Appendix C: 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 new term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the top group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; recently published IMF statistics include 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 which are included in the more comprehensive group of developed countries"

African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group)

address—Avenue Georges Henri 451, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 743 06 00
FAX—[32] (2) 735 55 73
established—1 April 1976
aim—to manage their preferential economic and aid relationship with the EU
members—(70) 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, Cote d'Ivoire, 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, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, 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, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

African Development Bank (AfDB)

note—also known as Banque Africaine de Developpement (BAD)
address—01 BP 1387, Abidjan 01, Cote d'Ivoire
telephone—[225] 20 44 44
FAX—[225] 21 77 53
established—4 August 1963
aim—to promote economic and social development
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—(25) Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK, US

Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique (ACCT)

see Agency for the French-speaking Community (ACCT)

Agence de la francophonie (ACCT)

see Agency for the French-speaking Community (ACCT)

Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT)

see Agency for the French-speaking Community (ACCT); acronym from Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique

Agency for the French-Speaking Community (ACCT)

note—formerly Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation
address—13 Quai Andre-Citroen, F-75015 Paris, France
telephone—[33] (1) 44 37 33 00
FAX—[33] (1) 45 79 14 98
established—21 March 1970
name changed—1996
aim—to promote cultural and technical cooperation among French-speaking countries
members—(41) Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (may have dropped out), Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Niger, Romania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam
associate members—(5) Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Morocco, Saint Lucia
participating governments—(2) New Brunswick (Canada), Quebec (Canada)

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)
address—Temistocles 78, Col Polanco, CP 011560, Mexico City 5 DF, Mexico
telephone—[52] (5) 280 4923, 280 5064, 280 2715
FAX—[52] (5) 280 2965
established—14 February 1967
aim—to encourage the peaceful uses of atomic energy and prohibit nuclear weapons
members—(32) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, 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)

aim—formerly known as the Andean Group (AG), the Andean Parliament, and the Andean Common Market (Ancom)
address—c/o JUNAC, Pasco de la Republica 3895, Casilla 18-1177, Lima 18, Peru
telephone—[51] (1) 221 2222
FAX—[51] (1) 221 3329
established—26 May 1969
effective—16 October 1969
aim—to promote harmonious development through economic integration
members—(5) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
associate members—(1) Panama

Andean Group (AG)

see Andean Community of Nations (CAN)

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA)

note—also known as Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA)
address—Abdel Rahman El Mahdi Avenue, P.O. Box 2640, Khartoum, Sudan
telephone—[249] (11) 770498, 773646, 773709
FAX—[249] (11) 770600
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 Cooperation Council (ACC)

established—16 February 1989
aim—to promote economic cooperation and integration, possibly leading to an Arab Common Market
members—(4) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen

Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)

address—P.O. Box 21923, Safat 13080, Kuwait
telephone—[965] 4844500
FAX—[965] 4815750, 4815760, 4815770
established—16 May 1968
aim—to promote economic and social development
members—(21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt (suspended from 1979 to 1988), Iraq (suspended 1993), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia (suspended 1993), Sudan (suspended 1993), Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Arab League (AL)

note—also known as League of Arab States (LAS)
address—Midan Attahrir, Tahrir Square, P.O. Box 11642, Cairo, Egypt
telephone—[20] (2) 750 511
FAX—[20] (2) 740 331
established—22 March 1945
aim—to promote economic, social, political, and military cooperation
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

Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)

address—27 Avenue Okba Agdal, Rabat, Morocco
telephone—[212] (7) 77 26 82, 77 26 76, 77 26 68
FAX—[212] (7) 77 26 93
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)

address—P.O. Box 2818, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
telephone—[971] (2) 215000, 328500
FAX—[971] (2) 326454
established—27 April 1976
effective—2 February 1977
aim—to promote Arab cooperation, development, and integration in monetary and economic affairs
members—(20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

address—438 Alexandra Road, Alexandra Point Building, 14th Floor 01/04, Singapore 119958, Singapore
telephone—[65] 276 1880
FAX—[65] 276 1775
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 Conference, South Pacific Forum

Asian Development Bank (AsDB)

address—6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong, 0401 METRO Manila, Philippines
telephone—[63] (2) 711 3851
FAX—[63] (2) 741 7961, 631 6816
established—19 December 1966
aim—to promote regional economic cooperation
regional members—(40) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam
nonregional members—(16) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US

Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion (ALADI)

see Latin American Integration Association (LAIA)

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

note—the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) consists of the 9 ASEAN members, 2 observers, 2 consultative partners, and 8 dialogue partners: Australia, Canada, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, US
address—70 A Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Kebayoran Baru, P.O. Box 2072, Jakarta 12110, Indonesia
telephone—[62] (21) 7262410, 7262991, 7262272, 7251988
FAX—[62] (21) 7398234, 7243348
established—9 August 1967
aim—to encourage regional economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the non-Communist countries of Southeast Asia
members—(9) Brunei, Burma, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
observers—(2) Cambodia, Papua New Guinea;
note—Cambodia has been accepted as a member of ASEAN but must go through the entry ceremony
associate partners—(2) China, Russia

