| ABEDA |
Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa |
| ACCT |
Agency for the French-Speaking Community (see International Organization of the French-speaking World) |
| ACP Group |
African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States |
| AfDB |
African Development Bank |
| AFESD |
Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development |
| Air Pollution |
Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution |
| Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides |
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes |
| Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants |
| Air Pollution-Sulphur 85 |
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30% |
| Air Pollution-Sulphur 94 |
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions |
| Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds |
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes |
| AMF |
Arab Monetary Fund |
| Antarctic-Environmental Protocol |
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty |
| Antarctic Marine Living Resources |
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources |
| Antarctic Seals |
Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals |
| ANZUS |
Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty |
| APEC |
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation |
| Arabsat |
Arab Satellite Communications Organization |
| ARF |
ASEAN Regional Forum |
| ADB |
Asian Development Bank |
| ASEAN |
Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
| AU |
African Union |
| Autodin |
Automatic Digital Network |
| BA |
Baltic Assembly |
| bbl/day |
barrels per day |
| BCIE |
Central American Bank for Economic Integration |
| BDEAC |
Central African States Development Bank |
| Benelux |
Benelux Economic Union |
| BIMSTEC |
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation |
| Biodiversity |
Convention on Biological Diversity |
| BGN |
United States Board on Geographic Names |
| BIS |
Bank for International Settlements |
| BSEC |
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone |
| C |
Commonwealth |
| c.i.f. |
cost, insurance, and freight |
| CACM |
Central American Common Market |
| CAEU |
Council of Arab Economic Unity |
| CAN |
Andean Community of Nations |
| Caricom |
Caribbean Community and Common Market |
| CB |
citizen’s band mobile radio communications |
| CBSS |
Council of the Baltic Sea States |
| CCC |
Customs Cooperation Council |
| CDB |
Caribbean Development Bank |
| CE |
Council of Europe |
| CEI |
Central European Initiative |
| CEMAC |
Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa |
| CEPGL |
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries |
| CERN |
European Organization for Nuclear Research |
| CEPT |
Conference Europeanne des Poste et Telecommunications |
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency |
| CIS |
Commonwealth of Independent States |
| CITES |
see Endangered Species |
| Climate Change |
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
| COCOM |
Coordinating Committee on Export Controls |
| Comsat |
Communications Satellite Corporation |
| COMESA |
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa |
| CP |
Colombo Plan |
| CPLP |
Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa |
| CSTO |
Collective Security Treaty Organization |
| CTBTO |
Preparation commission for the Nuclear-Ban-Treaty Operation |
| CY |
calendar year |
| DC |
developed country |
| DDT |
dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane |
| Desertification |
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa |
| DIA |
United States Defense Intelligence Agency |
| DSN |
Defense Switched Network |
| DST |
daylight savings time |
| DWT |
deadweight ton |
| EAC |
East African Community |
| EADB |
East African Development Bank |
| EAEC |
Eurasian Economic Community |
| EAPC |
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council |
| EBRD |
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development |
| EC |
European Community |
| ECA |
Economic Commission for Africa |
| ECE |
Economic Commission for Europe |
| ECLAC |
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean |
| ECO |
Economic Cooperation Organization |
| ECOSOC |
Economic and Social Council |
| ECOWAS |
Economic Community of West African States |
| ECSC |
European Coal and Steel Community |
| EEC |
European Economic Community |
| EFTA |
European Free Trade Association |
| EEZ |
exclusive economic zone |
| EIB |
European Investment Bank |
| EMU |
European Monetary Union |
| Endangered Species |
Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) |
| Entente |
Council of the Entente |
| Environmental Modification |
Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques |
| ESA |
European Space Agency |
| ESCAP |
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |
| ESCWA |
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia |
| est. |
estimate |
| EU |
European Union |
| Euratom |
European Atomic Energy Community |
| Eutelsat |
European Telecommunications Satellite Organization |
| Ex-Im |
Export-Import Bank of the United States |
| f.o.b. |
free on board |
| FAO |
Food and Agriculture Organization |
| FAX |
facsimile |
| FLS |
Front Line States |
