Note: Not all international organizations and groups have abbreviations.
ABEDA -- Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
ACC -- Arab Cooperation Council
ACCT -- Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique; see Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation
ACP -- African, Caribbean, and Pacific Countries
AfDB -- African Development Bank
AFESD -- Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
AG -- Andean Group
AL -- Arab League
ALADI -- Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion; see Latin American Integration Association (LAIA)
AMF -- Arab Monetary Fund
AMU -- Arab Maghreb Union
ANZUS -- Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty
APEC -- Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
AsDB -- Asian Development Bank
ASEAN -- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
BAD -- Banque Africaine de Developpement; see African Development Bank (AfDB)
BADEA -- Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique; see Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA)
BCIE -- Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico; see Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE)
BDEAC -- Banque de Developpment des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale; see Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC)
Benelux -- Benelux Economic Union
BID -- Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo; see Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
BIS -- Bank for International Settlements
BOAD -- Banque Ouest-Africaine de Developpement; see West African Development Bank (WADB)
BSEC -- Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone
C -- Commonwealth
CACM -- Central American Common Market
CAEU -- Council of Arab Economic Unity
CARICOM -- Caribbean Community and Common Market
CBSS -- Council of the Baltic Sea States
CCC -- Customs Cooperation Council
CDB -- Caribbean Development Bank
CE -- Council of Europe
CEAO -- Communaute Economique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest; see West African Economic Community (CEAO)
CEEAC -- Communaute Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale; see Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)
CEI -- Central European Initiative
CEMA -- Council for Mutual Economic Assistance; also known as CMEA or Comecon; abolished 1 January 1991
CEPGL -- Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs; see Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL)
CERN -- Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire; see European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
CG -- Contadora Group
CIS -- Commonwealth of Independent States
CMEA -- Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA); also known as Comecon; abolished 1 January 1991
COCOM -- Coordinating Committee on Export Controls
Comecon -- Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA); also known as CMEA; abolished 1 January 1991
CP -- Colombo Plan
CSCE -- Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
DC -- developed country
EADB -- East African Development Bank
EBRD -- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
EC -- European Community; see European Union (EU)
ECA -- Economic Commission for Africa
ECAFE -- Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East; see Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
ECE -- Economic Commission for Europe
ECLA -- Economic Commission for Latin America; see Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
ECLAC -- Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
ECO -- Economic Cooperation Organization
ECOSOC -- Economic and Social Council
ECOWAS -- Economic Community of West African States
ECSC -- European Coal and Steel Community
ECWA -- Economic Commission for Western Asia; see Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
EEC -- European Economic Community
EFTA -- European Free Trade Association
EIB -- European Investment Bank
Entente -- Council of the Entente
ESA -- European Space Agency
ESCAP -- Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESCWA -- Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
EU -- European Union
Euratom -- European Atomic Energy Community
FAO -- Food and Agriculture Organization
FLS -- Front Line States
FZ -- Franc Zone
G-2 -- Group of 2
G-3 -- Group of 3
G-5 -- Group of 5
G-6 -- Group of 6 (not to be confused with the Big Six)
G-7 -- Group of 7
G-8 -- Group of 8
G-9 -- Group of 9
G-10 -- Group of 10
G-11 -- Group of 11
G-15 -- Group of 15
G-19 -- Group of 19
G-24 -- Group of 24
G-30 -- Group of 30
G-33 -- Group of 33
G-77 -- Group of 77
GATT -- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GCC -- Gulf Cooperation Council
Habitat -- Commission on Human Settlements
IADB -- Inter-American Development Bank
IAEA -- International Atomic Energy Agency
IBEC -- International Bank for Economic Cooperation
IBRD -- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ICAO -- International Civil Aviation Organization
ICC -- International Chamber of Commerce
ICEM -- Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration; see International Organization for Migration (IOM)
ICFTU -- International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
ICJ -- International Court of Justice
ICM -- Intergovernmental Committee for Migration; see International Organization for Migration (IOM)
ICRC -- International Committee of the Red Cross
ICRM -- International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
