International Organization Abbreviations
108 abbreviations · part of Organization & Company Abbreviations
Abbreviations for intergovernmental organizations, United Nations bodies and agencies, international courts, military alliances, regional blocs, trade agreements, development banks and forums such as the G7 and G20. Entries give the founding year, headquarters, membership and mandate of each body. Many organizations also use initials from French or Spanish (OTAN for NATO, ONU for the UN), which are noted where readers are likely to meet them.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ADB | Asian Development Bank | Regional development bank owned by 69 members, headquartered in Manila, that finances infrastructure, health, education and climate projects in Asia and the Pacific… |
| AfDB | African Development Bank | Multilateral development bank that finances infrastructure, agriculture, energy and private-sector projects across Africa. |
| AIIB | Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank | China-initiated multilateral development bank, headquartered in Beijing, that finances infrastructure such as energy, transport and water projects in Asia and beyond. |
| ANZUS | Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty | Security treaty signed in 1951 by Australia, New Zealand and the United States, committing them to consult and act to meet common dangers in the Pacific. |
| APEC | Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation | Forum of 21 Pacific Rim economies, including the United States, China, Japan and Russia, that promotes free trade and economic cooperation through voluntary, nonbinding… |
| ASEAN | Association of Southeast Asian Nations | Regional organization of 11 Southeast Asian countries that promotes economic integration, political and security cooperation and regional stability. |
| AU | African Union | Continental union of 55 African member states that promotes unity, peace and security, development and integration. |
| AUKUS | Australia, United Kingdom, United States | Trilateral security partnership announced in September 2021 under which the United States and United Kingdom help Australia acquire nuclear-powered, conventionally… |
| BIS | Bank for International Settlements | International financial institution owned by central banks, often called the "bank for central banks", which provides banking services to central banks and hosts… |
| BRICS | Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa | Intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies, originally Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, that holds annual summits and seeks greater influence… |
| CARICOM | Caribbean Community | Organization of 15 Caribbean member states, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Haiti, that promotes economic integration, foreign policy coordination… |
| CERN | European Organization for Nuclear Research | International particle physics laboratory founded in 1954, straddling the French-Swiss border near Geneva. |
| CIS | Commonwealth of Independent States | Loose regional organization of former Soviet republics formed in December 1991 as the Soviet Union dissolved, which coordinates on trade, security and other matters. |
| CITES | Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora | International agreement that regulates trade in wild animals and plants and their products, such as ivory, rhino horn, timber, orchids and live reptiles, to ensure… |
| CoE | Council of Europe | Organization of 46 European states, separate from the EU, that promotes human rights, democracy and the rule of law, chiefly through the European Convention on Human… |
| COP | Conference of the Parties | Supreme decision-making meeting of the countries that have joined a UN convention, best known for the annual climate summits under the UNFCCC. |
| CPTPP | Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership | Free trade agreement among Pacific Rim countries, including Japan, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Vietnam, that cuts tariffs and sets rules on services, investment and… |
| CSTO | Collective Security Treaty Organization | Russia-led military alliance of several former Soviet republics, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, whose members pledge mutual defense. |
| CTBTO | Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization | Vienna-based organization preparing for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear explosions. |
| EAC | East African Community | Regional intergovernmental organization of eight East African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, with a customs union and common market and a… |
| EBRD | European Bank for Reconstruction and Development | Multilateral development bank, headquartered in London, created to help former communist countries build market economies and that now invests mainly in private… |
| ECHR | European Convention on Human Rights | Council of Europe treaty, signed in Rome in 1950 and in force since 1953, protecting rights such as life, liberty, fair trial, private life, expression and freedom from… |
| ECOSOC | United Nations Economic and Social Council | UN principal organ that coordinates the economic, social and environmental work of the UN system, its specialized agencies and commissions. |
| ECOWAS | Economic Community of West African States | Regional bloc of West African countries, headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, that promotes economic integration, free movement of people and regional security, including… |