| FOC |
flags of convenience |
| FSU |
former Soviet Union |
| FY |
fiscal year |
| FZ |
Franc Zone |
| G-2 |
Group of 2 |
| G-3 |
Group of 3 |
| G-5 |
Group of 5 |
| G-6 |
Group of 6 |
| G-7 |
Group of 7 |
| G-8 |
Group of 8 |
| G-9 |
Group of 9 |
| G-10 |
Group of 10 |
| G-15 |
Group of 15 |
| G-ll |
Group of 11 |
| G-24 |
Group of 24 |
| G-77 |
Group of 77 |
| GATT |
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTO |
| GCC |
Gulf Cooperation Council |
| GCTU |
General Confederation of Trade Unions |
| GDP |
gross domestic product |
| GMT |
Greenwich Mean Time |
| GNP |
gross national product |
| GRT |
gross register ton |
| GSM |
global system for mobile cellular communications |
| GUAM |
Organization for Democracy and Economic Development; acronym for member states Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova |
| GWP |
gross world product |
| Hazardous Wastes |
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal |
| HF |
high-frequency |
| HIV/AIDS |
human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
| IADB |
Inter-American Development Bank |
| IAEA |
International Atomic Energy Agency |
| IANA |
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority |
| IBRD |
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) |
| ICAO |
International Civil Aviation Organization |
| ICC |
International Chamber of Commerce |
| ICCt |
International Criminal Court |
| ICJ |
International Court of Justice (World Court) |
| ICRC |
International Committee of the Red Cross |
| ICRM |
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement |
| ICSID |
International Center for Secretariat of Investment Disputes |
| ICTR |
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda |
| ICTY |
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia |
| IDA |
International Development Association |
| IDB |
Islamic Development Bank |
| IDP |
Internally Displaced Person |
| IEA |
International Energy Agency |
| IFAD |
International Fund for Agricultural Development |
| IFC |
International Finance Corporation |
| IFRCS |
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies |
| IGAD |
Inter-Governmental Authority on Development |
| IHO |
International Hydrographie Organization |
| ILO |
International Labor Organization |
| IMF |
International Monetary Fund |
| IMO |
International Maritime Organization |
| IMSO |
International Mobile Satellite Organization |
| Inmarsat |
International Maritime Satellite Organization |
| InOC |
Indian Ocean Commission |
| INSTRAW |
International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women |
| Intelsat |
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization |
| Interpol |
International Criminal Police Organization |
| Intersputnik |
International Organization of Space Communications |
| IOC |
International Olympic Committee |
| IOM |
International Organization for Migration |
| IPU |
Inter-parliamentary Union |
| ISO |
International Organization for Standardization |
| ISP |
Internet Service Provider |
| ITSO |
International Telecommunications Satellites Organization |
| ITU |
International Telecommunication Union |
| ITUC |
International Trade Union Confederation, the successor to ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) and the WCL (World Confederation of Labor) |
| kHz |
kilohertz |
| km |
kilometer |
| kW |
kilowatt |
| kWh |
kilowatt-hour |
| LAES |
Latin American Economic System |
| LAIA |
Latin American Integration Association |
| LAS |
League of Arab States |
| Law of the Sea |
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS) |
| LDC |
less developed country |
| LLDC |
least developed country |
| London Convention |
see Marine Dumping |
| LOS |
see Law of the Sea |
| m |
meter |
| Marecs |
Maritime European Communications Satellite |
| Marine Dumping |
Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter |
| Marine Life Conservation |
Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas |
| MARPOL |
see Ship Pollution |
| Medarabtel |
Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union |
| Mercosur |
Southern Cone Common Market |
| MHz |
megahertz |
| MICAH |
International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti |
| MINURSO |
United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara |
| MIGA |
Multilateral Investment Geographic Agency |
| MINUSTAH |
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti |
| MONUC |
United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| NA |
not available |
| NAFTA |
North American Free Trade Agreement |
| NAM |
Nonaligned Movement |
| NATO |
North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| NC |
Nordic Council |
| NEA |
Nuclear Energy Agency |
| NEGL |
negligible |
| NGA |
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency |
| NIB |
Nordic Investment Bank |
| NIC |
newly industrializing country |
| NIE |
newly industrializing economy |
| NIS |
new independent states |
| nm |
nautical mile |
| NMT |
Nordic Mobile Telephone |
| NSG |
Nuclear Suppliers Group |
| Nuclear Test Ban |
Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water |
| NZ |
New Zealand |
| OAPEC |
Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries |
| OAS |
Organization of American States |
| OAU |