Australia Group

established—1984
aim—to consult on and coordinate export controls related to chemical and biological weapons
members—(28) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US;
note—may now include only 23 countries
observer—(1) Singapore

Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS)

address—c/o Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bag 8, Queen Victoria Terrace, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
telephone—[61] (6) 261 91 11
FAX—[61] (6) 261 21 51
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

Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico (BCIE)

see Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE)

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID)

see Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)

Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

address—Centralbahnplatz 2, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (61) 280 80 80
FAX—[41] (61) 280 91 00, 280 81 00
established—20 January 1930
effective—17 March 1930
aim—to promote cooperation among central banks in international financial settlements
members—(42) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US, Yugoslavia (suspended) pending
members—(2) Croatia, Macedonia

Banque Africaine de Developpement (BAD)

see African Development Bank (AfDB)

Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA)

see Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA)

Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale (BDEAC)

see Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC)

Banque Ouest-Africaine de Developpement (BOAD)

see West African Development Bank (WADB)

Benelux Economic Union (Benelux)

note—acronym from Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg
address—Rue de la Regence 39, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 519 38 11
FAX—[32] (2) 513 42 06
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—NA 1975
aim—to discuss and coordinate major economic policies
members—(7) Big Six (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) plus the US

Big Six

note—not to be confused with the Group of 6
established—NA 1967
aim—to foster economic cooperation
members—(6) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK

Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC)

address—Istinye Cad Musir Fuad Pasa Yalisi Eski Tersame, Istinye 80860, Istanbul, Turkey
telephone—[90] (212) 229 6330
FAX—[90] (212) 229 6336
established—25 June 1992
aim—to enhance regional stability through economic cooperation
members—(11) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine
observers—(7) Austria, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Tunisia

Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom)

address—Caricom, P.O. Box 10827, Bank of Guyana Building, 3rd floor, Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, Guyana
telephone—[592] (2) 69281 through 69289
FAX—[592] (2) 66091, 67816, 57341
established—4 July 1973
effective—1 August 1973
aim—to promote economic integration and development, especially among the less developed countries
members—(14) Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago
associate members—(2) British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
observers—(11) Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Venezuela

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

address—P.O. Box 408, Wildey, St. Michael, Barbados
telephone—[1] (246) 431 1600
FAX—[1] (246) 426 7269
established—18 October 1969
effective—26 January 1970
aim—to promote economic development and cooperation
regional members—(20) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela
nonregional members—(6) Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, UK

Cartagena Group

see Group of 11

Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC)

note—acronym from Union Douaniere et Economique de l'Afrique Centrale
address—BP 969, Bangui, Central African Republic
telephone—[236] 61 09 22, 61 45 77
FAX—[236] 61 21 35
established—8 December 1964
effective—1 January 1966
aim—to promote the establishment of a Central African Common Market
members—(6) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon

Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC)

note—acronym from Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale
address—BDEAC, Place du Gouvernement, BP 1177, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
telephone—[242] 83 01 26, 83 01 49, 81 02 12, 81 02 21
FAX—[242] 83 02 66
established—3 December 1975
aim—to provide loans for economic development
members—(9) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Germany, Kuwait

Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE)

note—acronym from Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico
address—Apartado Postal 772, Tegucigalpa DC, Honduras
telephone—[504] 372230 through 372239, 371184 through 371188
FAX—[504] 370793, 373904
established—13 December 1960
aim—to promote economic integration and development
members—(5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
nonregional members—(4) Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan

Central American Common Market (CACM)

address—c/o SIECA, Apart Postal 1237, 4a Avenida 10-25, Zona 14, Guatemala 01901, Guatemala
telephone—[502] (2) 682151, 682152, 682153, 682154
FAX—[502] (2) 681071
established—13 December 1960
effective—3 June 1961
aim—to promote establishment of a Central American Common Market
members—(5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua;
note—Panama pursues full regional cooperation

Central European Initiative (CEI)

note—evolved from the Hexagonal Group
address—European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2EH, UK
telephone—[44] (171) 338 6152
FAX—[44] (171) 338 7472
established—27 July 1991
aim—to form an economic and political cooperation group for the region between the Adriatic and the Baltic Seas
members—(16) Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

centrally planned economies

a term applied mainly to the traditionally communist states that looked to the former USSR for leadership; most are now evolving toward more democratic and market-oriented systems; also known formerly as the Second World or as the communist countries; through the 1980s, this group included Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, GDR, Hungary, North Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yugoslavia

Colombo Plan (CP)

address—Colombo Plan Bureau, P.O. Box 596, 12 Melbourne Avenue, Colombo 4, Sri Lanka
telephone—[94] (1) 581813, 581853, 581754
FAX—[94] (1) 581754
established—1 July 1951
aim—to promote economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific
members—(26) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UK, US

