The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) is the primary global climate change data and information analysis center of the U.S. Department of Energy. The CDIAC’s scope includes anything that would potentially be of value to those concerned with the greenhouse effect and global climate change, including concentrations of carbon dioxide and other radiatively active gases in the atmosphere; the role of the terrestrial biosphere and the oceans in the biogeochemical cycles of greenhouse gases; emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere; long-term climate trends; the effects of elevated carbon dioxide on vegetation; and the vulnerability of coastal areas to rising sea levels.

     For information, contact the CDIAC, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831- 6335, USA; telephone: 865 574 0390; fax: 865 574 2232; email: cdiac@ornl.gov; Web site: http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH is a German government-owned corporation for international cooperation with worldwide operations. GTZ’s aim is to positively shape political, economic, ecological, and social development in partner countries, thereby improving people’s living conditions
and prospects.

     The organization has more than 10,000 employees in some 130 countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

     For publications, contact Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH Corporate Communications, Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-5, 65760 Eschborn, Germany; telephone: 49 0 6196 79 1174; fax: 49 0 6196 79 6196; email: presse@gtz.de; Web site: www.gtz.de/.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was founded in October 1945 with a mandate to raise nutrition levels and living standards, to increase agricultural productivity, and to better the condition of rural populations. The organization provides direct development assistance; collects, analyzes, and disseminates information; offers policy and planning advice to governments; and serves as an international forum for debate on food and agricultural issues. 

     Statistical publications of the FAO include the Production Yearbook, Trade Yearbook, and Fertilizer Yearbook. The FAO makes much of its data available online through its FAOSTAT and AQUASTAT systems. 

     FAO publications can be ordered from national sales agents or directly from the FAO Sales and Marketing Group, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; telephone: 39 06 5705 5727; fax: 39 06 5705 3360; email: Publications-sales@fao.org; Web site: www.fao.org/. 

International Civil Aviation Organization

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was founded on December 7, 1944. It is responsible for establishing international standards and recommended practices and procedures for the technical, economic, and legal aspects of international civil aviation operations. ICAO’s strategic objectives include enhancing global aviation safety and security and the efficiency of aviation operations, minimizing the adverse effect of global civil aviation on the environment, maintaining the continuity of aviation operations, and strengthening laws governing international civil aviation.

     To obtain ICAO publications, contact the ICAO, Document Sales Unit, 999 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3C 5H7, Canada; telephone: 514 954 8219; fax: 514 954 6077; email: sales@icao.int; Web site: www.icao.int/.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labor rights. Founded in 1919, it is the only surviving major creation of the Treaty of Versailles, which brought the League of Nations into being. It became the first specialized agency of the United Nations in 1946. Unique within the United Nations system, the ILO’s tripartite structure has workers and employers participating as equal partners with governments in the work of its governing organs.

     As part of its mandate, the ILO maintains an extensive statistical publication program. The Yearbook of Labour Statistics is its most comprehensive collection of labor force data.

     Publications can be ordered from sales agents and major booksellers throughout the world and ILO offices in many countries or from ILO Publications, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland; telephone: 41 22 799 6111; fax: 41 22 798 8685; email: publns@ilo.org; Web site: www.ilo.org/.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established at a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, on July 1–22, 1944. (The conference also established the World Bank.) The IMF came into official existence on December 27, 1945, and commenced financial operations on March 1, 1947. It currently has 184 member countries. 

     The statutory purposes of the IMF are to promote international monetary cooperation, facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade, promote exchange rate stability, help to establish a multilateral payments system, make the general resources of the IMF temporarily available to its members under adequate safeguards, and shorten the duration and lessen the degree of disequilibrium in the international balance of payments of members. 

     The IMF maintains an extensive program for developing and compiling international statistics and is responsible for collecting and reporting statistics on international financial transactions and the balance of payments. In April 1996 it undertook an important initiative to improve the quality of international statistics, establishing the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) to guide members that have, or seek, access to international capital markets in providing economic and financial data to the public. In 1997 the IMF established the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) to guide countries in providing the public with comprehensive, timely, accessible, and reliable economic, financial, and sociodemographic data. Building on this work, the IMF established the Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) to assess data quality in subject areas such as debt and poverty. The DQAF comprises dimensions of data quality such as methodological soundness, accuracy, serviceability, and accessibility. In 1999 work began on Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC), which summarize the extent to which countries observe certain internationally recognized standards and codes in areas including data, monetary and financial policy transparency, fiscal transparency, banking supervision, securities, insurance, payments systems, corporate governance, accounting, auditing, and insolvency and creditor rights. 

     The IMF’s major statistical publications include International Financial Statistics, Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook, Government Finance Statistics Yearbook, and Direction of Trade Statistics Yearbook. 

     For more information on IMF statistical publications, contact the International Monetary Fund, Publications Services, Catalog Orders, 700 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20431, USA; telephone: 202 623 7430; fax: 202 623 7201; telex: RCA 248331 IMF UR; email: publications@imf.org; Web site: www.imf.org/; SDDS and GDDS bulletin board: http://dsbb.imf.org/.

Founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) took its current name in 1934 and became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1947. The ITU is unique among international organizations in that it was founded on the principle of cooperation between governments and the private sector. With a membership encompassing telecommunication policymakers and regulators, network operators, equipment manufacturers, hardware and software developers, regional standards-making organizations, and financing institutions, ITU’s activities, policies, and strategic direction are determined and shaped by the industry it serves. 

     The ITU’s standardization activities, which have already helped foster the growth of new technologies such as mobile telephony and the Internet, are now being put to use in defining the building blocks of the emerging global information infrastructure and in designing advanced multimedia systems that deftly handle a mix of voice, data, audio, and video signals. ITU’s continuing role in managing the radio-frequency spectrum ensures that radio-based systems such as cellular phones and pagers, aircraft and maritime navigation systems, scientific research stations, satellite communication systems, and radio and television broadcasting continue to function smoothly and provide reliable wireless services to the world’s inhabitants. And ITU’s increasingly important role as a catalyst for forging development partnerships between government and private industry is helping bring about rapid improvements in telecommunication infrastructure in the world’s developing economies. 

     The ITU’s main statistical publications are the ITU Yearbook of Statistics and the World Telecommunication Development Report. 

     Publications can be ordered from ITU Sales and Marketing Service, Web site: www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/index.htm; telephone: 41 22 730 6141 (English), 41 22 730 6142 (French), and 41 22 730 6143 (Spanish); fax: 41 22 730 5194; email: sales@itu.int; telex: 421 000 uit ch; telegram: ITU GENEVE; Web site: www.itu.int/

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent U.S. government agency whose mission is to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense. It is responsible for promoting science and engineering through almost 20,000 research and education projects. In addition, the NSF fosters the exchange of scientific information among scientists and engineers in the United States and other countries, supports programs to strengthen scientific and engineering research potential, and evaluates the impact of research on industrial development and general welfare. 

     As part of its mandate, the NSF biennially publishes Science and Engineering Indicators, which tracks national and international trends in science and engineering research and education. 

     Electronic copies of NSF documents can be obtained from the NSF’s online document system (www.nsf.gov/publications/ods/). NSF publications are also available in print. To request print publications fill out the web-based order form (www.nsf.gov/publications/orderpub.jsp) or send a letter with the publication numbers to NSF Publications, National Science Foundation, Suite P-60, Arlington, VA 22230, USA. For more information, contact the National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230, USA; telephone: 703 292 5111; Web site: www.nsf.gov/.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was set up in 1948 as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) to administer Marshall Plan funding in Europe. The OECD includes 30 member countries sharing a commitment to democratic government and the market economy. With active relationships with some 70 other countries, NGOs, and civil society, it has a global reach. It is best known for its publications and statistics, which cover economic and social issues from macroeconomics to trade, education, development, and science and innovation.

     The Development Assistance Committee (DAC, www.oecd.org/dac) is one of the principal bodies through which the OECD deals with issues related to cooperation with developing countries. The DAC is a key forum of major bilateral donors, who work together to increase the effectiveness of their common efforts to support sustainable development. The DAC concentrates on two key areas: the contribution of international development to the capacity of developing countries to participate in the global economy and the capacity of people to overcome poverty and participate fully in their societies.

