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Foreword to the 2007 Ed.
Preface to the First Ed.

International Trade
and WTO Terms
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I
J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R
S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
Index

International Organisations,
Agreements and Groups
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I
J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R
S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
Index

Acronyms
 A

AB
 Appellate Body

ACCT
 Agence de coopération culturelle et technique

ACP
 African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

ACS
 Association of Caribbean States

ACWL
 Advisory Centre on WTO Law

AD
 anti-dumping

ADB
 African Development Bank
Asian Development Bank

AfDB
 African Development Bank

AEC
 African Economic Community

AGOA
African Growth and Opportunity Act

AIF
 Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie

AITIC
 Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation

AMS
 Aggregate Measurement of Support

AoA
 Agreement on Agriculture

ANZCERTA or CER
 Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement

ANZCERTA Protocol on Trade and Services
 Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement Protocol on Trade and Services

APEC
 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

ASCM
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures

ASEAN
 Association of Southeast Asian Nations

ASYCUDA
 Automated System for Customs Data

ATC
 Agreement on Textiles and Clothing

ATPA
 Andean Trade Preference Act

AU
 African Union

AVE
 ad valorem equivalent



B

BDV
 Brussels Definition of Value

BISD
 Basic Instruments and Selected Documents

BOP
 balance of payments

BSEC
 Black Sea Economic Cooperation

BTA
 border tax adjustment



C
C-4
Cotton Four

CACEU
 Central African Customs and Economic Union

CAEMC
 Central African Economic and Monetary Community

CAFTA
 Central America Free Trade Agreement

CAN
 Andean Community

CAP
 Common Agricultural Policy

CAREC
 Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation

CARICOM
 Caribbean Community and Common Market

CARIFTA
 Caribbean Free Trade Association

CBD
 Convention on Biological Diversity

CBI
 Caribbean Basin Initiative

CCAMLR
 Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

CCC
 Customs Cooperation Council

CEFTA
 Central European Free Trade Agreement

CER or ANZCERTA
 Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement

CET
 Common External Tariff

CFC
 Common Fund for Commodities

CIEL
 Centre for International Environmental Law

CIF
 Cost, Insurance and Freight

CIS
 Commonwealth of Independent States

CITES
 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna

COMESA
 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

CSE
 Consumer Support Estimate

CVD
 countervailing duties



D

DDT
 Dunkel Draft Text

DR-CAFTA
 Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement

DRS
 Deposit Refund System

DSB
 Dispute Settlement Body

DSM
 Dispute Settlement Mechanism

DSU
 Dispute Settlement Understanding

DTIS
 Diagnostic Trade Integration Study



E

EBA
 Everything but Arms Initiative

EBRD
 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EC
 European Community
European Communities

ECA
Economic Commission for Africa

ECAFE
 Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East

ECE
 Economic Commission for Europe

ECLAC
 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

ECO
 Economic Cooperation Organization

ECOSOC
 United Economic and Social Council

ECOWAS
 Economic Community of West African States

ECSC
 European Coal and Steel Community

ECWA
 Economic Commission for Western Asia

EDF
 European Development Fund

EEA
 European Economic Area

EEC
 European Economic Community

EEP
 Export Enhancement Programme

EFTA
 European Free Trade Association

EGS
 environmental goods and services

EIB
 European Investment Bank

EMR
 exclusive marketing right

ENT
 economic needs test

EPA
 Economic Partnership Agreement

EPZ
 Export Processing Zone

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



F

FAO
 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

FDI
 Foreign Direct Investment

FIATA
 International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations

FIPs
 five interested parties

FOB
Free on Board

FPEI
 Foreign Portfolio Equity Investment

FTA
 Free Trade Agreement

FTAA
 Free Trade Area for the Americas



G
G-6
Group of Six

G-7
 Group of Seven

G-8
 Group of Eight

G-10
 Group of 10

G-15
 Group of 15

G-20
 Group of 20

G-33
 Group of 33

G-77
 Group of 77

G-90
 Group of 90

GATS
 General Agreement on Trade in Services

GATT
 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

GDP
 gross domestic product

GMO
 genetically-modified organism

GNP
 gross national product

GRULAC
 Group of Latin American and the Caribbean Countries

GSP
 Generalised System of Preferences



H

HS
 Harmonized System



I

IADB
 Inter-American Development Bank

IBRD
 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

ICC
 International Chamber of Commerce

ICCAT
 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

ICITO
 Interim Commission for the International Trade Organization

ICO
 International Coffee Organization

ICSID
 International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes

ICTSD
 International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development