Commission for Social Development

note—formerly Social Commission
address—Division Policy Coordination ECOSOC Affairs, Department Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, United Nations, Room S-29631, New York, NY 10017, US
telephone—[1] (212) 963 1234
FAX—[1] (212) 963 5935
established—21 June 1946 as the Social Commission, renamed 29 July 1966
aim—to deal, as part of the Economic and Social Council, with social development programs of UN
members—(46) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

address—Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division, Vienna International Center, P.O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
telephone—[43] (1) 21345, extension 4272
FAX—[43] (1) 21345 5898
established—6 February 1992
aim—to provide guidance, as part of the Economic and Social Council, on crime prevention and criminal justice
members—(40) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Commission on Human Rights

address—c/o Secretariat, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 917 12 34, 907 12 34
FAX—[41] (22) 733 32 46
established—18 February 1946
aim—to assist, as part of the Economic and Social Council, with human rights programs of UN
members—(53) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Commission on Narcotic Drugs

address—c/o United Nations Drug Control Programme, Treaty Implementation and Legal Affairs Branch, P.O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
telephone—[43] (1) 213450
FAX—[43] (1) 21345-5885
established—16 February 1946
aim—Economic and Social Council organization dealing with illicit drugs programs of UN
members—(53) selected on a rotating basis from all regions with emphasis on producing and processing countries

Commission on Population and Development

address—Division for Policy and Coordination and ECOSOC Affairs, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, United Nations, Room 2963, New York, NY 10017, US
telephone—[1] (212) 963 1234
FAX—[1] (212) 963 5935
established—3 October 1946
aim—to deal with population matters of importance to the UN, as part of Economic and Social Council
members—(47) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Commission on Science and Technology for Development
address—United Nations, New York, NY 10017, US
telephone—[1] (212) 963 1234
FAX—[1] (212) 758 2718
established—30 April 1992
aim—to promote international cooperation, as part of the Economic and Social Council, in the field of science and technology
members—(53) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Commission on the Status of Women

address—Division for the Advancement of Women, Department for Ecumenical and Social Affairs, United Nations, Room DC2-1200, New York, NY 10017, US
telephone—[1] (212) 963 4666
FAX—[1] (212) 963 3463
established—21 June 1946
aim—to deal, as part of the Economic and Social Council, with women's rights goals of UN
members—(45) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Commission on Sustainable Development

address—Division for Sustainable Development, UN DPCSD, Room DC2-2274, New York, NY 10017, US
telephone—[1] (212) 963 0902
FAX—[1] (212) 963 4260
established—12 February 1993
aim—to monitor, as part of the Economic and Social Council, implementation of agreements reached at the UN Conference on Environment and Development
members—(53) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Commonwealth (C)

note—also known as Commonwealth of Nations
address—c/o Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX, UK
telephone—[44] (171) 839 3411
FAX—[44] (171) 930 0827
established—31 December 1931
aim—to foster multinational cooperation and assistance, as a voluntary association that evolved from the British Empire
members—(52) Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, NZ, Nigeria (suspended), Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, UK, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
special members—(2) Nauru (soon to become full member), Tuvalu

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

address—Kirov Street 17, 220000 Minsk, Belarus
telephone—[375] 293434, 293517
FAX—[375] 261894, 261944
established—8 December 1991
effective—21 December 1991
aim—to coordinate intercommonwealth relations and to provide a mechanism for the orderly dissolution of the USSR
members—(12) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Commonwealth of Nations

see Commonwealth (C)

Communaute Economique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (CEAO)

see West African Economic Community (CEAO)

Communaute Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale (CEEAC)

see Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)

Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs (CEPGL)

see Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL)

communist countries

traditionally the Marxist-Leninist states with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; most of the original and the successor states are no longer communist; see centrally planned economies

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE)
see Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire (CERN)

see European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

Contadora Group (CG)

established 5 January 1983 (on the Panamanian island of Contadora) to reduce tensions and conflicts in Central America; has evolved into the Rio Group (RG); members included Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela

Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf

see Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM)

established in 1949 to control the export of strategic products and technical data from member countries to proscribed destinations; members were Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK, US; abolished 31 March 1994; COCOM members are working on a new organization with expanded membership which focuses on nonproliferation export controls as opposed to East-West control of advanced technology

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA)

note—also known as CMEA or Comecon
established 25 January 1949 to promote the development of socialist economies and abolished 1 January 1991; members included Afghanistan (observer), Albania (had not participated since 1961 break with USSR), Angola (observer), Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia (observer), GDR, Hungary, Laos (observer), Mongolia, Mozambique (observer), Nicaragua (observer), Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yemen (observer), Yugoslavia (associate)

Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU)

address—International Trade Centre Building, 12th Floor, 1191 Cornish El Nile, P.O. Box 1, Mohamad Fareed, Cairo, Egypt
telephone—[20] (2) 754252, 755321
FAX—[20] (2) 754090
established—3 June 1957
effective—30 May 1964
aim—to promote economic integration among Arab nations
members—(11 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Council of Europe (CE)

address—Palais de l'Europe, F-67075 Strasbourg CEDEX, France
telephone—[33] (3) 88 41 20 00
FAX—[33] (3) 88 41 27 81, 88 41 27 82
established—5 May 1949
effective—3 August 1949
aim—to promote increased unity and quality of life in Europe
members—(40) Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK
guests—(4) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia
observers—(5) Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, US

Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)

address—Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Box 16121, S-10323 Stockholm, Sweden
telephone—[46] (8) 405 1000
FAX—[46] (8) 723 1176
established—5 March 1992
aim—to promote cooperation among the Baltic Sea states in the areas of aid to new democratic institutions, economic development, humanitarian aid, energy and the environment, cultural programs and education, and transportation and communication
members—(12) Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden

Council of the Entente (Entente)

address—01 BP 3734, Angle Avenue Verdier-Rue de Tessieres, Abidjan 01, Cote d'Ivoire
telephone—[225] 33 10 01, 33 28 35, 32 10 74
FAX—[225] 33 11 49
established—29 May 1959
aim—to promote economic, social, and political coordination
members—(5) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo

countries in transition

a new term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the middle group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; recently published IMF statistics include the following 28 countries in transition: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan;
note—this group is identical to the group traditionally referred to as the "former USSR/Eastern Europe" except for the addition of Mongolia

Customs Cooperation Council (CCC)

note—also known as World Customs Organization (WCO)
address—Rue de l'Industrie 26-38, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 508 42 11
FAX—[32] (2) 508 42 40
established—15 December 1950
aim—to promote international cooperation in customs matters
members—(144) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

developed countries (DCs)

the top group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); includes the market-oriented economies of the mainly democratic nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Bermuda, Israel, South Africa, and the European ministates; also known as the First World, high-income countries, the North, industrial countries; generally have a per capita GDP in excess of $10,000 although four OECD countries and South Africa have figures well under $10,000 and two of the excluded OPEC countries have figures of more than $10,000; the 35 DCs are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US;
note—similar to the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) term "advanced economies" which adds Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan but drops Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey

developing countries

a new term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the bottom group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; recently published IMF statistics include the following 126 developing countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, 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, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, 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, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe;
note—this category would presumably also cover the following 46 other countries that are traditionally included in the more comprehensive group of "less developed countries": American Samoa, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Cuba, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gaza Strip, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Jersey, North Korea, Macau, Isle of Man, Martinique, Mayotte, Montserrat, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tokelau, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara

East African Development Bank (EADB)

address—4 Nile Avenue, P.O. Box 7128, Kampala, Uganda
telephone—[256] (41) 230021, 230825
FAX—[256] (41) 259763
established—6 June 1967
effective—1 December 1967
aim—to promote economic development
members—(3) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

address—United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
telephone—[66] (2) 2881234
FAX—[66] (2) 2881000
established—28 March 1947 as Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE)
aim—to carry out the commitment of the Economic and Social Council of the UN to promote economic development
members—(51) Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, UK, US, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam
associate members—(9) American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong, Macau, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

address—P.O. Box 11-8575, Riad El-Sohl Square, Beirut, Lebanon
telephone—[961] (10) 981301
FAX—[961] (10) 981510
established—9 August 1973 as Economic Commission for Western Asia (ECWA)
aim—to promote economic development as a regional commission for the UN's Economic and Social Council
members—(12 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

address—United Nations, New York, NY 10017, US
telephone—[1] (212) 963 1234
FAX—[1] (212) 758 2718
established—26 June 1945
effective—24 October 1945
aim—to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN; includes five regional commissions (see Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) and 10 functional commissions (see Commission for Social Development, Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Population and Development, Statistical Commission, Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Commission on Sustainable Development, and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice)
members—(54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

address—P.O. Box 3001-3005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
telephone—[251] (1) 51 72 00
FAX—[251] (1) 51 44 16
established—29 April 1958
aim—to promote economic development as a regional commission of the UN's Economic and Social Council
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
associate members—(2) France, UK

Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE)

see Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)

address—Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 917 2727, 917 4444
FAX—[41] (22) 917 0505
established—28 March 1947
aim—to promote economic development as a regional commission of the UN's Economic and Social Council
members—(55) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia

Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA)

see Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

address—Edificio Naciones Unidas, Avenida Dag Hammarskjold, Casilla 179 D, Santiago, Chile
telephone—[56] (2) 2102000
FAX—[56] (2) 2080252, 2081946
established—25 February 1948 as Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA)
aim—to promote economic development as a regional commission of the UN's Economic and Social Council
members—(41) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela
associate members—(7) Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

Economic Commission for Western Asia (ECWA)

see Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)

note—acronym from Communaute Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale
address—CEEAC, BP 2112, Libreville, Gabon
telephone—[241] 73 35 47, 73 35 48, 73 36 77
established—18 October 1983
aim—to promote regional economic cooperation and establish a Central African Common Market
members—(11) Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe

Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL)

note—acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs
address—IRAZ-CEPGL, BP 91, Gitega, Burundi
established—26 September 1976
aim—to promote regional economic cooperation and integration
members—(3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

address—6 King George V Road, PMB 12745, Lagos, Nigeria
telephone—[234] (1) 636839, 636841, 636064, 630398
FAX—[234] (1) 636822
established—28 May 1975
aim—to promote regional economic cooperation
members—(16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

address—No. 1 Goulbou Alley, Kamraniyeh, P.O. Box 14155-6176, Teheran, Iran Islamic Republic
telephone—[98] (21) 2831731, 2831733
FAX—[98] (21) 2831732
established—NA 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
associate members—(1) "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus"

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)

note—began as the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO
address—c/o NATO, B-1110 Brussels, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 728 41 11
FAX—[32] (2) 728 45 79
established—8 November 1991
effective—20 December 1991
aim—to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues
members—(44) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

address—EBRD Headquarters, One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2EH, UK
telephone—[44] (171) 338 6000
FAX—[44] (171) 338 6100
established—15 April 1991
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—(60) Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, EU, European Investment Bank (EIB), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan;
note—includes all 25 members of the OECD; also includes the EU as a single entity

European Community (or European Communities, EC)

was established 8 April 1965 to integrate the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), the European Coal and Steel Community (ESC), 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)

address—9-11 Rue de Varembe, CH-1202 Geneva 20, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 749 13 35
FAX—[41] (22) 733 92 91
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)

address—Bd Konrad Adenauer 100, L-2950 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
telephone—[352] 43791
FAX—[352] 437704
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—(15) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK

European Monetary Union (EMU)

note—an integral part of the European Union
address—c/o European Commission, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Bruxelles, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 299 11 11 proposed-7 February 1992
aim—to promote a single market by creating a single currency, the euro; time table-2 May 1998: European exchange rates fixed for 1 January 1999; 1 January 1999: all banks and stock exchanges begin using euros; 1 January 2002: the euro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002 local currencies no longer accepted
members—(11) Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain;
note—Denmark, Sweden, and UK decided not to join, and Greece did not meet all the criteria to take part

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

note—acronym retained from the predecessor organization Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire
address—CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 767 61 11
FAX—[41] (22) 767 65 55
established—1 July 1953
effective—29 September 1954
aim—to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only
members—(19) Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK
observers—(8) EU, Israel, Japan, Russia, Turkey, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), US, Yugoslavia (suspended)

European Space Agency (ESA)

address—ESA Headquarters, 8-10 Rue Mario Nikis, F-75738 Paris CEDEX 15, France
telephone—[33] (1) 53 69 76 54
FAX—[33] (1) 53 69 75 60
established—31 July 1973
effective—1 May 1975
aim—to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology
members—(14) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK
cooperating state—(1) Canada

European Union (EU)

note—evolved from the European Community (EC)
address—c/o European Commission, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 299 11 11
FAX—[32] (2) 295 01 38 through 295 01 40
established—7 February 1992
effective—1 November 1993
aim—to coordinate policy among the 15 members in three fields: economics, building on the European Economic Community's (EEC) efforts to establish a common market and eventually a common currency to be called the 'euro', which will supercede the EU's accounting unit, the ECU; defense, within the concept of a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP); and justice and home affairs, including immigration, drugs, terrorism, and improved living and working conditions
members—(15) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK
members—(12) Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia

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)

address—Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy
telephone—[39] (6) 57051
FAX—[39] (6) 5705 3152
established—16 October 1945
aim—to raise living standards and increase availability of agricultural products, as a UN specialized agency
members—(176) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe
associate member—(1) Puerto Rico

former Soviet Union (FSU)

a collective 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, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; 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

Four Tigers

another term for the Four Dragons; see Four Dragons

Franc Zone (FZ)

note—also known as Conference des Ministres des Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc
address—c/o Banque de France, Service de la Zone Franc, 39 Rue des Croix des Petits Champs, F-75001 Paris, France
telephone—[33] (1) 42 92 42 92
FAX—[33] (1) 42 96 04 23
established—20 December 1945
aim—to form a monetary union among countries whose currencies are 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;
note—France includes metropolitan France, the four overseas departments of France (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion), the two territorial collectivities of France (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon), and the three overseas territories of France (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna)

Front Line States (FLS)

established 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)

was established 30 October 1947 to promote the expansion of international trade on a nondiscriminatory basis; subsumed by the World Trade Organization (WTrO) on 1 January 1995; members at the time were Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe

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 Japan, US

Group of 3 (G-3)

address—c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Grupo de los tres, Caracas, Venezuela
established—NA October 1990
aim—mechanism for policy coordination
members—(3) Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela

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)

note—also known as Groupe des Six Sur le Desarmement; not to be confused with the Big Six
established—22 May 1984
aim—to achieve nuclear disarmament
members—(6) 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 NA October 1975 to facilitate economic cooperation among the developed countries (DCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC), held in several sessions between NA December 1975 and 3 June 1977; members were Australia, Canada, EU (as one member), Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, 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, Sweden, Yugoslavia

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 in spite of the addition of Switzerland on NA April 1984
address—c/o IMF Office in Europe, 64-66 Avenue d'Iena, F-75116 Paris, France
telephone—[33] (1) 40 69 30 80
FAX—[33] (1) 47 23 40 89
established—NA October 1962
aim—to coordinate credit policy
members— (11) Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US
nonstate participants—(4) BIS, EU, IMF, OECD

Group of 11 (G-11)

note—also known as the Cartagena Group
established—22 June 1984, in Cartagena, Colombia
aim—to provide a forum for largest debtor nations in Latin America
members—(11) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Group of 15 (G-15)

note—byproduct of the Nonaligned Movement
address—Technical Support Facility, Ch du Champ d'Ancier 17, Case Postale 326, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 798 42 10
FAX—[41] (22) 798 38 49
established—September 1989
aim—to promote economic cooperation among developing nations; to act as the main political organ for the Nonaligned Movement
members—(15) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Venezuela, former Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe

Group of 19 (G-19)

established—NA October 1975
aim—to represent the interests of the less developed countries (LDCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC) held in several sessions between NA December 1975 and 3 June 1977
members—(19) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zambia

Group of 24 (G-24)

address—c/o European Commission, DGIA - G-24 Coordination Unit, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 299 22 44
FAX—[32] (2) 299 06 02
established—NA January 1972
aim—to promote the interests of developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America within the IMF
members—(24) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Yugoslavia

Group of 30 (G-30)

address—1990 M Street NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20036, US
telephone—[1] (202) 331 2472
FAX—[1] (202) 785 9423
established—NA 1979
aim—to discuss and propose solutions to the world's economic problems
members—(30) informal group of 30 leading international bankers, economists, financial experts, and business leaders organized by Johannes Witteveen (former managing director of the IMF)

Group of 33 (G-33)

established—NA 1987
aim—to promote solutions to international economic problems
members—(33) leading economists from 13 countries

Group of 77 (G-77)

address—Office of the Chairman, United Nations, Room S-3959, P.O. Box 20, New York, NY 10017, US
telephone—[1] (212) 963 3816, 963 0192, 963 4777
FAX—[1] (212) 963 3515, 963 1753
established—NA October 1967
aim—to promote economic cooperation among developing countries; name persists in spite of increased membership
members—(131 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, Cyprus, 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, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, 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, Romania, 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, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, UAE, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

note—also known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
address—P.O. Box 7153, Riyadh 11462, Saudi Arabia
telephone—[966] (1) 482 7777, extension 1238
FAX—[966] (1) 482 9109
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

Hexagonal Group

see Central European Initiative (CEI)

high-income countries

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

Indian Ocean Commission (InOC)

address—Q4 Avenue Sir Guy Forget, BP7, Quatre Bornes, Mauritius
telephone—[230] 425 9564, 425 1652
FAX—[230] 425 1209
established—17 July 1982
aim—to organize and promote regional cooperation in all sectors, especially economic
members—(5) Comoros, France (for Reunion), 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)
address—1300 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20577, US
telephone—[1] (202) 623 1000
FAX—[1] (202) 623 3096
established—8 April 1959
effective—30 December 1959
aim—to promote economic and social development in Latin America
members—(46) Argentina, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela

Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD)

see Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)

Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)

note—formerly known as Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD)
address—P. O. Box 2653, Djibouti, Djibouti
telephone—[253] 354050
FAX—[253] 356994, 356284
established—15-16 January 1986 as the Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development revitalized-21 March 1996 as the Inter- Governmental Authority on Development
aim—to promote a social, economic, and scientific community among its members
members—(7) Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

address—Wagramerstrasse 5, P.O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
telephone—[43] (1) 20600
FAX—[43] (1) 20607
established—26 October 1956
effective—29 July 1957
aim—to promote peaceful uses of atomic energy
members—(127) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Bank for Economic Cooperation (IBEC)

was established on 22 October 1963 to promote economic cooperation and development; members were Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, GDR, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam; now it is a Russian bank with a new charter