     The OECD’s statistical publications cover 25 topics, including development, environment, labor, national accounts, productivity, science and technology, and transport.

     OECD publications are available through distributors in 40 countries; OECD Centers in Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the United States; OECD’s fulfillment contractor, Extenza-Turpin; and the OECD Online Bookshop (www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/ index.asp), for ordering books and CD-ROMs and downloading PDFs. Faculty and students at institutions subscribing to the OECD online service, SourceOECD, can access publications online at http://new.sourceoecd.org. National libraries are also depositories for OECD publications.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) was established by the Swedish Parliament as an independent foundation in July 1966. SIPRI conducts research on questions of conflict and cooperation of importance for international peace and security, with the aim of contributing to an understanding of the conditions for peaceful solutions to international conflicts and for a stable peace. 

     SIPRI’s research work is disseminated through books and reports as well as through symposia and seminars. SIPRI’s main publication, SIPRI Yearbook, serves as a single authoritative and independent source on armaments and arms control, armed conflicts and conflict resolution, security arrangements, and disarmament. SIPRI Yearbook provides an overview of developments in international security, weapons and technology, military expenditure, the arms trade and arms production, and armed conflicts, along with efforts to control conventional, nuclear, chemical, and biological armaments.

     For more information on SIPRI publications contact SIPRI at Signalistgatan 9, SE-169 70 Solna, Sweden; telephone: 46 8 655 97 00; fax: 46 8 655 97 33; email: sipri@sipri.org; for book orders: http://first.sipri.org/non_first/book_order.php; Web site: www.sipri.org/.

The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945, and currently has 191 member states. The purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, are to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these ends.

     The United Nations and its specialized agencies maintain a number of programs for the collection of international statistics, some of which are described elsewhere in this book. At United Nations headquarters the Statistics Division provides a wide range of statistical outputs and services for producers and users of statistics worldwide. 

     The Statistics Division publishes statistics on international trade, national accounts, demography and population, gender, industry, energy, environment, human settlements, and disability. Its major statistical publications include the International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Yearbook of National Accounts, and Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, along with general statistics compendiums such as the Statistical Yearbook and World Statistics Pocketbook.
For publications, contact United Nations Publications, Room DC2-853, Department I004, 2 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA; telephone: 212 963 8302 or 800 253 9646 (toll free); fax: 212 963 3489; email: publications@un.org; Web site: www.un.org/. 

The Urban Indicators Programme of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT) was established to address the urgent global need to improve the urban knowledge base by helping countries and cities design, collect, and apply policy-oriented indicators related to development at the city level. 

     In 1997 the Urban Indicators Programme was integrated into the Global Urban Observatory, the principal United Nations program for monitoring urban conditions and trends and for tracking progress in implementing the goals of the Habitat Agenda. With the Urban Indicators and Best Practices programs, the Global Urban Observatory is establishing a worldwide information, assessment, and capacity building network to help governments, local authorities, the private sector, and nongovernmental and other civil society organizations. 

     Contact the Co-ordinator, Global Urban Observatory and Statistics, Urban Secretariat, UN-HABITAT, PO Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya; telephone: 254 20 623119; fax: 254 20 623080; email: habitat.publications@unhabitat.org or guo@unhabitat.org ; Web site: www.unhabitat.org/. 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the only organization of the United Nations dedicated exclusively to children, works with other United Nations bodies and with governments and nongovernmental organizations to improve children’s lives in more than 140 developing countries through community-based services in primary health care, basic education, and safe water and sanitation. 

     UNICEF’s major publications include The State of the World’s Children and The Progress of Nations.

     For information on UNICEF publications contact the Chief, EPS, Division of Communication, UNICEF, 3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA; telephone: 212 326 7000; fax: 212 303 7985; email: pubdoc@unicef.org; Web site: www.unicef.org/                      and www.un.org/Publications.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly in the field of trade and development. It was established as a permanent intergovernmental body in 1964 in Geneva with a view to accelerating economic growth and development, particularly in developing countries. UNCTAD discharges its mandate through policy analysis; intergovernmental deliberations, consensus building, and negotiation; monitoring, implementation, and follow-up; and technical cooperation. 

