The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency (ebook reader 8 inch .txt) 📕

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

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups

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

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

African Development Bank Group (AfDB): note - regional multilateral development finance institution temporarily located in Tunis, Tunisia; the Bank Group consists of the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigerian Trust Fund

established - 10 September 1964

aim - to promote economic development and social progress

regional members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire,
Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique,
Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal,
Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

nonregional members - (24) Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South
Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US

African Union (AU): note - replaces Organization of African Unity
(OAU)

established - 8 July 2001

aim - to achieve greater unity among African States; to defend states' integrity and independence; to accelerate political, social, and economic integration; to encourage international cooperation; to promote democratic principles and institutions

members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire,
Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,
Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western
Sahara), Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia,
Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group): established - 6 June 1975

aim - to manage their preferential economic and aid relationship with the EU

members - (79) Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados,
Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde,
Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba,
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-
Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Niger,
Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and
Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo,
Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL): note - acronym from Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe (OPANAL)

established - 14 February 1967 under the Treaty of Tlatelolco; effective - 25 April 1969 on the 11th ratification

aim - to encourage the peaceful uses of atomic energy and prohibit nuclear weapons

members - (33) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados,
Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana,
Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Andean Community of Nations (CAN): note - formerly known as the Andean
Group (AG) and the Andean Common Market (Ancom)

established - 26 May 1969; present name established 1 October 1992; effective - 16 October 1969

aim - to promote harmonious development through economic integration

members - (4) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

associate members - (5) Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

observers - (2) Mexico, Panama

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA): note - also known as Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA)

established - 18 February 1974; effective - 16 September 1974

aim - to promote economic development

members - (17 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Palestine Liberation Organization; note - these are all the members of the Arab League excluding Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen

Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD): established - 16 May 1968

aim - to promote economic and social development

members - (20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq (suspended 1993), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia (suspended 1993), Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Arab Maghreb Union (AMU): established - 17 February 1989

aim - to promote cooperation and integration among the Arab states of northern Africa

members - (5) Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia

Arab Monetary Fund (AMF): established - 27 April 1976; effective - 2
February 1977

aim - to promote Arab cooperation, development, and integration in monetary and economic affairs

members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria,
Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,
Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan,
Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Arctic Council: established - 18 September 1996

aim - to address the common concerns and challenges faced by Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic; to protect the Arctic environment

members - (8) Canada, Denmark (Greenland, Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, US

permanent participants - (6) Aleut International Association, Arctic
Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar
Conference, Russian Association of Indigenous People of the North,
Saami Council

observers - (8) China, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, UK

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): established - 25 July 1994

aim - to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest and concern

members - (26) Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Canada,
China, EU, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos,
Malaysia, Mongolia, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines,
Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, US, Vietnam

Asian Development Bank (ADB): established - 19 December 1966

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation

members - (48) Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Georgia,
Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, South Korea,
Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated
States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Palau,
Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri
Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan,
Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam

nonregional members - (19) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): established - 7 November 1989

aim - to promote trade and investment in the Pacific basin

members - (21) Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, US, Vietnam

observers - (3) Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): established - 8 August 1967

aim - to encourage regional economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the non-Communist countries of Southeast Asia

members - (10) Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

dialogue partners - (11) Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, NZ, Russia, US, UNDP; note - ASEAN promotes cooperation with Pakistan in some areas of mutual interest

observers - (1) Papua New Guinea

Australia Group (AG): established - June 1985

aim - to consult on and coordinate export controls related to chemical and biological weapons

members - (41) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European
Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US

Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS): established - 1 September 1951; effective - 29 April 1952

aim - to implement a trilateral mutual security agreement, although the US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986; Australia and the US continue to hold annual meetings

members - (3) Australia, NZ, US

Baltic Assembly (BA): established - 12 May 1990

aim - to thoroughly discuss various cooperation issues between Baltic states

members - (3) Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Bank for International Settlements (BIS): established - 20 January 1930; effective - 17 March 1930

aim - to promote cooperation among central banks in international financial settlements

members - (55) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, European Central Bank, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK, US; note - Serbia and Montenegro have separate central banks; their links with BIS are currently under review

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC): established - June 1997

aim - to foster socio-economic cooperation among members

members - (7) Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Benelux Economic Union (Benelux): note - acronym from Belgium,
Netherlands, and Luxembourg

established - 3 February 1958; effective - 1 November 1960

aim - to develop closer economic cooperation and integration

members - (3) Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands

Big Seven: note - membership is the same as the Group of 7

established - 1975

aim - to discuss and coordinate major economic policies

members - (7) Big Six (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) plus the US

Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC): established - 25 June 1992

aim - to enhance regional stability through economic cooperation

members - (12) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine; note - Macedonia is in the process of joining

observers - (17) Austria, Belarus, Black Sea Commission, Commission of the EC, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Energy Charter Secretariat, France, Germany, International Black Sea Club, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Tunisia, US; note - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia have applied for observer status

Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom): established - 4 July 1973; effective - 1 August 1973

aim - to promote economic integration and development, especially among the less developed countries

members - (15) Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname,
Trinidad and Tobago

associate members - (5) Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands

observers - (7) Aruba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Venezuela

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB): established - 18 October 1969; effective - 26 January 1970

aim - to promote economic development and cooperation

regional members - (21) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas,
Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Saint
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela

nonregional members - (5) Canada, China, Germany, Italy, UK

Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC): see Economic and
Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)

Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC): note - acronym from
Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale

established - 3 December 1975

aim - to provide loans for economic development

members - (10) African Development Bank (AfDB), Cameroon, Central African States Bank (BEAC), Central African Republic,