There are several reasons that prompt ed a revision of the AITIC Glossary. As I mention ed in the Preface to the original version—launched at the WTO Fifth Ministerial Conference held in Cancun in September 2003—in the context of international trade, and particularly of WTO negotiations, one can always come across new terms in ne ed of definition and currently-us ed terms in a given period acquire a new meaning with the passage of time. Inde ed, since Cancun, not only did the ever-growing number of trade-relat ed terms and acronyms (such as progressivity, claw back, DTIS, RAMs) continue to puzzle the users of WTO terminology, but plain terms acquired new or particular significance (e.g. special safeguard mechanism, sensitive and special products, first approximation). Moreover, the emergence of new informal groups made a mark in the development of the WTO negotiations (e.g. G-6, G-90, FIPs). This evolution of WTO lingo made an update of the contents of our now old Glossary a must, in order to maintain it as a living document.

But there was an added impulse for embarking in an arduous journey of revision and updating. The “early harvest” of the first Glossary, collected before it had had enough time to mature, gave way to the need for a riper version that would lift some of the acidity of the first vintage. This new edition has sought to correct errors and inaccuracies; to add terms which either had been overlooked when the Glossary first came out or which have taken on a new lease of life; and to add to the list of organisations those that had unwittingly been left out.

An indirect justification for a new version of the Glossary is institutional. Important events are usually marked with the issuing of commemorative coins or stamps. In this case, the new version of the Glossary marks the birth of a new AITIC. In the two-year period since the AITIC Glossary first appeared, a momentous change took place in AITIC’s as yet short history: its transformation process into an intergovernmental organisation (IGO) finally culminated. Although the Agreement Establishing AITIC as an IGO had been sign ed on 9 December 2002, it was on 31 August 2004 that the signing of the Seat Agreement between AITIC and the Swiss F ederal Council took place. This event complet ed a process which improv ed AITIC’s financial and functional basis and gave real meaning to the initiative taken by Trade and Development Ministers in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001 to broaden AITIC’s funding base and strengthen its governance.

The foreword to the second edition of the AITIC Glossary would not be complete without mentioning that its original 2003 incarnation was translat ed into French and Spanish in 2004 and into Russian and Macedonian in 2005.

Regarding organisation, the layout of the new edition remains the same as in the first. To avoid repetition, the reader is directed to the User Guide in the Preface of the first version (page II).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A word of appreciation must first go to the users of the first version of the AITIC Glossary who suggest ed new terms that had not been includ ed and changes or clarifications of existing definitions.

The mammoth task of updating the Glossary was taken up with enthusiasm and professionalism by a number of AITIC friends and staff. As usual, David Woods was a willing collaborator and able “definer”. My AITIC colleagues, Nieves Pérez-Esteve Cottier and Joëlle Blondel-El Mechi assisted in the revision, formatting and design of the new edition; Christian Dahm, Sergio Delgado and Natalia Konstantinova checked for accuracy and offered invaluable comments and advice; AITIC translators Pauline Desnuelles, Nicole Antonietti and Inés Díaz de Atauri Matamala carefully and patiently checked the old version and provided translations for seemingly untranslatable terms. My sincere thanks go to all of them for burning the midnight oil with a smile.

Flawlessness is a worthwhile but an almost unattainable objective; improvement is usually more within reach. We have strived to make this a better product than the first.

Esperanza Durán
Geneva, April 2007