Terms used in international Environmental affairs

Agenda 21:  Program of action adopted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

Agroforestry:  An ecologically based natural resource management system in which trees are integrated in farmland and rangeland

ASEAN:  Association of Southeast Asian Nations

CGIAR: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

CI:... Conservation International

CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (UNEP)

Commonwealth: An association of the United Kingdom and other sovereign countries that are former British territories or protectorates

Convention: a formal agreement among governments

CSD: Commission on Sustainable Development (UN)

ECA: Economic Commission for Africa (UN)

ECE: Economic Commission for Europe (UN)

ESCAP:  Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN)

ESCWA: Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN)

Habitat: United Nations Centre for Human Settlements

IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency (UN)

IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development

(UN)

IIED: International Institute for Environment and

Development

IMO: International Maritime Organization (UN)

INTECOL: International Association for Ecology

IOC: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

(Unesco)

IUBS: International Union of Biological Sciences

IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature (legally International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). For a number of years, ending on 10 March 2008, it used the awkward names "IUCN – The World Conservation Union," and then "The World Conservation Union (IUCN)."

MAB: Man and the Biosphere Programme (of UNESCO)

NGO: Non-governmental organization

North:  In an international context, refers to the richer, industrialized countries of the world

OAS: Organization of American States

OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation

and Development

Ramsar Convention: Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat

Sahel: Region of Africa, a semiarid band south of the Sahara Desert stretching from Senegal to Egypt

SCOPE: Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (of ICSU)

South: In an international context, refers to the less-developed countries of the world

Sustainable development: "Improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems" (Caring for the Earth,IUCN/WWF/UNEP, 1991)

TNC: The Nature Conservancy

TRAFFIC:  A wildlife trade monitoring group sponsored by IUCN and WWF

UN:  United Nations

UNCED:  United Nations Conference on Environment and Development ("Earth Summit"), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992

UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme

UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund

UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development

Organization

UNITAR: United Nations Institute for Training and

Research

WCED: World Commission on Environment and Development ("Brundtland Commission")

WCMC: World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP)

WMO: World Meteorological Organization (UN)

WSSD: World Summit on Sustainable Development (UN), Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002

WWF: World Wide Fund for Nature or WWF - The Conservation Organization (known as World Wildlife Fund in certain countries)

Source: http://www.interenvironment.org/