AITIC : Welcome to AITIC web site

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About Us
AITIC in short: aims, services

Documents
Our resources online

AITIC Trade Portal
Gateway to
international trade and economic development

AITIC's Development
Transforming AITIC

Collaboration with
other Organisations
AITIC's joint activities

New Ambassadors
and Heads of
Delegation to the
WTO
Geneva welcomes the
new Ambassadors
and Heads of
Delegation to the WTO

AITIC Non-Residents'
Unit
AITIC's Early Warning System is now available

Media Library
Video clips
on-line now

Picture Gallery
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Gallery

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Launching of AITIC Glossary
During the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, held in Cancún from 10 to 14 September 2003, AITIC launched the first English version of the AITIC Glossary of Commonly Used International Trade Terminology with Particular Reference to the WTO. On the occasion of the 7th Geneva Week for non-resident members and observers of the WTO, which was held at the WTO from 10 to 14 November 2003, the French and Spanish versions of the Glossary, as well as a revised version of the English one, was launched at a reception on Friday 14 November 2003 from 13:00 to 14:30 at WMO’s (World Meteorological Organization) Restaurant Attique, Salle D, Avenue de la Paix 7bis. Non-resident members and observers of the WTO as well as other less-advantaged country delegates were invited.

The CD-ROM version of AITIC Glossary will be issued in September 2004.

New and Unique Tool
There is no lack of specialised glossaries, dictionaries and data bases of international trade and economics and other reference instruments provided by individuals and institutions, and many of these can be accessed through the Internet. However, when one looks for a particular term, such as “mainstreaming” or “quota modulation” or letter-soup acronyms such as “BISD” or “PRSP”, or obscure groups or agreements such as the “Miami Group” or the “Madrid Arrangement”, these reference tools are not the solution. In producing this Glossary, AITIC has made use of numerous electronic sources, which, although useful, made it clear that none of them fulfilled a particular need of LACs: a multilingual dictionary of international trade that would include definitions of the terms repeatedly used by the delegates in Geneva, and their equivalent in the three languages of the WTO.

User Guide
The AITIC Glossary has been produced in three separate versions: English, French and Spanish. It is organised by entries in alphabetical order. Each of the entries has its equivalent in the other two languages, followed by the definition of the term in question. To make the glossary more “user-friendly” it has been divided into three parts. Part I contains definitions of commonly used international trade and WTO-related terms. Part II is a compilation of international organisations, groups, associations, conferences and meetings of relevance to international trade and WTO issues. It provides a guide through the labyrinth of formal and informal organisations and groups that have a direct or an indirect link to international trade. Part III contains abbreviations and acronyms.

- UNCTAD XI, São Paulo, Brazil, 13 - 18 June 2004.

- World Summit on the Information Society, Geneva 10-12 December 2003 - Tunis 16-18 November 2005.

- The Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, held in Cancún, Mexico from 10 to 14 September 2003.

- Second LDC Trade Ministers' Meeting, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 31 May - 2 June 2003. Dhaka Declaration.

- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Liaison Office in Geneva (LOGE).

- The WTO Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC)

- AUSAID: Australian Agency for International Development.

Contribution from Australia: In order to strengthen the assistance provided by the government of Australia to small island states, in particular those in the Pacific region, AusAid, the Australian Agency for International Development, whose Director is Mr Bruce Davis, has made a supplementary grant of A$ 500.000 to AITIC. The grant will enable AITIC to continue its assistance to the countries of this region and pursue ongoing activities, such as the seminar organised in Suva, Fiji, from 14th to 16th May 2003.

The Early Warning System on-line now (April – June 2004).

The two documents related to agriculture of the new AITIC Thematic File Post-Cancun are already on-line:

- The Doha Work Programme Negotiations on Agriculture Current Dynamics and Prospects for a Deal.
- Agriculture and the Doha Work Programme – Where We Are and How We Got There.

Doha Work Programme: Time Limits and Progress: AITIC’s “Countdown to Cancún” is now available. The present document, which was prepared as part of the AITIC Non-Residents' Programme, is intended to provide less-advantaged countries with a complete list of deadlines under the Doha Work Programme. It gives advance notice of the crucial decision-making dates, and also allows gauging actual progress on Doha schedule.

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Our mission

AITIC's aim is to assist the less-advantaged countries (LACs) to benefit from the multilateral trading system and to participate more actively in the work of the WTO and other international trade-related organisations. The LACs are those countries which have not traditionally been active in the multilateral trading system. These countries face structural and institutional constraints as regards international trade. The LACs include the 49 least-developed countries (LDCs), as defined by the United Nations, several low- and middle-income developing countries; and several economies in transition.

More details.

Amongst the 148 members and 28 observers of the World Trade Organisation, 24 less-advantaged country members and 8 observers lack the resources necessary to establish and maintain a permanent mission in Geneva. It is for this reason that in October 2000, AITIC established a dedicated Unit to assist the representatives of these countries, which have limited access to information and which have, to date, participated to only a limited extent in the multilateral trading system. AITIC is currently putting in place an "Early Warning System" to keep these countries up to date with developments and questions of importance to them.
More details.