(ECOSOC): established - 26 June 1945;
effective - 24 October 1945

aim - to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN; includes
five regional commissions (Economic Commission for Africa, Economic
Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) and nine functional
commissions (Commission for Social Development, Commission on Human
Rights, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on the Status of
Women, Commission on Population and Development, Statistical
Commission, Commission on Science and Technology for Development,
Commission on Sustainable Development, and Commission on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice)

members - (54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL): note -
acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs

established - 20 September 1976

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and integration

members - (3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): established - 28
May 1975

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation

members - (16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger,
Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO): established - 27-29 January
1985

aim - to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation,
communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development

members - (10) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

associate member - (1) "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus"

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU): note - an integral part of the
European Union; also known as the European Economic and Monetary Union

proposed - 1-2 December 1969 at summit conference of heads of
government; signed - 7 February 1992 - Maastricht Treaty

aim - to promote a single market by creating a single currency, the
euro; timetable - 2 May 1998: European exchange rates fixed for 1
January 1999; 1 January 1999: all banks and stock exchanges begin using
euros; 1 January 2002: the euro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002
local currencies no longer accepted

members - (12) Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ge