R E S O U R C E  D O C U M E N T

Acronyms used in International Trade

ACP -African, Caribbean, and Pacific Countries

ACTPN -Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (advises U.S. Trade Representative)

AD- Antidumping

ADB -Asian Development Bank

A/DS -Agent Distributor Service, U.S. Department of Commerce

AD VAL- Ad Valorem Tariff Rate

AECA -Arms Export Control Act

AFDB -African Development Bank

AFDF -African Development Fund

AFTA -ASEAN Free Trade Agreement

AGOA -African Growth and Opportunity Act

AIT -American Institute in Taiwan

AMS -Aggregate Measurement of Support (in Agreement on Agriculture)

AOA -Agreement on Agriculture (WTO)

APCAC -Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce

APEC -Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

APTA -Automotive Products Trade Act

ASEAN -Association of Southeast Asian Nations

ASYCUDA -Automated System for Customs Data (UNCTAD)

ATA -Admission Temporaire (temporary admission)

ATAC(s) -Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee(s)

ATC -Agreement on Textiles and Clothing

ATCA -Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft

ATPA -Andean Trade Preference Act

AUI -ASEAN-United States Initiative

AVE -Ad Valorem Equivalent

BAR- Buy American Restrictions

BDV- Brussels Definition of Value

BEA -Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce

BFC- Business Facilitation Center, U.S. Department of Commerce

BIA- Best Information Available

BIRPI -United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property

BIS -Bank for International Settlements

BISD -Basic Instruments and Selected Documents

BISNET- Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States, U.S. Department of Commerce

BIT- Bilateral Investment Treaty

BNC- Binational Commission

BOP- Balance of Payments

BOT -Balance of Trade

BTN -Brussels Tariff Nomenclature

BXA- Bureau of Export Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

C&F -Cost and Freight

CACM -Central American Common Market

CADIC -Comparative Analysis of Domestic Industry's Condition

CAFC -Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

CAIP -Community Adjustment Investment Program

CAP -Common Agricultural Policy (EU)

CAP -Country Action Plan

CARIBCAN -Canadian-Caribbean Basin Initiative

CARICOM -Caribbean Common Market

CBD -Convention on Biological Diversity (United Nations)

CBERA -Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act

CBI Caribbean Basin Initiative

CBTA -Cross Border Trade Association

CCC- Commodity Credit Corporation

CCC- Customs Cooperation Council

CCCN -Customs Cooperation Council Nomenclature

CCL -Commerce Control List (formerly Commodity Control List)

CCNAA -Coordination Council for North American Affairs (Taiwan)

CCPIT -China Council for the Promotion of International Trade

CEA -Chinese Economic Area

CEA- Council of Economic Advisers

CEP -Constructed Export Price

CER -Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations

CET -Common External Tariff

CFIUS Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States

CFR Cost and Freight

CFTA United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement

CG-18 Consultative Group of Eighteen (GATT)

CGE Computable general equilibrium model

CIF Cost, Insurance, and Freight

CIME Committee on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises (OECD)

CIMS Commercial Information Management System, U.S. Department of Commerce

CIP Carriage and Insurance Paid

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

CIT United States Court of International Trade

CITA Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

CITIC China International Trust and Investment Corporation

CITT Canadian International Trade Tribunal

CIV Customs Import Value

CMP Country Marketing Plan

CMS Credit Management Services Microfinance Program

CNUSA Commercial News USA, U.S. Department of Commerce

COCOM Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls

CODEX Codex Alimentarius Commission

COE Council of Europe

COMECON Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

COP Cost of Production

CP Contracting Party

CPE Centrally Planned Economy

CPT Carriage Paid to

CSCE Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe

CT Countertrade

CTA Committee on Trade in Agriculture (GATT)

CTF Certified Trade Fair, U.S. Department of Commerce

CV Constructed Value

CVA Customs Valuation Agreement

CVD Countervailing Duty

CXT Common External Tariff

DAC Development Assistance Committee (OECD)

DAF Delivered at Frontier

DAV Domestic Added Value

DDP Delivered Duty Paid

DDU Delivered Duty Unpaid

DEQ Delivered Ex Quay

DES Delivered Ex Ship

DF Duty Free

DFID Department for International Development (United Kingdom)

DISC Domestic International Sales Corporation

DOC United States Department of Commerce

DS Dispute Settlement

DSB Dispute Settlement Body (WTO)

DSU Dispute Settlement Understanding (i.e., WTO Understanding on Rules and

Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes)

EAA Export Administration Act (United States)

EAC Eastern African Community

EAEC East Asia Economic Caucus

EAI Enterprise for the Americas Initiative

EAPC Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

EAR Export Administration Regulations (United States)

EBA Everything But Arms

EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EC European Community

ECA Economic Cooperation Administration

ECB European Central Bank

ECCN Export Control Classification Number

ECDC Economic Cooperation Among Developing Countries

ECE Economic Commission for Europe

ECGF Export Credit Guarantee Facility

ECS Échantillons Commerciaux (commercial samples)

ECS European Cooperation System

ECSB European System of Central Banks

ECSC European Coal and Steel Community

ECU European Currency Unit

EDI Electronic Data Interchange

EEA European Economic Area

EEC European Economic Community

EEP Export Enhancement Program (United States)

EFDITS Expansion in Foreign Direct Investment and Trade in Services Program (UNCTAD)

EFTA European Free Trade Association

EIB European Investment Bank

EITCA United States-Soviet Union Agreement to Facilitate Economic, Industrial, and

Technical Cooperation

EMS European Monetary System

EMU European Monetary Unit

ENT Economic Needs Test (Agriculture Agreement)

EP Export Price

EPC Economic Policy Council (United States)

EPC European Patent Convention

EPZ Export Processing Zone

ER Export Restraint

ERM Exchange Rate Mechanism

ERP Effective Rate of Protection

ERP European Recovery Program

ESA European Space Agency

ESAF Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility

ESCB European System of Central Banks

ESP Exporter's Sales Price

ESM Emergency Safeguard Measures

ETC Export Trading Company

ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute

EU European Union

EURO The European Monetary Unit

EXW Ex-works

EX-IM BANK Export-Import Bank of the United States

FA Facts Available

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations

FARA Foreign Agents Registration Act

FAS Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

FAS Free Alongside Ship

FCA Free Carrier

FCIA Foreign Credit Insurance Association (United States)

FCN Freedom, Commerce, and Navigation Treaty

FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office (United Kingdom)

FCPA Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (United States)

FCS Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce

FDI Foreign Direct Investment

FDIUS Foreign Direct Investment in the United States

FICA Federal Insurance Corporation of America

FISC Foreign International Sales Corporation

FMC Federal Maritime Commission (United States)

FMS Foreign Military Sales

FMSCR Foreign Military Sales Credit

FMV Foreign Market Value

FOB Free on Board

FOGS Functioning of the GATT System

FOR Free on Rail

FOREX Foreign Exchange

FOT Free on Truck

FR Federal Register (United States)

FSC Foreign Sales Corporation

FTA Free Trade Area / Agreement

FTA Free Trade Agreement

FTAA Free Trade Area of the Americas

FTC Federal Trade Commission (United States)

FTZ Foreign Trade Zone

FTZ-BOARD Federal Trade Zone Board

FTZ-SZ FTZ-Subzone

FV Fair Value

FX Foreign Exchange Service

G-5 Group of Five (the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and the United

Kingdom)

G-7 Group of Seven (the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the United

Kingdom, and Canada)

G-8 Group of Eight (the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the United

Kingdom, Canada, and Russia)

G-20 The G-20, established in September 1999, include the Group of Seven major

industrialized countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United

Kingdom and the United States -- plus Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India,

Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the

European Union.

G-77 Group of Seventy-seven [all countries within UNCTAD Groups "A" (African and

Asian countries, with the exception of Israel and South Africa) and "C" (Latin

America) — now comprising more than 120 developing countries]

GAB General Agreement to Borrow

GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

GCC Gulf Cooperation Council

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GEC Global Electronic Commerce

GEF Global Environmental Facility

GII Global Information Infrastructure

GMO Genetically Modified Organism

GNG Group of Negotiations on Goods

GNP Gross National Product

GNP Government Procurement

GNS Group of Negotiations on Services

GPA WTO Agreement on Government Procurement

GP-ZONE General Purpose Free Trade Zone

GSP Generalized System of Preferences (US)

GSTP Global System of Trade Preferences

GTAP The Global Trade Analysis Project (Purdue University)

HIPC Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

HM Home Market

HRDP Human Resources Development Program

HS Harmonized Commodity Description and Decoding System

HTS Harmonized Tariff Schedule

HTSUS Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States

IA Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

IADB (or IDB) Inter-American Development Bank

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)