Organization of African Unity; see African Union |
| ODA |
official development assistance |
| OECD |
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development |
| OECS |
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States |
| OHCHR |
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |
| OIC |
Organization of the Islamic Conference |
| OIF |
International Organization of the French-speaking World |
| ONUB |
United Nations Operation in Burundi |
| OOF |
other official flows |
| OPANAL |
Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean |
| OPCW |
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons |
| OPEC |
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries |
| OSCE |
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe |
| Ozone Layer Protection |
Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer |
| PCA |
Permanent Court of Arbitration |
| PFP |
Partnership for Peace |
| PIF |
Pacific Islands Forum |
| PPP |
purchasing power parity |
| Ramsar |
see Wetlands |
| RG |
Rio Group |
| SAARC |
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation |
| SACU |
Southern African Customs Union |
| SACEP |
South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme |
| SADC |
Southern African Development Community |
| SCO |
Shanghai Cooperation Organization |
| SAFE |
South African Far East Cable |
| SECI |
Southeast European Cooperative Initiative |
| SHF |
super-high-frequency |
| Ship Pollution |
Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL) |
| SICA |
Central American Integration System |
| Sparteca |
South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement |
| SPC |
Secretariat of the Pacific Communities |
| SPF |
South Pacific Forum |
| sq km |
square kilometer |
| sq mi |
square mile |
| TAT |
Trans-Atlantic Telephone |
| TEU |
Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, a unit of measure for containerized cargo capacity |
| Tropical Timber 83 |
International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983 |
| Tropical Timber 94 |
International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994 |
| UAE |
United Arab Emirates |
| UDEAC |
Central African Customs and Economic Union |
| UHF |
ultra-high-frequency |
| UK |
United Kingdom |
| UMA |
Arab Maghreb Union |
| UN |
United Nations |
| UNAMSIL |
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone |
| UNCLOS |
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as LOS |
| UNCTAD |
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development |
| UNDCP |
United Nations Drug Control Program |
| UNDOF |
United Nations Disengagement Observer Force |
| UNDP |
United Nations Development Program |
| UNEP |
United Nations Environment Program |
| UNESCO |
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |
| UNFICYP |
United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus |
| UNFPA |
United Nations Population Fund |
| UNHCR |
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
| UNICEF |
United Nations Children’s Fund |
| UNICRI |
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute |
| UNIDIR |
United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research |
| UNIDO |
United Nations Industrial Development Organization |
| UNIFIL |
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon |
| UNITAR |
United Nations Institute for Training and Research |
| UNMEE |
United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea |
| UNMIK |
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo |
| UNMIL |
United Nations Mission in Liberia |
| UNMIT |
United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-L’este |
| UNMOGIP |
United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan |
| UNMOVIC |
United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission |
| UNOCI |
United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire |
| UNOMIG |
United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia |
| UNOPS |
United Nations Office of Project Services |
| UNRISD |
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development |
| UNRWA |
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East |
| UNSC |
United Nations Security Council |
| UNSSC |
Untied Nations System Staff College |
| UNTSO |
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization |
| UNU |
United Nations University |
| UNWTO |
World Tourism Organization |
| UPU |
Universal Postal Union |
| US |
United States |
| USSR |
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated before 25 December 1991 |
| UTC |
Coordinated Universal Time |
| UV |
ultra violet |
| VHF |
very-high-frequency |
| VSAT |
very small aperture terminal |
| WADB |
West African Development Bank |
| WAEMU |
West African Economic and Monetary Union |
| WCL |
World Confederation of Labor |
| WCO |
World Customs Organization |
| Wetlands |
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat |
| WEU |
Western European Union |
| WFP |
World Food Program |
| WFTU |
World Federation of Trade Unions |
| Whaling |
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling |
| WHO |
World Health Organization |
| WIPO |
World Intellectual Property Organization |
| WMO |
World Meteorological Organization |
| WP |
Warsaw Pact |
| WTO |
World Trade Organization |
| ZC |
Zangger Committee |