IDA -- International Development Association
IDB -- Islamic Development Bank
IEA -- International Energy Agency
IFAD -- International Fund for Agricultural Development
IFC -- International Finance Corporation
IFCTU -- International Federation of Christian Trade Unions
IFRCS -- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
IGADD -- Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development
IIB -- International Investment Bank
ILO -- International Labor Organization
IMCO -- Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization; see International Maritime Organization (IMO)
IMF -- International Monetary Fund
IMO -- International Maritime Organization
INMARSAT -- International Maritime Satellite Organization
INTELSAT -- International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
INTERPOL -- International Criminal Police Organization
IOC -- International Olympic Committee
IOM -- International Organization for Migration
ISO -- International Organization for Standardization
ITU -- International Telecommunication Union
LAES -- Latin American Economic System
LAIA -- Latin American Integration Association
LAS -- League of Arab States; see Arab League (AL)
LDC -- less developed country
LLDC -- least developed country
LORCS -- League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
MERCOSUR -- Mercado Comun del Cono Sur; see Southern Cone Common Market
MINURSO -- United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
MTCR -- Missile Technology Control Regime
NACC -- North Atlantic Cooperation Council
NAM -- Nonaligned Movement
NATO -- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NC -- Nordic Council
NEA -- Nuclear Energy Agency
NIB -- Nordic Investment Bank
NIC -- newly industrializing country; see newly industrializing economy (NIE)
NIE -- newly industrializing economy
NSG -- Nuclear Suppliers Group
OAPEC -- Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
OAS -- Organization of American States
OAU -- Organization of African Unity
OECD -- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
OECS -- Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
OIC -- Organization of the Islamic Conference
ONUMOZ -- see UNOMOZ
ONUSAL -- United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador
OPANAL -- Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe; see Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean
OPEC -- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
OSCE -- Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe
PCA -- Permanent Court of Arbitration
PFP -- Partnership for Peace
RG -- Rio Group
SAARC -- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
SACU -- Southern African Customs Union
SADC -- Southern African Development Community
SADCC -- Southern African Development Coordination Conference
SELA -- Sistema Economico Latinoamericana; see Latin American Economic System (LAES)
SPARTECA -- South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement
SPC -- South Pacific Commission
SPF -- South Pacific Forum
UDEAC -- Union Douaniere et Economique de l'Afrique Centrale; see Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC)
UN -- United Nations
UNAVEM II -- United Nations Angola Verification Mission
UNAMIR -- United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda
UNCTAD -- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDOF -- United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
UNDP -- United Nations Development Program
UNEP -- United Nations Environment Program
UNESCO -- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
UNFICYP -- United Nations Force in Cyprus
UNFPA -- United Nations Fund for Population Activities; see UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
UNHCR -- United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF -- United Nations Children's Fund
UNIDO -- United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNIFIL -- United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
UNIKOM -- United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission
UNITAR -- United Nations Institute for Training and Research
UNMIH -- United Nations Mission in Haiti
UNMOGIP -- United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
UNOMIG -- United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
UNOMIL -- United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia
UNOMOZ -- United Nations Operation in Mozambique
UNOMUR -- United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (ONUMOZ)
UNOSOM -- United Nations Operation in Somalia
UNPROFOR -- United Nations Protection Force
UNRISD -- United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
UNRWA -- United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNTAC -- United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia
UNTSO -- United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
UNU -- United Nations University
UPU -- Universal Postal Union
USSR/EE -- USSR/Eastern Europe
WADB -- West African Development Bank
WCL -- World Confederation of Labor
WEU -- Western European Union
WFC -- World Food Council
WFP -- World Food Program
WFTU -- World Federation of Trade Unions
WHO -- World Health Organization
WIPO -- World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO -- World Meteorological Organization
WP -- Warsaw Pact (members met 1 July 1991 to dissolve the alliance)
WTO -- see WToO
WToO -- World Tourism Organization
WTrO -- World Trade Organization (will be added in The World Factbook 1996)
ZC -- Zangger Committee