Important Abbreviations

IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.

BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is an international organisation involving a group of countries namely Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

ISRO: Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian government agency, established in 1969 for esearch and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere.

WTO: World Trade Organization deals with regulation of trade between participating countries. It was commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an executive branch agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics and aerospace research.

Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization is an organization facilitating international police cooperation which functions as an administrative liaison between the law-enforcement agencies of the member countries, providing communications and database assistance.

UNICEF: United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II.

AFTA: ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Free Trade Area is a trade bloc agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations supporting local manufacturing in all ASEAN countries.

FAO: Food and Agriculture Organisation is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO serve both developed and developing countries.

ILO: International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.

ISO: INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION of  STANDARDIZATION is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. It promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards.

AU: African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states to accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent. The only state not in the AU is Morocco.

CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva. The main function is to provide the particle accelerators and other infrastructure needed for high-energy physics research.

SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is an organisation of South Asian nations, founded in December 1985 and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance.

UNDP: United Nations Development Program is the United Nations' global development network that advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States that creats a trilateral trade bloc in North America.

NSG: Nuclear Suppliers Group is a multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on existing materials.

OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.

GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council is a political and economic union of the Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf and constituting the Arabian Peninsula, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

IDA: International Development Association is a part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It is responsible for providing long-term, interest-free loans to the world's 80 poorest countries.