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

Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice)

members - (54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL): note - acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs

established - 20 September 1976

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and integration

members - (3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda; note - organization collapsed because of fighting in 1998; reactivated in 2006

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): established - 28
May 1975

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation

members - (15) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO): established - 27-29 January 1985

aim - to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation, communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development

members - (10) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC or EurasEC): note - merged with
Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO) in 2005

established - May 2001

aim - to create a common economic and energy policy

members - (6) Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

observers - (3) Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC): note - began as the North
Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO

established - 8 November 1991; effective - 20 December 1991

aim - to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues

members - (50) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US,
Uzbekistan

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD): established - 8-9 January 1990 (proposals made); 15 April 1991 (bank inaugurated)

aim - to facilitate the transition of seven centrally planned economies in Europe (Bulgaria, former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, former USSR, and former Yugoslavia) to market economies by committing 60% of its loans to privatization

members - (63) Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, EC, European Investment Bank
(EIB), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea,
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,
Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,
UK, US, Uzbekistan

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

European Free Trade Association (EFTA): established - 4 January 1960; effective - 3 May 1960

aim - to promote expansion of free trade

members - (4) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland

European Investment Bank (EIB): established - 25 March 1957; effective - 1 January 1958

aim - to promote economic development of the EU and its predecessors, the EEC and the EC

members - (27) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire

established - 1 July 1953; effective - 29 September 1954

aim - to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only

members - (20) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

observers - (8) EC, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, Turkey, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), US

European Space Agency (ESA): established - 31 May 1975

aim - to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology

members - (17) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

cooperating states - (5) Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania

European Union (EU): note - see European Union entry at the end of the "country" listings

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

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): established - 16 October 1945

aim - to raise living standards and increase availability of agricultural products; a UN specialized agency

members - (192) includes all UN member countries except Brunei, Liechtenstein, and Singapore (189 total); plus Cook Islands, EC, Faroe Islands, and Niue

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

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

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

Franc Zone (FZ): note - also known as Conference des Ministres des
Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc

established - 1964

aim - to form a monetary union among countries whose currencies were linked to the French franc

members - (16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo

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

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT): see the World Trade
Organization (WTO)

General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU): established - 16 April 1992

aim - to consolidate trade union actions to protect citizens' social and labor rights and interests, to help secure trade unions' rights and guarantees, and to strengthen international trade union solidarity

members - (11) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

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

Group of 3 (G-3): established - September 1990

aim - mechanism for policy coordination

members - (2) Colombia, Mexico; note - Panama shows interest in joining

Group of 5 (G-5): established - 22 September 1985

aim - to coordinate the economic policies of five major noncommunist economic powers

members - (5) France, Germany, Japan, UK, US

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

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

established - 22 September 1985

aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the seven major noncommunist economic powers

members - (7) Group of 5 (France, Germany, Japan, UK, US) plus Canada and Italy

Group of 8 (G-8): established - October 1975

aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the developed countries (DCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC), held in several sessions between December 1975 and 3 June 1977

members - (8) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, US

Group of 9 (G-9): established - NA

aim - to discuss matters of mutual interest on an informal basis

members - (9) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Sweden

Group of 10 (G-10): note - also known as the Paris Club; includes the wealthiest members of the IMF who provide most of the money to be loaned and act as the informal steering committee; name persists despite increased membership

established - October 1962

aim - to coordinate credit policy

members - (11) Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US

observers - (4) BIS, EU, IMF, OECD

Group of 11 (G-11): note - also known as the Cartagena Group

established in 21-22 June 1984, in Cartagena, Colombia, aim was to provide a forum for largest debtor nations in Latin America; members were: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Group of 15 (G-15): note - byproduct of the Nonaligned Movement; name persists despite increased membership

established - September 1989

aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing nations; to act as the main political organ for the Nonaligned Movement

members - (18) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Group of 24 (G-24): established - 1 August 1989

aim - to promote the interests of developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America within the IMF

members - (24) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana,
Guatemala, India, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru,
Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago,
Venezuela

observers - (1) China

Group of 77 (G-77): established - 15 June1964; October 1967 first ministerial meeting

aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing countries; name persists in spite of increased membership

members - (129 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,
Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi,
Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,
China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of
the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala,
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran,
Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon,
Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of
Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua,
Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,
Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi
Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands,
Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria,
Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,
Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): note - also known as the Cooperation
Council for the Arab States of the Gulf

established - 25 May 1981

aim - to promote regional cooperation in economic, social, political, and military affairs

members - (6) Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM): note- acronym standing for the member countries, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova; formerly known as GUUAM before Uzbekistan withdrew in 5 May 2005

established - 7 June 2001

aim - commits the countries to cooperation and assistance in social and economic development, the strengthening and broadening of trade and economic relations, and the development and effective use of transport and communications, highways, and related infrastructure crossing the boundaries of the member states

members - (4) Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

high income countries: another term for the industrialized countries with high per capita GDPs; see developed countries (DCs)

Indian Ocean Commission (InOC): established - 21 December 1982

aim - to organize and promote regional cooperation in all sectors, especially economic

members - (5) Comoros, France (for Reunion and Mayotte), Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles

industrial countries: another term for the developed countries; see developed countries (DCs)

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB): note - also known as Banco
Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID)

established - 8 April 1959; effective - 30 December 1959

aim - to promote economic and social development in Latin America

members - (47) Argentina, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium,
Belize, Bolivia,