IC Industry Committee of the OECD

ICA International Coffee Agreement

ICA International Cocoa Agreement

ICA International Commodity Agreement

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization

ICB International Competitive Bidding

ICC International Chamber of Commerce

ICITO Interim Commission of the International Trade Organization

ICO International Coffee Organization

ICSID International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes

IDA International Development Association

IDB (or IADB) Inter-American Development Bank

IEC International Electrotechnical Commission

IEEPA International Emergency Economic Powers Act

IESC International Executive Service Corps

IF Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development

IFC International Finance Corporation

IFI International Financial Institution

IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development

IIC Inter-American Investment Corporation

IIPA International Intellectual Property Alliance

ILO International Labor Organization

IMF International Monetary Fund

IMO International Maritime Organization

INR Initial Negotiating Right

INRA International Natural Rubber Agreement

INRO International Natural Rubber Organization

INTELSAT International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

IOS International Organization for Standardization

IOSCO International Organization of Securities Commissions

IP Intellectual property

IPAS Investment Promotion Agencies

IPAC Industry Policy Advisory Committee (United States)

IPC Integrated Program for Commodities

IPPC International Plant Protection Convention (FAO)

IPR Intellectual property rights

IQC Indefinite Quantity Contract

ISA International Sugar Agreement

ISAC Industry Sector Advisory Committee (United States)

ISI Import Substitution Industrialization

ISO International Standards Organization

ISO 9000 International Standards

ISO 14000 International Standards for the Environment

ISO/IEC ISO/International Electrotechnical Commission

ITA International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

ITA International Tin Agreement

ITA Information Technology Agreement

ITAR International Traffic in Arms Regulations

ITC International Trade Commission (United States)

ITC International Trade Centre (Geneva), UNCTAD/WTO

ITO International Trade Organization

ITU International Telecommunication Union

JCCT United States-Mexico Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade

JCP Japan Corporate Program

JETRO Japan External Trade Organization

JITAP Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Program for Selected Least Developed

Countries

LAC Latin America and the Caribbean

LAFTA Latin America Free Trade Area

LASU Large Aircraft Sector Understanding

LC Letter of Credit

LDC Least Developed Country (UN Definition: 49 countries)

LIBOR London Interbank Offered Rate

LMG Like-minded Group

LOT Level of Trade Adjustment

LRJ Legal, Regulatory & Judicial

LTA Long-Term Agreement on International Trade in Cotton Textiles

LTL Less Than Load (Shipment)

LTFV Less Than Fair Value

MAC Market Access and Compliance Unit, U.S. Department of Commerce

MAI Multilateral Agreement on Investment

MDB Multilateral development bank

MERCOSUR Mercado Común del Sur (Southern Common Market)

MFA Multi-Fiber Arrangement / Agreement

MFN Most-Favored Nation

MIF Multilateral Investment Fund

MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

MITI Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Japan)

MNC Multinational Corporation

MOFTEC Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (People's Republic of China)

MOSS Market-oriented sector-specific negotiation process (United States-Japan)

MOU Memorandum of Understanding

MPT Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications

MRA Mutual Recognition Agreement

MSA Multilateral Steel Agreement

MT Metric Ton

MTN Multilateral Trade Negotiations

MTO Multilateral Trade Organization

MTS Multilateral Trading System

NADBANK North American Development Bank

NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement

NAICS North American Industry Classification System

NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development

NFIDC Net Food Importing Developing Country

NGO Non-governmental Organization

NIE Newly Industrializing Economies

NIS Newly Independent States

NME Nonmarket Economy

NP Nairobi Protocol

NSC National Security Council (United States)

NTB Nontariff Barrier

NTDB National Trade Data Bank (United States)

NTE New to Export

NTE National Trade Estimates Report

NTM New to Market

NTM Nontariff Measure

NTR Normal Trade Relations (U.S. term, formerly known as most-favored nation – MFN)

NV Normal Value

OAS Organization of American States

ODA Official Development Assistance

OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OECD/DAC OECD Development Assistance Committee

OEEC Organization for European Economic Cooperation

OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer

OFAC Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury

OMA Orderly Marketing Agreement

OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

OPIC Overseas Private Investment Corporation (United States)

PCG Policy Coordinating Group

PEC President's Export Council (United States)

PECC Pacific Economic Cooperation Council

PFC Priority Foreign Country

PL Public Law

PL 480 Public Law 480, Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act ("Food For

Peace") (United States)

