aim—a consultation mechanism on regional Latin American issues;
members—(11) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela; note—Panama was expelled in 1988 ————————————————————————————————————- _#Second World—another term for the traditionally Marxist-Leninist states with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; see centrally planned economies ————————————————————————————————————- #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 industrialized countries generally located south of the developed countries; the counterpart of the North; see less developed countries (LDCs) ————————————————————————————————————- #_South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
established—8 December 1985;
aim—to promote economic, social, and cultural cooperation;
members—(7) Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka ————————————————————————————————————- _#_South Pacific Commission (SPC)
established—6 February 1947, effective 29 July 1948;
aim—to promote regional cooperation in economic and social matters;
members—(27) American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, NZ, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau), Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, UK, US, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Western Samoa ————————————————————————————————————- _#_South Pacific Forum (SPF)
established—5 August 1971;
aim—to promote regional cooperation in political matters;