15 MARCH 2016

ADB Asian Development Bank
AfDB African Development Bank
AFISMA African-led International Support Mission in Mali (replaced by MINUSMA)
a.i. ad interim; not usually written out
AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; not usually written out
AMIB African Mission in Burundi
AMIS African Union Mission in the Sudan
AMISOM African Union Mission in Somalia
APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

BCG bacillus Calmette-Guérin (tuberculosis vaccine); never written out
BINUB United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (replaced by BNUB)
BINUCA United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic
BNUB United Nations Office in Burundi
BONUCA United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central African Republic (replaced by BINUCA)

CARICOM Caribbean Community
CCISUA Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations System
CEB United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
CELAC Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
CELADE Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre [Centro Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Demografía]
CEMAC Central African Economic and Monetary Community [Communauté économique et monétaire de l'Afrique centrale]
CEN-SAD Community of Sahelo-Saharan States
CEPGL Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries [Communauté économique des pays des Grands Lacs]
CFA Communauté financière africaine; not usually written out: CFA franc (CFAF)
CFC(s) chlorofluorocarbon(s)
CILSS Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel [Comité permanent inter-États de lutte contre la sécheresse dans le Sahel]
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States
CNDD-FDD Conseil national pour la défense de la démocratie-Forces pour la défense de la démocratie [Burundi]
COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
CPI consumer price index

DNA deoxyribonucleic acid; never written out

EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ECA Economic Commission for Africa
ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States
ECE Economic Commission for Europe
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
ECOMOG Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
EEZ exclusive economic zone
EFTA European Free Trade Association
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
EUFOR European Union military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Europol European Police Office
Eurostat European Union statistical office; never written out

FANCI Forces armées nationales de Côte d'Ivoire
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FDI foreign direct investment
FICSA Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations
FNL Forces nationales de libération [Burundi]
Frente Polisario Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y de Río de Oro [Western Sahara]

GDP gross domestic product
GEF Global Environment Facility
GIS geographic information system
GNP gross national product
GPS Global Positioning System
GSP Generalized System of Preferences

HIV human immunodeficiency virus; not usually written out

IADB Inter-American Development Bank
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
ICFTU International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
ICSC International Civil Service Commission
ICSU International Council for Science [formerly International Council of Scientific Unions]
ICT information and communications technology
IDA International Development Association
IDB Islamic Development Bank
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
IFC International Finance Corporation
IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development
ILO International Labour Organization
IMF International Monetary Fund
IMIS Integrated Management Information System
IMO International Maritime Organization
Infoterra Global Environmental Information Exchange Network [UNEP]; not usually written out
INSTRAW International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women [transferred to UN-Women]
INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization
IOM International Organization for Migration
IP Internet Protocol; not usually written out
IPSAS International Public Sector Accounting Standards
IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union
ISAF International Security Assistance Force [Afghanistan]
ITC International Trade Centre
ITU International Telecommunication Union

JEM Justice and Equality Movement [Sudan]
JVA Juba Valley Alliance [Somalia]

KFOR Kosovo Force

LAS League of Arab States
LRA Lord's Resistance Army [Uganda]
LURD Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy

MENUB United Nations Electoral Observer Mission in Burundi
MERCOSUR Common Market of the South/Mercado Común del Sur
MINURCAT United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
MINURSO United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic
MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
MINUSTAH United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
MISAB Inter-African Mission to Monitor the Implementation of the Bangui Agreements [Central African Republic]
MODEL Movement for Democracy in Liberia
MONUC United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (replaced by MONUSCO)
MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NEPAD New Partnership for Africa's Development
NGO non-governmental organization

OAS Organization of American States
OAU Organization of African Unity (now African Union)
ODA official development assistance
ODS Official Document System
OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
OECS Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
OIC Organization of Islamic Cooperation (formerly Organization of the Islamic Conference)
OIF International Organization of la Francophonie
OIOS Office of Internal Oversight Services
ONUB United Nations Operation in Burundi
OPCW Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
OPEC Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

PAHO Pan American Health Organization
Palipehutu Parti pour la libération du peuple hutu [Burundi]
PLO Palestine Liberation Organization
Polisario see Frente Polisario
ppp purchasing power parity

RNA ribonucleic acid; never written out
RRA Rahanwein Resistance Army [Somalia]
RUF Revolutionary United Front [Sierra Leone]
RUFP Revolutionary United Front Party [Sierra Leone]

SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
SADC Southern African Development Community
SAR Special Administrative Region of China (Hong Kong SAR; Macao SAR)
SARS severe acute respiratory syndrome
SDR(s) special drawing right(s) [IMF]; SDR 12 million
SELA Latin American Economic System [Sistema Económico Latinoamericano]
SFOR Stabilization Force [Bosnia and Herzegovina]; replaced by EUFOR from December 2004
SLM/A Sudan Liberation Movement/Army [Darfur]
SPLM/A Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army

TRIPS trade-related intellectual property rights

UHF ultra-high frequency; not usually written out
UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNAMA United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
UNAMI United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
UNAMID African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur
UNCITRAL United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDOF United Nations Disengagement Observer Force [Golan Heights]
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNFICYP United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
UNFIP United Nations Fund for International Partnerships
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
UNIDIR United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women [transferred to UN-Women]
UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
UNIKOM United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission
UNIOGBIS United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau
UNIPSIL United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone
UNISFA United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei
UNITA União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola
UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research
UNMEE United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
UNMEER United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response
UNMIBH United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
UNMIK United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
UNMIL United Nations Mission in Liberia
UNMIN United Nations Mission in Nepal
UNMIS United Nations Mission in the Sudan
UNMISS United Nations Mission in South Sudan
UNMIT United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
UNMOGIP United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
UNMOVIC United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission [Iraq]
UNOCA United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa
UNOCI United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNOGBIS United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (replaced by UNIOGBIS)
UNOL United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Liberia
UNOMIG United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services
UNOWA United Nations Office for West Africa
UNPOS United Nations Political Office for Somalia (replaced by UNSOM)
UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNSMIL United Nations Support Mission in Libya
UNSMIS United Nations Supervision Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic
UNSOA United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia (replaced by UNSOS)
UNSOM United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia
UNSOS United Nations Support Office in Somalia
UNTOP United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peacebuilding
UNTSO United Nations Truce Supervision Organization [Middle East]
UNU United Nations University
UNV United Nations Volunteers programme
UN-Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
UNWTO World Tourism Organization
UPU Universal Postal Union
UT, UTC Universal Time, Universal Time Coordinated; not usually written out

VAT value added tax
VHF very high frequency; not usually written out

WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union
WFP World Food Programme
WHO World Health Organization
WIDER World Institute for Development Economics Research
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO World Meteorological Organization
WTO World Trade Organization