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Although we have tried to use plain English content on the site, you may come across specialist terms and acronyms. Find out what they mean in our glossary of terms.
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APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) promotes closer economic relationships in the Asia-Pacific region to improve the business environment and raise the living standards of its members. more
The Commonwealth is the outcome of an ongoing evolution. It began to emerge in the nineteenth century as countries shifted from colonial to dominion status (conferring internal self-government and considerable freedom in external relations, and coming to imply equality with Britain), culminating in the 1931 Statute of Westminster (conferring sovereign status on the Dominions). Today the Commonwealth has 53 member countries spanning six continents. more
Based in Paris, France, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (the OECD) is an inter-governmental organisation.
It provides the setting for democratic and market oriented countries to study and develop economic and social policies with the ultimate aim of maximising economic growth. New Zealand joined the OECD in 1973. more
The United Nations was founded in 1945. New Zealand was a founding member and our former Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, chaired the committee which wrote the Trusteeship chapter of the Charter. New Zealand has always been an active supporter of the activities of the United Nations.
For countries of our size and strategic situation, collective security and the development of agreed norms and rules of international behaviour are strongly in our national interests. We take pride in our reputation as a good international citizen, and remain committed to international burden sharing and seeking global solutions to global problems. more
The WTO is an organisation of 149 member governments that negotiate together to liberalise international trade and establish international trade rules.
Through its WTO membership, New Zealand benefits from clear trade rules that are applicable to all.
The WTO assists New Zealand in making trade deals with larger economies. With the weight of other member countries in support, New Zealand can make broader and more ambitious multilateral trade gains. more
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional leaders’ forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on major challenges facing the East Asia region.
The inaugural EAS was held in Kuala Lumpur in December 2005 comprising the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam) plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. Russia and the US joined the EAS at the Leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia on 19 November 2011. more