IDA
 International Development Association

IDB
 Islamic Development Bank

IDB / CTS Database
 Integrated Data Base and Consolidated Database

IDLI
 International Development Law Institute

IDLO
 International Development Law Organization

IE
 Independent Review Entity

IF
 Integrated Framework

IFC
 International Finance Corporation

IFIA
 International Federation of Inspection Agencies

IGC
International Grains Council

IGO
 Intergovernmental organisation

IICA
 Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

IISD
 International Institute for Sustainable Development

ILO
 International Labour Organization

ILP
 Import Licensing Procedure

IMF
 International Monetary Fund

Incoterms
 International Commercial Terms

INR
 initial negotiating right

IP
 intellectual property

IPR
 intellectual property right

ISO
 International Organization for Standardization
International Sugar Organisation

IT
 information technology

ITA
Information Technology Agreement

ITC
 International Trade Centre

ITCB
 International Textiles and Clothing Bureau

ITO
 International Trade Organization

ITTO
 International Tropical Timber Organization

ITU
 International Telecommunication Union

IUCN
 International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, more commonly referred to as the World Conservation Union



J

JITAP
 Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Program



L

LAC
 less-advantaged country

LAIA
 Latin American Integration Association

LCA
 life cycle analysis

LDC
 least-developed country

LLDC
 landlocked developing country

LMG
 Like Minded Group of Developing Countries

LMO
 living modified organism

LRTAP
 Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution



M

MAI
 Multilateral Agreement on Investment

MDGs
 Millennium Development Goals

MEA
 multilateral environmental agreement

MERCOSUR
 Southern Common Market

MFA
 Multifibre Arrangement

MFN
most-favoured-nation treatment

MIGA
 Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

MRA
 Mutual Recognition Agreement

MSG
 Melanesian Spearhead Group

MTN
 multilateral trade negotiations

MTS
 multilateral trading system



N

NAFTA
 North American Free Trade Agreement

NAM
 newly acceded member

NAMA
 non-agricultural market access

NEPAD
 New Partnership for Africa’s Development

NGO
 non-governmental organisation

NTB
 non-tariff barrier

NTM
 non-tariff measure

NTR
 normal trade relation



O

OAMPI
 African and Malagasy Patent Rights Authority

OAPI
 African Intellectual Property Organization

OAS
 Organization of American States

OAU
 Organization of African Unity

OECD
 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

OECS
 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

OIC
 Organisation of Islamic Conference

OIE
 International Office of Epizootics

OIF
 Organisation internationale de la Francophonie

OMA
 orderly marketing arrangement

OPEC
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries


P

PACER
 Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations

PICTA
 Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement

PIF
 Pacific Island Forum

PPP
 polluter-pays principle

PPMs
 processes and production methods

PRSP
 Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers

PSE
 producer subsidy equivalent

PSI
 preshipment inspection

PTA
 Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern African States



Q

QR
 quantitative restriction



R

RAM
 recently acceded member

RCD
 Regional Cooperation for Development

RNM
 Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery

RPB
 restrictive business practice



S

SAARC
 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

SACU
 Southern African Customs Union

SADC
 Southern African Development Community

SAT
 substantially all the trade

SCM
 subsidies and countervailing measures

S&D
 special and differential treatment

SELA
 Latin American Economic System

SGS
 Société Générale de Surveillance

SIECA
 Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration

SIDS
 Small Island Developing States

SPARTECA
 South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement

SPECA
 Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia

SPS
 sanitary and phytosanitary measures

SPSEE
 Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe

SSG
 Special Agricultural Safeguard

SSM
 Special Safeguard Mechanism

STO
 specific trade obligation



T

TARIC
 Integrated Tariff of the European Communities

TBT
 technical barriers to trade

TIR
 Transports internationaux routiers

TMB
 Textiles Monitoring Body

TNC
 Trade Negotiations Committee

TPA
 Trade Promotion Authority

TPRB
 Trade Policy Review Body

TPRM
 Trade Policy Review Mechanism

TRIMS
 trade-related investment measures

TRIPS
 trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights

TRQ
 tariff rate quota



U

UN
 United Nations

UNCED
 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

UNCITRAL
 United Nations Centre for International Trade Law

UNCTAD
 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNDP
 United Nations Development Programme

UNECA
 United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

UNECE
 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNECLAC
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

UNEP
 United Nations Environment Programme

UNESCAP
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

UNCWA
 United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

UNESOB
 United Nations Economic and Social Office in Beirut

UNFCCC
 United Nations Framework on Climate Change

UNIDO
 United Nations Industrial Development Organization

UNITAR
 United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNO
 United Nations Organization

UPOV
 International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants

UPP
 user-pays principle

UR
 Uruguay Round

US
 United States

USTR
 United States Trade Representative



V

VER
 voluntary export restraint

VRA
 voluntary restraint arrangement



W

WAEMU
 West African Economic and Monetary Union

WCO
 World Customs Organization

WHO
 World Health Organization

WIPO
 World Intellectual Property Organization

WTO
 World Trade Organization

WTO/OMT
 World Tourism Organization

WWF
 World Wide Fund for Nature

 

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Copyright © 2003 Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC)

First edition published August 2003
Revised impression November 2003
Revised edition 2007

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation.