SlovakiaAssociation of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation ofTrade Unions or KOZ; Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS;Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic;National Union of Employers or RUZ; Slovak Chamber of Commerce andIndustry or SOPK; The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS
SloveniaDemocratic Party of Slovenian Pensioners or DeSUS(protecting the rights of the older generation); Slovenian RomaAssociation [Jozek Horvat MUC]other: Catholic Church
Solomon IslandsIsatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force(MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the SolomonIslands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003
Somaliaother: numerous clan and sub-clan factions exist both insupport and in opposition to the transitional government
South AfricaCongress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU[Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Partyor SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African NationalCivics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]note: note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
SpainAssociation for Victims of Terrorism or AVT (grassrootsorganization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks andsupporting its victims); Basta Ya (Spanish for "Enough is Enough";grassroots organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terroristattacks and supporting its victims); Nunca Mais (Galician for "NeverAgain"; formed in response to the oil Tanker Prestige oil spill);Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smallerindependent Workers Syndical Union or USO; Trade Union Confederationof Workers' Commissions or CC.OO.other: business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; freelabor unions (authorized in April 1977); university students
Sri LankaLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [VelupillaiPRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); TamilMakkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) or Karuna Faction [VinayagamurthiMURALITHARAN] (paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting LTTE)other: Buddhist clergy; labor unions; radical chauvinist Sinhalesegroups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; SinhaleseBuddhist lay groups
SudanUmma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP[Hassan al-TURABI]
SurinameAssociation of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE];Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE];Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]
SvalbardNA
SwazilandSwaziland Federation of Trade Unions; Swaziland andSolidarity Network or SSN
SwedenChildren's Rights in Society; Central Association ofSalarited Emplyees or TCO; Swedish Federation of Trade Unions or LOother: media
SwitzerlandNA
SyriaDamascus Declaration National Council [Riyad SEIF, secretarygeneral] (a broad alliance of opposition groups and individualsincluding: Committee for Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO,Riyad SEIF], Communist Action Party [Fateh JAMOUS], KurdishDemocratic Alliance, Kurdish Democratic Front, Liberal Nationalists'Movement, National Democratic Front, National Democratic Rally, andSyrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); NationalSalvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-HalimKHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian MuslimBrotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI] (operates in exile inLondon; endorsed the Damascus Declaration, but is not an officialmember)
TaiwanOrganization for Taiwan Nation Building; World UnitedFormosans for Independenceother: environmental groups; independence movement; various businessgroupsnote: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within themainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalizationand the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan'slegislature have opened public debate on the island's nationalidentity; a broad popular consensus has developed that the islandcurrently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimateoutcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan'speople must have the deciding voice; public opinion pollsconsistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supportsmaintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future;advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the islandwill eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwanindependence movement include establishing a sovereign nation onTaiwan and entering the UN
TajikistanAgrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV] (unregisteredpolitical party); Democratic Party or DPT [Masud SOBIROV](splintered from Iskanderov's DPT); Progressive Party [SultonQUVVATOV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV] (splinteredfrom Narziyev's SPT); Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]other: splinter parties recognized by the government but not by thebase of the party; unregistered political parties
TanzaniaEconomic and Social Research Foundation or ESRF; FreeZanzibar; Tanzania Media Women's Association or TAMWA
ThailandPeople's Alliance for Democracy; Campaign for Democracy[Pibob THONGCHAI]
Timor-LesteNA
TogoNA
Tokelaunone
TongaHuman Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev.Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE]
Trinidad and TobagoJamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]
Tunisia18 October Group [collective leadership]; Tunisian Leaguefor Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]
TurkeyConfederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Ismail HakkiTOMBUL]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK[Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen'sAssociation or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union orHak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions orTISK [Tugurl KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish Confederation of Labor orTurk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen andCraftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' andBusinessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union ofChambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. RifatHISARCIKLIOGLU]
TurkmenistanNA
Turks and Caicos IslandsNA
Tuvalunone
UgandaLord's Resistence Group or LRA [Joseph KONY]; YoungParliamentary Association [Henry BANYENZAKI]; Parliamentary AdvocacyForum or PAFO; National Association of Women Organizations in Ugandaor NAWOU [Florence NEKYON]; The Ugandan Coalition for PoliticalAccountability to Wormen or COPAW
UkraineCommittee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]; Peoples'Self-Defense [Yuriy LUTSENKO]
United Arab EmiratesNA
United KingdomCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation ofBritish Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress
United Statesenvironmentalists; business groups; labor unions;churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PAC; healthgroups; education groups; cuvuc griyos; youth groups; transportationgroups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reformlobbies
UruguayArchitect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization);Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association);Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization);PIT/CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan Unions - umbrella labororganization); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association);Uruguayan Construction League; Uruguayan Network of Political Womenother: Catholic Church; students
UzbekistanAgrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik(Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Committee for theProtection of Human Rights [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Erk (Freedom) DemocraticParty [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] (was banned 9 December 1992);Ezgulik Human Rights Society [Vasila INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Partyor Ozod Dehqonlar [Nigora KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights Society ofUzbekistan [Talib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human RightsOrganization of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum;Sunshine Coalition [Sanjar UMAROV, chairman]
VanuatuNA
VenezuelaFEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOSgroups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labororganization dominated by the Democratic Action)
Vietnam8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People'sDemocratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracynote: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by thegovernment
Virgin IslandsNA
Wallis and FutunaNA
Western Saharanone
YemenMuslim Brotherhood; Women National Committeeother: conservative tribal groups
ZambiaNA
ZimbabweCrisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Xolani ZITHA]; NationalConstitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Women of ZimbabweArise or WOZA [Jenny WILLIAMS]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions orZCTU [Wellington CHIBEBE]
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
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@2116 Economy - overview
AfghanistanAfghanistan's economy is recovering from decades ofconflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall ofthe Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion ofinternational assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector,and service sector growth. Real GDP growth exceeded 7% in 2007.Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremelypoor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture,and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the populationcontinues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water,electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, andthe Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all partsof the country pose challenges to future economic growth. It willprobably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aidand attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standardsfrom its current level, among the lowest in the world. Internationalpledges made by more than 60 countries and international financialinstitutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghanreconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09. Whilethe international community remains committed to Afghanistan'sdevelopment, pledging over $24 billion at three donors' conferencessince 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges.Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generateroughly $4 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one ofKabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challengesinclude: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, governmentcapacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.
AkrotiriEconomic activity is limited to providing services to themilitary and their families located in Akrotiri. All food andmanufactured goods must be imported.
AlbaniaLagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making thedifficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. Thegovernment has taken measures to curb violent crime, and recentlyadopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large grayeconomy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is bolsteredby annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly fromAlbanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset thetowering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for more thanone-fifth of GDP, is held back because of lack of modern equipment,unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficientplots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequateinfrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment,which make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment.The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improvedtransmission line between Albania and Montenegro will help relievethe energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly toimprove the poor national road and rail network, a long-standingbarrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side,macroeconomic growth was strong in 2003-07 and inflation is low andstable.
AlgeriaThe hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy,accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over95% of export earnings. Algeria has the eighth-largest reserves ofnatural gas in the world and is the fourth-largest gas exporter; itranks 14th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recentyears have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomicindicators. Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses andbuilding up record foreign exchange reserves. Algeria has decreasedits external debt to less than 10% of GDP after repaying its ParisClub and London Club debt in 2006. Real GDP has risen due to higheroil output and increased government spending. The government'scontinued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign anddomestic investment outside the energy sector, however, has hadlittle success in reducing high unemployment and improving livingstandards. Structural reform within the economy, such as developmentof the banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, movesahead slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance.