GENERAL TERMS
|
TERM |
DEFINITION |
Americas Business Forum
(ABF)
|
Parallel event organized by
the business community at the time of the meeting of Ministers
Responsible for Trade in the Hemisphere participating in the
negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
http://www.abfmiami2003.com |
|
Americas Trade and
Sustainable Development Forum |
Parallel event organized by
civil society organizations at the time of the meeting of Ministers
Responsible for Trade in the Hemisphere participating in the
negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
http://www.miami.edu/nsc/pages/FTAA.html |
|
Andean Community (CAN)
|
Formerly known as the
Andean Group (established in 1969) and the Andean Common Market, the
Andean Community (CAN) is a sub-regional organization made up of
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela and the bodies and
institutions comprising the Andean Integration System (AIS). The key
objectives of the Andean Community are: to promote the balanced and
harmonious development of the member countries under equitable
conditions; to stimulate growth through integration and economic and
social cooperation; to enhance participation in the regional
integration process with a view to the progressive formation of a
Latin American common market; and to strive for a steady improvement
in the standard of living of their inhabitants.
http://www.comunidadandina.org |
| Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) |
Established in November
1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is the premier
forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and
investment in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC members (21) are:
Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of
China, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea,
Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the
Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei,
Thailand, United States, and Viet Nam.
http://www.apecsec.org.sg |
|
Business facilitation
measures |
In the context of the FTAA,
set of measures approved by Ministers Responsible for Trade at their
Toronto Meeting, held on November 4, 1999. These include eight
customs-related measures and ten transparency-related measures, which
can be found in Annexes II and III of the Toronto Ministerial
Declaration.
http://www.ftaa-alca.org/ministerials/minis_e.asp
|
| Caribbean Community and
Common Market (CARICOM) |
CARICOM is a grouping of
15 member countries that was established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas
in 1973 to promote economic integration through the free movement of
goods and functional cooperation in areas such as education and
health. The Treaty was revised in 2001 to elevate the common market
into an economic union, the Caribbean Single Market and Economy
(CSME), which envisions the free movement of goods, services, capital
and labor, macroeconomic policy coordination and harmonization of laws
and institutions. Member (15) countries are: Antigua and Barbuda, The
Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica,
Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. The Bahamas is a member of
the Community but not the Common Market. Associate members (3)
include: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands.
http://www.caricom.org |
| Central American Common
Market (CACM) |
The Central American
Common Market (CACM) was established on 13 December 1960 when
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua signed the General
Treaty of Central American Economic Integration. Costa Rica acceded on
23 July 1962. In October 1993, the five CACM countries signed the
Guatemala Protocol, which amended the 1960 General Treaty. The
Protocol redefines the objectives, principles and stages of economic
integration, and calls on members to establish a customs union. More
specifically, the Guatemala Protocol calls on members to bring the
free trade area of the CACM into full operation through the gradual
elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers, the granting of
national treatment to intraregional trade, and the adoption of a
regional legal framework covering rules of origin, safeguards, unfair
trade practices, intellectual property, services, sanitary and
phytosanitary measures, and standards and technical regulations.
http://www.sieca.org.gt |
| Common Market of the
South (MERCOSUR) |
Established as the Common
Market of the South (MERCOSUR) through the Treaty of Asuncion on 26
March 1991. Between 1991 and 1995, MERCOSUR members, Argentina,
Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, engaged in a series of negotiations to
establish a common external tariff, which took effect on 1 January
1995. The deadline for full implementation of the customs union by all
members in all sectors is 2006. The re-launching of MERCOSUR’s
integration process in 2000 called for closer macroeconomic
coordination and other areas of prioritization such as institutional
strengthening, the common external tariff, dispute settlement, trade
remedies and competition policy, and investment incentives. Chile and
Bolivia became associate members, respectively, in 1996 and 1997.
http://www.mercosul.org.uy |
| European Union (EU)
|
The European Union (EU)
groups fifteen member states through a set of common institutions
where decisions on specific matters of joint interest are taken at the
European level. It was founded as the European Community after the
Second World War to enhance political, economic and social
co-operation among its members. The ‘single market’, adopted in 1992
through the Treaty of Maastricht, is the core of the present European
Union. It includes the freedoms of movement for goods, services,
people and capital and is underpinned by a range of supporting
policies. A common currency, the ‘Euro’, which replaced the old
national currencies in 12 EU countries, along with a European Central
Bank, came into existence on 1 January 2002. Member states (15)
include: Austria; Belgium; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece;
Ireland; Italy; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Portugal; Spain; Sweden;
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Ten new member
countries have been invited to join the EU on 1 May 2004, namely:
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
http://europa.eu.int
|
| Free Trade Area of the
Americas (FTAA) |
The Heads of State and
Government of the 34 democracies in the hemisphere agreed to construct
a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), in which barriers to trade
and investment will be progressively eliminated. The negotiations were
launched at the Summit of the Americas in Miami, U.S.A., in December
1994. They agreed to complete negotiations towards this agreement by
January 2005.
http://www.ftaa-alca.org |
| FTAA website
|
The official public website
for the negotiating process of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
http://www.ftaa-alca.org |
| General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) |
The General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT), has been superseded as an international
organization by the World Trade Organization. An updated General
Agreement is now one of the WTO’s agreements. See “World Trade
Organization”, page 16. |
| General
Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) |
The General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS) is the first multilateral, legally binding set of
rules covering international trade in services. The GATS came into
effect in January 1995 as an integral part of the WTO. The workings
of the GATS are the responsibility of the Council for Trade in
Services, made up of representatives from all WTO members. |
| Hemispheric Cooperation
Program (HCP) |
The Hemispheric
Cooperation Program (HCP) aims to strengthen the capacities of those
countries seeking assistance to participate in the FTAA negotiations,
implement their trade commitments, and address the challenges and
maximize the benefits of hemispheric integration, including productive
capacity and competitiveness in the region. The Program includes a
mechanism to assist these countries to develop national and/or
sub-regional trade capacity building strategies that define,
prioritize and articulate their needs and programs pursuant to those
strategies, and to identify sources of financial and non-financial
support for fulfilling these needs. The HCP was endorsed by the FTAA
Ministers Responsible for Trade at their meeting in Quito, in November
2002.
http://www.ftaa-alca.org/ministerials/quito/minist_e.asp
|
| Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB or IADB) |
Established in 1959, the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) supports economic and social
development and regional integration in Latin America and the
Caribbean. It does so mainly through lending to public institutions,
but it also funds some private projects, typically in infrastructure
and capital markets development. Members (46) include: Argentina,
Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala,
Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico,
Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal,
Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago,
United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
http://www.iadb.org |
| Latin American
Association for Integration (ALADI) |
The Latin American
Association for Integration (ALADI) was established by the Treaty of
Montevideo in August 1980 and became operational in March 1981. The
Association seeks to foster economic cooperation among its members,
including through the conclusion of regional trading agreements and
sectoral agreements. Members (12) include: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and
Venezuela. ALADI replaced the Latin American Free Trade Association
(LAFTA; Asociación Latinoamericana de Libre Comercio), which had been
established in 1960 with the aim of developing a common market in
Latin America. http://www.aladi.org |
|
Ministerial meeting
|
The periodic meeting of the
Ministers Responsible for Trade of the 34 participating countries in
the Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations. |
|
National Strategies to
Strengthen Trade Capacities |
In the context of the FTAA
Hemispheric Cooperation Program, countries have developed national or
regional strategies that define, prioritize, and articulate their
needs related to strengthening their capacity for: preparing for
negotiations; implementing trade commitments and adjusting to
integration. In order to facilitate coordination and sharing of
experiences, the strategies follow a common format that was developed
by the Consultative Group on Smaller Economies, with the assistance of
the Tripartite Committee. |
| Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) |
The Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) groups 30 member countries
in a unique forum to discuss, develop and refine economic and social
policies. Established December 1960 and came into being in September
1961. Members (30) include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.
http://www.oecd.org |
|
North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) |
The North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a comprehensive free trade agreement
involving Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., implemented on 1 January 1994.
Its objectives include: to eliminate barriers to trade in, and to
facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and services; to promote
conditions of fair competition; to increase investment opportunities;
to provide adequate and effective protection and enforcement of
intellectual property rights; to create effective procedures for the
implementation and application of the Agreement, for its joint
administration and for the resolution of disputes; and to establish a
framework for further trilateral, regional and multilateral
cooperation.
http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org |
| Organization of
American States (OAS) |
On 30 April 1948, the
Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) was adopted by 21
nations of the hemisphere. It affirmed their commitment to common
goals and respect for each nation’s sovereignty. Since then, the OAS
has expanded to include the nations of the Caribbean, as well as
Canada. Through the Summit of the Americas process, the Heads of State
and Government in the hemisphere have given the OAS important
responsibilities and mandates, including: human rights; participation
of civil society; improving cooperation to address the problem of
illegal drugs; supporting the process to create a Free Trade Area of
the Americas; education; justice and security. Members (35) include:
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,
Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba (excluded
from formal participation since 1962), Dominica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname,
Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
http://www.oas.org |
| Summit Implementation
Review Group (SIRG) |
The Summit Implementation
Review Group (SIRG) was created in March 1995 with the purpose of
coordinating and implementing the mandates of the Miami Plan of
Action. The SIRG is comprised of the 34 democratically elected
governments of the hemisphere, which are represented by their
appointed National Coordinators. The SIRG is responsible for reporting
annually on the progress achieved in the fulfillment of the Plan of
Action to the Foreign Ministers. The Ministers review the information
on the occasion of the Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly.