POI Period of Investigation

POR Period of Review

PPA Protocol of Provisional Application

PRC People's Republic of China

PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper

PSCAP World Bank-financed Public Service Capacity Building Program

PSI Pre-shipment Inspection

PSO Private Sector Organization

PTA Preferential Trade Arrangement

PUDD Potential Uncollected Dumping Duty

PWL Priority Watch List

QR Quantitative Restriction

R&D Research and Development

RBP Restrictive Business Practice

RCO Regional Contracting Officer

RCSA Regional Center for Southern Africa (USAID)

REDSO Regional Economic Development Services Office for Eastern and Southern Africa

(USAID)

RKV Revised Kyoto Convention (Customs)

RO-RO Roll On-Roll Off

ROO Rules of Origin (Customs)

RTA Regional Trade Arrangement

S&D Special and Differential Treatment

SAA Statement of Administrative Action

SACU Southern Africa Customs Union

SADC Southern Africa Development Community

SAF Structural Adjustment Facility

SB Surveillance Body

SBA Small Business Administration (United States)

SCM Subsidies and Countervailing Measures

SDN Specially Designated National

SDR Special Drawing Rights

SECOFI Secretaría de Comercio y Fomento Industrial (Mexico)

SED Shipper's Export Declaration

SIC Standard Industrial Classification

SII Structural Impediments Initiative (United States-Japan)

SIMIS Single Internal Market Information Systems

SIMS Single Internal Market Service

SITC Standard International Trade Classification

SME Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises

SNPA Substantial New Program of Action

SPS Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

SOE State-owned Enterprise

SSG Special Safeguard Measure (WTO Agreement on Agriculture)

STC Security Trade Control

STE State Trading Enterprise

STR Special Representative for Trade Negotiations (United States)

TA Technical Assistance

TAA Trade Adjustment Assistance (United States)

TABD Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue

TBT Technical Barriers to Trade

TCB Trade Capacity Building

TCC Trade Compliance Center, U.S. Department of Commerce

TCMD Third Country Meat Directive

TDA Trade Development Agency (U.S. Department of Commerce)

TDP Trade and Development Program

TEC Tariff Extérieur Commun (Common External Tariff)

TEP Transatlantic Economic Partnership

TEU Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty)

TFP Total Factor Productivity

TNC Trade Negotiations Committee

TNC Transnational Corporation

TPC Trade Policy Committee (United States)

TPM Trigger-Price Mechanism

TPA Trade Promotion Authority

TPRG Trade Policy Review Group (United States)

TPRM Trade Policy Review Mechanism (WTO)

TPSC Trade Policy Staff Committee (United States)

TPSC Trade Policy Subcommittee (United States)

TRPB Trade Policy Review Body (WTO)

TRTA Trade-Related Technical Assistance

TRAINS Trade Analysis and Information System (UNCTAD)

TRIMS Trade-Related Investment Measures

TRIPS Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

TRQ Tariff Rate Quota

TRTA Trade-Related Technical Assistance

TSB Textile Surveillance Body

TSUS Tariff Schedule of the United States

TVA Value-Added Tax (Taxe à la Valeur Ajoutée)

TWA Trade-Weighted Average

TWEA Trading With the Enemy Act

UN United Nations

UNCITRAL United Nations Commission on International Trade Law

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNCTC United Nations Center on Transnational Corporations

UNDP United Nations Development Program

UNECA United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNFCCC United Nations Framework on Climate Change

UNEP United Nations Environment Program

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

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization

UNILC United Nations International Law Commission

UPOV International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants

UR Uruguay Round

URAA Uruguay Round Agreements Act

USAID U.S. Agency for International Development

USF&CS United States Foreign and Commercial Service

USC United States Code

USDA United States Department of Agriculture

USDOC United States Department of Commerce

USEC United States Mission to European Communities

USITC United States International Trade Commission

USOECD United States Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development

USP United States Price

USTR United States Trade Representative, or Office of the United States Trade

Representative

USTTA United States Travel and Tourism Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

USUN United States Mission to the United Nations

VAR Value-Added Reseller

VAT Value-Added Tax

VER Voluntary Export Restraint

VL Variable Levy

VRA Voluntary Restraint Agreement

WAIPA World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies

WCO World Customs Organization

WCT WIPO Copyright Treaty

WEPZA World Export Processing Zones Association

WHO World Health Organization

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization

WITS World Integrated Trade Solution

WL Watch List

WPPT WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty

WTDR World Traders Data Report

WTO World Trade Organization

WTO World Tourism Organization