echtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,
Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ,
Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland,
Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey,
Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Rio Group (RG): note - formerly known as Grupo de los Ocho,
established NA December 1986; composed of the Contadora Group and the
Lima Group

established - 1988

aim - to consult on regional Latin American issues

members - (20) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, CARICOM, Chile, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay,
Venezuela

Second World: another term for the traditionally Marxist-Leninist
states of the USSR and Eastern Europe, with authoritarian governments
and command economies based on the Soviet model; the term is fading
from use; see centrally planned economies

Secretariat of the Pacific Communities (SPC): established - 6 February
1947

aim - to serve island development in 22 Pacific countries; to develop
technical assistance and professional, scientific, and research
support; to build planning and management capability

members - (26) America Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, France,
French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of
Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, NZ,
Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, US, Wallis and Futuna

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): established - 15 June 2001

aim - to combat terrorism, extremism, and separatism; to safeguard
regional security through mutual trust, disarmament, and cooperative
security; and to increase cooperation in political, trade, economic,
scientific and technological, cultural, and educational fields

members - (6) China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan

observer - (4) India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan

socialist countries: in general, countries in which the government
owns and plans the use of the major factors of production; note - the
term is sometimes used incorrectly as a synonym for Communist countries

South: a popular term for the poorer, less indus