| EEA | European Economic Area | Arrangement that extends the EU single market to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, giving them free movement of goods, services, capital and people in exchange for… |
| EEC | European Economic Community | Organization created by the 1957 Treaty of Rome among Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany to form a common market and customs union. |
| EFTA | European Free Trade Association | Free trade organization of four European countries outside the EU: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. |
| ESA | European Space Agency | Intergovernmental organization of more than 20 European countries that coordinates space research and exploration, including Earth observation, science missions… |
| EU | European Union | Political and economic union of 27 European countries with a single market allowing free movement of goods, services, capital and people, a common trade policy and, for… |
| FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries, collecting global food statistics and publishing the monthly FAO Food… |
| FATF | Financial Action Task Force | Intergovernmental body that sets global standards against money laundering and terrorist financing and evaluates countries' compliance, publishing "grey" and "black"… |
| FSB | Financial Stability Board | International body that monitors the global financial system and coordinates financial regulation among G20 countries, standard-setting bodies and international… |
| FVEY | Five Eyes | Intelligence-sharing alliance of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, especially for signals intelligence. |
| G20 | Group of Twenty | Forum of 19 major economies plus the European Union and the African Union that accounts for roughly 85 percent of world GDP, meeting at annual leaders' summits to… |
| G7 | Group of Seven | Informal forum of seven major advanced economies, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the European Union also taking… |
| G77 | Group of 77 | Largest coalition of developing countries at the United Nations, with more than 130 members, which negotiates jointly on economic and development issues. |
| G8 | Group of Eight | Name of the G7 forum of major economies from 1997 to 2014, when Russia took part as the eighth member. |
| GATT | General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade | Multilateral trade agreement signed in 1947 that reduced tariffs and other trade barriers through successive negotiating rounds and governed world trade until the World… |
| GCC | Gulf Cooperation Council | Political and economic alliance of six Arab Gulf states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. |
| IAEA | International Atomic Energy Agency | International organization in Vienna that promotes peaceful uses of nuclear energy and verifies through inspections and safeguards that nuclear material is not diverted… |
| IBRD | International Bank for Reconstruction and Development | Original World Bank institution, founded in 1944, which lends to governments of middle-income and creditworthy lower-income countries for development projects and… |
| ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organization | United Nations specialized agency, established by the 1944 Chicago Convention and based in Montreal, that sets global standards for air navigation, safety, airports… |
| ICC | International Criminal Court | Permanent court in The Hague that tries individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national courts are unwilling or… |
| ICJ | International Court of Justice | Principal judicial organ of the United Nations, which settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions on questions of international law referred by UN… |
| ICRC | International Committee of the Red Cross | Independent, neutral humanitarian organization based in Geneva that protects and assists victims of armed conflict, visits detainees, reunites families and promotes… |
| IDA | International Development Association | World Bank arm that provides grants and very low-interest, long-term loans to the world's poorest countries, financed by donor contributions replenished every three… |
| IDB | Inter-American Development Bank | Largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean, lending to governments and, through IDB Invest, private companies. |
| IEA | International Energy Agency | Autonomous intergovernmental organization within the OECD framework that analyzes energy markets, publishes the World Energy Outlook and coordinates emergency releases… |
| IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission | Standards organization based in Geneva that prepares international standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies, from plugs and batteries to safety… |
| IFAD | International Fund for Agricultural Development | Hybrid of a UN specialized agency and an international financial institution, which provides low-interest loans and grants to help poor rural people in developing… |
| IFC | International Finance Corporation | World Bank Group member that invests in and lends to private companies in developing countries, aiming to mobilize private capital for development in sectors such as… |
| IFRC | International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies | Global network of 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, which coordinates international disaster relief, health programs and emergency appeals, mostly… |
| ILO | International Labour Organization | Sets international labor standards, promotes decent work and social protection, and brings together governments, employers and workers in its tripartite governance. |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund | International financial institution of 191 member countries that promotes global monetary cooperation and financial stability, monitors economies and lends to countries… |
| IMO | International Maritime Organization | United Nations specialized agency, headquartered in London, that sets global standards for shipping safety, security and pollution prevention. |
| INTERPOL | International Criminal Police Organization | International organization of 196 member countries that helps police forces cooperate across borders by sharing databases and issuing notices, including Red Notices… |
| IOM | International Organization for Migration | Intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice on migration, including resettlement, voluntary return programs and assistance to displaced people. |
| IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change | United Nations body that assesses the science of climate change, its impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization | Independent nongovernmental organization based in Geneva whose members are the national standards bodies of about 170 countries, and which develops international… |
| ITU | International Telecommunication Union | UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies, which allocates the global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develops technical standards and… |
| IUCN | International Union for Conservation of Nature | Membership union of governments and nongovernmental organizations that assesses the conservation status of species and ecosystems and publishes the IUCN Red List of… |
| MERCOSUR | Southern Common Market | South American trade bloc, Mercado Común del Sur, founded by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to create a customs union with a common external tariff. |
| NAFTA | North American Free Trade Agreement | Trade agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico that took effect on January 1, 1994, eliminating most tariffs and creating one of the world's largest free… |
| NAM | Non-Aligned Movement | Forum of about 120 developing countries founded during the Cold War by states that did not want to align formally with either the US-led or the Soviet-led bloc. |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization | Military alliance of 32 countries in North America and Europe, founded in 1949, whose members pledge under Article 5 that an armed attack against one is an attack… |
| OAS | Organization of American States | Regional organization of independent states of the Americas that promotes democracy, human rights, security and development. |
| OAU | Organisation of African Unity | Former association of independent African states founded in 1963 in Addis Ababa to promote unity, end colonial rule and oppose apartheid. |
| OCHA | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | Part of the UN Secretariat that coordinates the response of humanitarian organizations to emergencies, launches funding appeals and manages pooled funds such as the… |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | Intergovernmental organization of 38 mostly high-income democracies that collects economic data, publishes policy analysis and develops international standards, from… |
| OHCHR | Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | UN office that leads the organization's human rights work, monitoring abuses, issuing reports, supporting the Human Rights Council and treaty bodies and providing… |
| OIC | Organisation of Islamic Cooperation | Intergovernmental organization of 57 member states with large Muslim populations, which aims to protect the interests of the Muslim world and promote cooperation. |
| OPCW | Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons | International body in The Hague that implements the Chemical Weapons Convention, verifying the destruction of chemical weapons and investigating alleged chemical attacks. |
| OPEC | Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries | Intergovernmental organization of oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, the UAE and Venezuela, that coordinates petroleum policies and… |
| OPEC+ | OPEC Plus | Alliance between OPEC members and other major oil producers, led by Russia, that jointly set production targets. |
| OSCE | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | World's largest regional security organization, with 57 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America, working on arms control, conflict prevention… |
| PAHO | Pan American Health Organization | International public health agency for the Americas, which also serves as the World Health Organization's regional office for the region. |
| PCA | Permanent Court of Arbitration | Intergovernmental organization at the Peace Palace in The Hague, founded by the 1899 Hague Convention, that administers arbitrations and conciliations between states… |
| RCEP | Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership | Free trade agreement among the 10 ASEAN countries and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, covering about 30 percent of the world's population and GDP… |
| SAARC | South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation | Regional organization of eight South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. |
| SADC | Southern African Development Community | Regional organization of 16 southern African states, including South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that promotes economic… |
| SCO | Shanghai Cooperation Organisation | Eurasian political, economic and security organization whose members include China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and several Central Asian states. |
| UN | United Nations | Intergovernmental organization of 193 member states founded after World War II to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations… |
| UNAIDS | Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS | UN program that coordinates the global response to HIV, setting targets, gathering data and supporting national programs, with co-sponsoring agencies including WHO… |
| UNCTAD | United Nations Conference on Trade and Development | UN body, now branded UN Trade and Development, that helps developing countries benefit from trade, investment and technology and publishes research such as the World… |
| UNDP | United Nations Development Programme | UN agency that works in about 170 countries to reduce poverty, strengthen governance, support crisis recovery and address climate change, and coordinates UN development… |
| UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme | UN body that sets the global environmental agenda, assesses environmental trends and supports countries on climate, biodiversity, pollution and chemicals. |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization | Promotes international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication as a UN specialized agency based in Paris. |
| UNFCCC | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | International treaty adopted in 1992 and in force since 1994 that provides the framework for global climate negotiations, with the goal of preventing "dangerous… |
| UNFPA | United Nations Population Fund | UN sexual and reproductive health agency, which works to end preventable maternal deaths, provide family planning and prevent gender-based violence and harmful… |
| UNGA | United Nations General Assembly | Main deliberative body of the United Nations, in which all 193 member states have one vote each. |
| UNHCR | Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | UN Refugee Agency, which protects refugees, forcibly displaced people and stateless people, provides emergency shelter and assistance and works toward long-term… |
| UNHRC | United Nations Human Rights Council | Intergovernmental UN body of 47 member states, elected by the General Assembly, that addresses human rights violations, appoints special rapporteurs and conducts the… |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children's Fund | UN agency that works for children's rights, survival and development in more than 190 countries and territories, providing vaccines, nutrition, clean water, education… |
| UNIFIL | United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon | UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, deployed along the Blue Line with Israel, which monitors the cessation of hostilities and supports the Lebanese army. |
| UNODC | United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime | UN office in Vienna that helps countries combat illicit drugs, organized crime, corruption, human trafficking and terrorism, and supports the treaties on these issues. |
| UNRWA | United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East | UN agency that provides education, health care, relief and social services to registered Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, numbering… |
| UNSC | United Nations Security Council | UN organ with primary responsibility for international peace and security, whose resolutions under Chapter VII of the Charter are binding on all members. |
| UNSG | United Nations Secretary-General | Chief administrative officer of the United Nations, who heads the Secretariat, brings threats to peace to the Security Council's attention and acts as the… |
| UNWTO | World Tourism Organization | Tourism body of the UN system, which compiles international tourism statistics and promotes sustainable tourism. |
| UPU | Universal Postal Union | Coordinates postal policies among member countries, setting rules for international mail exchanges and the "terminal dues" postal services pay each other for delivering… |
| USMCA | United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement | Free trade agreement among the United States, Mexico and Canada that replaced NAFTA on July 1, 2020, with updated rules on automobiles, labor, digital trade and dairy. |
| WBG | World Bank Group | Family of five development institutions headquartered in Washington, D.C., that finance projects and policy reforms in developing countries: IBRD, IDA, IFC, the… |
| WEF | World Economic Forum | Swiss nonprofit foundation best known for its annual meeting of political and business leaders in Davos each January, and for reports such as the Global Gender Gap… |
| WFP | World Food Programme | UN food-assistance organization and the world's largest humanitarian group fighting hunger, delivering food and cash assistance in emergencies and supporting school… |
| WHO | World Health Organization | UN specialized agency for international public health, which coordinates responses to disease outbreaks, sets health standards and guidelines, declares public health… |
| WIPO | World Intellectual Property Organization | United Nations specialized agency in Geneva that administers the main international IP treaties, including the PCT, the Madrid System for trademarks and the Hague… |
| WMO | World Meteorological Organization | Coordinates international cooperation on weather, climate and water, including global weather observations and data exchange, and publishes climate reports. |
| WTO | World Trade Organization | International organization that administers global trade rules, provides a forum for trade negotiations and settles trade disputes among its 166 members. |