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

note—also known as the World Bank
address—1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, US
telephone—[1] (202) 477 1234
FAX—[1] (202) 477 6391
established—22 July 1944
effective—27 December 1945
aim—to provide economic development loans; a UN specialized agency
members—(181) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

address—38 Cours Albert 1st, F-75008 Paris, France
telephone—[33] (1) 49 53 28 28
FAX—[33] (1) 49 53 29 42
established—NA 1919
aim—to promote free trade and private enterprise and to represent business interests at national and international levels
members—(62 national councils) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

address—ICAO, 999 University Street, Montreal H3C 5H7, Canada
telephone—[1] (514) 954 8219
FAX—[1] (514) 954 6077
established—7 December 1944
effective—4 April 1947
aim—to promote international cooperation in civil aviation; a UN specialized agency
members—(185) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Palau, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

address—ICRC, 19 Avenue de la Paix, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 734 60 01
FAX—[41] (22) 733 20 57
established—NA 1863
aim—to provide humanitarian aid in wartime
members—(25 individuals) all Swiss nationals

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)

address—International Trade Union House, Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 155, B-1210 Brussels, Belgium
telephone—[32] (2) 224 02 11
FAX—[32] (2) 201 58 15, 203 07 56
established—NA December 1949
aim—to promote the trade union movement
members—(206 affiliated organizations in the following 141 countries) Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Basque Country, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UK, US, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

note—also known as the World Court
address—Peace Palace, NL-2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
telephone—[31] (70) 302 23 23
FAX—[31] (70) 364 99 28
established—26 June 1945
effective—24 October 1945
aim—primary judicial organ of the UN
members—(15 judges) elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council to represent all principal legal systems

International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)

address—BP 6041, F-69411 Lyon CEDEX 06, France
telephone—[33] (4) 72 44 70 00
FAX—[33] (4) 72 44 71 63
established—13 June 1956
aim—to promote international cooperation among police authorities in fighting crime
members—(177) Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
subbureaus—(14) American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Guam, Hong Kong, Macau, Montserrat, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands

International Development Association (IDA)

address—1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, US
telephone—[1] (202) 477 1234
FAX—[1] (202) 477 6391
established—26 January 1960
effective—24 September 1960
aim—UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate that provides economic loans for low income countries
members—(160)
Part I—(26 developed countries) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK, US
Part II—(134 less developed countries) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, 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, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Energy Agency (IEA)

address—2 Rue Andre Pascal, F-75775 Paris CEDEX 16, France
telephone—[33] (1) 45 24 82 00
FAX—[33] (1) 45 24 99 88
established—15 November 1974
aim—to promote cooperation on energy matters, especially emergency oil sharing and relations between oil consumers and oil producers; established by the OECD
members—(24) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US
observers—(16) Commission of the European Communities, Czech Republic, Iceland, South Korea, Mexico, Poland

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)

note—formerly known as League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS)
address—Chemin des Crets 17, CP 372, Petit-Saconnex, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 730 4222
FAX—[41] (22) 733 0395
established—5 May 1919
aim—to organize, coordinate, and direct international relief actions; to promote humanitarian activities; to represent and encourage the development of National Societies; to bring help to victims of armed conflicts, refugees, and displaced people; to reduce the vulnerability of people through development programs
members—(175) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
associate members—(4) Comoros, Cyprus, Gabon, Tuvalu

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

address—2121 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20433, US
telephone—[1] (202) 473 0631, 477 1234
FAX—[1] (202) 974 4384, 477 6391
established—25 May 1955
effective—20 July 1956
aim—to support private enterprise in international economic development; a UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate
members—(174) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

address—Via del Serafico 107, I-00142 Rome, Italy
telephone—[39] (6) 54591
FAX—[39] (6) 5043463
established—NA November 1974
aim—to promote agricultural development; a UN specialized agency
members—(160)
Category I—(22 industrialized aid contributors) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US
Category II—(12 petroleum-exporting aid contributors) Algeria, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela
Category III—(126 aid recipients) Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, 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, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, 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, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)

note—name changed from International Hydrographic Bureau on 22 September 1970
address—BP 445, 4 Quai Antoine 1st, Monaco MC 98011, CEDEX, Monaco
telephone—[33] (93) 01 81 00
FAX—[33] (93) 10 81 40
established—NA June 1919
effective—NA June 1921
aim—to train hydrographic surveyors and nautical cartographers to achieve standardization in nautical charts and electronic chart displays; to provide advice on nautical cartography and hydrography; to develop the sciences in the field of hydrography and techniques used for descriptive oceanography
members—(64) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia membership pending-(10) Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Colombia, Jamaica, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique Qatar, Ukraine

International Investment Bank (IIB)

established on 7 July 1970; to promote economic development; members were Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam; now it is a Russian bank with a new charter

International Labor Organization (ILO)

address—International Labor Office, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 799 61 11
FAX—[41] (22) 798 86 85
established—11 April 1919 (affiliated with the UN 14 December 1946)
aim—to deal with world labor issues; a UN specialized agency
members—(174) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

note—name changed from Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) on 22 May 1982
address—4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, UK
telephone—[44] (171) 735 7611
FAX—[44] (171) 587 3210
established—17 March 1958
aim—to deal with international maritime affairs; a UN specialized agency
members—(155) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (suspended)
associate members—(2) Hong Kong, Macau