|
|
Summit of the Americas
|
The Summit of the Americas
process, begun after the first Summit of the Americas in December
1994, brings together the Heads of State and Government of the Western
Hemisphere to discuss common concerns, seek solutions and develop a
shared vision for their future development of the region, be it
economic, social or political in nature.
http://www.summit-americas.org |
|
Tariff elimination
program |
Tariff elimination
schedules of the countries participating in a trade agreement.
|
|
Trade capacity building
|
Development and enhancement
of trade-related capacities and core skills of countries through
technical cooperation and other forms of assistance to optimize their
participation in negotiations, implement their trade commitments, and
address the challenges to maximize the benefits of hemispheric
integration. See Hemispheric Cooperation Program, page 13.
|
| Trade Negotiations
Committee (TNC) |
As part of the Free Trade
Area of the Americas process, the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC),
made up of Vice Ministers of Trade, oversees and manages the FTAA
negotiating process. The TNC has the responsibility of guiding the
work of the FTAA negotiating groups and special committees, and of
deciding on the overall architecture of the agreement and
institutional issues. |
|
Treatment of the
differences in the level of development and size of the economies
|
Principle that grants
countries of differing levels of size and development the possibility
to obtain different treatment in the context of the FTAA negotiations.
The guidelines for this treatment are set out in the FTAA Trade
Negotiations Committee document entitled “Guidelines or Directives for
the Treatment of the Differences in the Levels of Development and Size
of Economies”.
http://www.ftaa-alca.org/TNC/tn18e.asp
|
|
Tripartite Committee
(TPC) |
The Tripartite Committee
(TPC) consists of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the
Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). It provides
analytical, technical and financial support to the FTAA process and
maintains the official FTAA Website. The Tripartite institutions also
provide technical assistance related to FTAA issues, particularly for
the smaller economies of the Hemisphere. |
| U.N. Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
|
The Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is one of the five
regional commissions of the United Nations. It was founded for the
purposes of contributing to the economic development of Latin America,
coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing
economic relationships among the countries and with the other nations
of the world. The promotion of the region's social development was
later included among its primary objectives. Members (41) include:
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana,
Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad and
Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Associate members (7) include: Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin
Islands, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico and United
States Virgin Islands.
http://www.eclac.org |
| United Nations
Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) |
Established in December
1966, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
(UNCITRAL) aims to further the progressive harmonization and
unification of international trade law. Members (36) include:
Argentina (alternating annually with Uruguay), Austria, Benin, Brazil,
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Fiji, France,
Germany, Honduras, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kenya,
Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Paraguay, Romania, Russian Federation,
Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Thailand, The
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uganda, United Kingdom and the
United States. http://www.uncitral.org |
| United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) |
Established in 1964, the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) aims to
enhance the integration of developing countries into the world
economy. UNCTAD is the focal point within the United Nations for the
integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues
in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable
development. Members (192) include all members of the United Nations
plus the Holy See. http://www.unctad.org |
| Uruguay Round of
Multilateral Trade Negotiations |
Launched in September
1986, in Punta del Este, Uruguay, the eighth round of multilateral
trade negotiations encompassed a wide-ranging negotiating agenda that
covered many new trade policy issues. The resulting agreement,
concluded in December 1993 and signed in April 1994, extended the
multilateral trading system into several new areas, notably trade in
services and intellectual property rights, and brought the important
sectors of agriculture and textiles under multilateral trading rules.
The Uruguay Round resulted in the establishment of the World Trade
Organization in January 1995.
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/fact5_e.htm
|
| World Customs
Organization (WCO) |
Established in 1952 as the
Customs Co-operation Council, the Council adopted the working name
World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1994, to more clearly reflect its
transition to a truly global intergovernmental institution. The WCO is
an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the
effectiveness and efficiency of customs administrations worldwide.
With 159 member governments, it is the main intergovernmental
organization with competence over customs matters.
http://www.wcoomd.org |
| World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO) |
Established in1967, the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international
organization dedicated to promoting the use and protection of
literary, artistic and scientific works. WIPO is one of the 16
specialized agencies in the United Nations system. It administers 23
international treaties dealing with different aspects of intellectual
property protection. The Organization counts 179 nations as members.
http://www.wipo.org |
| World Trade
Organization (WTO) |
The World Trade
Organization (WTO) succeeded the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade
(GATT) on 1 January 1995. It is the only multilateral organization
that serves as a negotiating forum for the liberalization of trade, a
body to oversee the implementation of multilaterally agreed and
binding trade rules and a forum for the resolution of trade disputes.
The objective of the WTO is to promote the liberalization and
expansion of international trade in goods and services under
conditions of legal certainty and predictability. The WTO has 146
members. http://www.wto.org |
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