International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat)

see International Mobile Satellite Organization (Inmarsat)

International Mobile Satellite Organization (Inmarsat)

note—formerly International Maritime Satellite Organization
address—99 City Road, London EC1Y 1AX, UK
telephone—[44] (171) 728 1212
FAX—[44] (171) 728 1602
established—3 September 1976
effective—26 July 1979
aim—to provide worldwide communications for commercial, distress, and safety applications, at sea, in the air, and on land
members—(81) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mozambique, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Yugoslavia

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

address—700 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20431, US
telephone—[1] (202) 623 7000
FAX—[1] (202) 623 4661, 623 7491, 623 4662
established—22 July 1944
effective—27 December 1945
aim—to promote world monetary stability and economic development; a UN specialized agency
members—(182) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

note—there are 194 National Olympic Committees of which 185 are recognized by the International Olympic Committee
address—Chateau de Vidy, CH-1007 Lausanne, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (21) 621 61 11
FAX—[41] (21) 621 62 16
established—23 June 1894
aim—to promote the Olympic ideals and administer the Olympic games: 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia; 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States; 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece
National Olympic Committees—(196 and the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Yemen, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization

International Organization for Migration (IOM)

note—established as Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe; renamed Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) on 15 November 1952; renamed Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM) in November 1980; current name adopted 14 November 1989
address—17 route des Morillons, CP 71, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 717 91 11
FAX—[41] (22) 798 61 50
established—5 December 1951
aim—to facilitate orderly international emigration and immigration
members—(60) Albania, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uganda, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia
observers—(49) Afghanistan, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Holy See, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, NZ, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

address—CP 56, 1 Rue de Varembe, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 749 01 11
FAX—[41] (22) 733 34 30
established—NA February 1947
aim—to promote the development of international standards with a view to facilitating international exchange of goods and services and to developing cooperation in the sphere of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity
members—(85 national standards organizations) Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Libya, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe
correspondent members—(32) Bahrain, Barbados, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei, Cote d'Ivoire, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Hong Kong, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malawi, Malta, Moldova, Mozambique, Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE
subscriber members—(10) Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bolivia, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Namibia, Saint Lucia

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM)

address—CICR, 19 Avenue de la Paix, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 734 60 01
FAX—[41] (22) 733 20 57
established—NA 1928
aim—to promote worldwide humanitarian aid through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in wartime, and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS; formerly League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or LORCS) in peacetime
National Societies-(175 countries) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

address—Place des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
telephone—[41] (22) 730 6184
FAX—[41] (22) 733 7256, 730 6614
established—9 December 1932
effective—1 January 1934
affiliated with the UN—15 November 1947
aim—to deal with world telecommunications issues; a UN specialized agency
members—(188) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (suspended), Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat)

address—Intelsat, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008-3098, US
telephone—[1] (202) 944 7500
FAX—[1] (202) 944 7890
established—20 August 1971
effective—12 February 1973
aim—to develop and operate a global commercial telecommunications satellite system
members—(142) Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
nonsignatory users—(43) Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Belize, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Eritrea, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kiribati, North Korea, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Nauru, Niue, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Vanuatu

Islamic Development Bank (IDB)

address—P.O. Box 5925, Jeddah 21432, Saudi Arabia
telephone—[966] (2) 6361400
FAX—[966] (2) 6366871
established—15 December 1973
aim—to promote Islamic economic aid and social development
members—(48 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Latin American Economic System (LAES)

note—also known as Sistema Economico Latinoamericana (SELA)
address—SELA, Avda Francisco de Miranda, Torre Europa, Piso 4, Chacaito, Apartado de Correos 17035, Caracas 1010-A, Venezuela
telephone—[58] (2) 905 5111
FAX—[58] (2) 951 6953, 951 7246
established—17 October 1975
aim—to promote economic and social development through regional cooperation
members—(27) Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Latin American Integration Association (LAIA)

note—also known as Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion (ALADI)
address—Calle Cebollati 1461, Casilla de Correo 577, 11000 Montevideo, Uruguay
telephone—[598] (2) 400 11 21, 409 59 15
FAX—[598] (2) 409 06 49
established—12 August 1980
effective—18 March 1981
aim—to promote freer regional trade
members—(11) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
observers—(20) China, Commission of the European Communities, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Inter-American Development Bank, Italy, Nicaragua, Organization of American States, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, United Nations Development Program, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

League of Arab States (LAS)

see Arab League (AL)

League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS)

see International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)

least developed countries (LLDCs)

that subgroup of the less developed countries (LDCs) initially identified by the UN General Assembly in 1971 as having no significant economic growth, per capita GDPs normally less than $1,000, and low literacy rates; also known as the undeveloped countries; the 42 LLDCs are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cape Verde, Centr