     UNCTAD produces a number of publications containing trade and economic statistics, including the Handbook of International Trade and Development Statistics.

     For information, contact UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, 8-14, Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; telephone: 41 22 907 1234; fax: 41 22 907 0043; email: info@unctad.org; Web site: www.unctad.org/. 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945 to promote “collaboration among nations through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law, and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms . . . for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language, or religion.”

     The UNESCO Institute for Statistics’ principal statistical publications are the Global Education Digest and regional statistical reports, as well as the on-line database. 

     For publications, contact the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada; telephone: 514 343 6880; fax: 514 343 6882; email: uis@unesco.org; Web site: www.unesco.org/; and for the Institute for Statistics: www.uis.unesco.org/.

The mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. 

     UNEP publications include Global Environment Outlook and Our Planet (a bimonthly magazine).

     For information, contact the UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya; telephone: 254 20 621234; fax: 254 20 624489/90; email: eisinfo@unep.org; Web site: www.unep.org/.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) was established in 1966 to act as the central coordinating body for industrial activities and to promote industrial development and cooperation at the global, regional, national, and sectoral levels. In 1985 UNIDO became the 16th specialized agency of the United Nations, with a mandate to help develop scientific and technological plans and programs for industrialization in the public, cooperative, and private sectors. 

     UNIDO’s databases and information services include the Industrial Statistics Database (INDSTAT), Commodity Balance Statistics Database (COMBAL), Industrial Development Abstracts (IDA), and the International Referral System on Sources of Information. Among its publications is the International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics.

     For information, contact UNIDO Public Information Section, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 300, A-1400 Vienna, Austria; telephone: 43 1 26026 5031; fax: 43 1 21346 5031 or 26026 6843; email: publications@unido.org; Web site: www.unido.org/.

The World Bank Group is made up of five organizations: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Established in 1944 at a conference of world leaders in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, the World Bank is the world’s largest source of development assistance. In fiscal 2004 the World Bank provided $20.1 billion in development assistance and worked in almost 100 developing countries on 245 projects, bringing finance and technical expertise to help reduce poverty in those countries.

     The World Bank Group’s mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It is a development bank, providing loans, policy advice, technical assistance, and knowledge sharing services to low- and middle-income countries to reduce poverty. The Bank promotes growth to create jobs and to empower poor people to take advantage of these opportunities. It uses its financial resources, trained staff, and extensive knowledge base to help each developing country onto a path of stable, sustainable, and equitable growth in the fight against poverty. The World Bank Group has 184 member countries. 

     For information about the World Bank, visit its Web site at www.worldbank.org/. For more information about development data, contact the Development Data Group, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; telephone: 800 590 1906 or 202 473 7824; fax: 202 522 1498; email: data@worldbank.org; Web site: www.worldbank.org/data.

The constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) was adopted on July 22, 1946, by the International Health Conference, convened in New York by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The objective of the WHO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, is the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health. 

     The WHO carries out a wide range of functions, including coordinating international health work; helping governments strengthen health services; providing technical assistance and emergency aid; working for the prevention and control of disease; promoting improved nutrition, housing, sanitation, recreation, and economic and working conditions; promoting and coordinating biomedical and health services research; promoting improved standards of teaching and training in health and medical professions; establishing international standards for biological, pharmaceutical, and similar products; and standardizing diagnostic procedures. 

     The WHO publishes the World Health Statistics Annual and many other technical and statistical publications.

     For publications, contact the World Health Organization, Marketing and Dissemination, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland; telephone: 41 22 791 2476; fax: 41 22 791 4857; email: pubrights@who.int; Web site: www.who.int/.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization dedicated to helping to ensure that the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property are protected worldwide and that inventors and authors are thus recognized and rewarded for their ingenuity. This international protection acts as a spur to human creativity, pushing forward the boundaries of science and technology and enriching the world of literature and the arts. By providing a stable environment for the marketing of intellectual property products, WIPO also oils the wheels of international trade. 

WIPO’s main tasks include harmonizing national intellectual property legislation and procedures, providing services for international applications for industrial property rights, exchanging intellectual property information, providing legal and technical assistance to developing and other countries facilitating the resolution of private intellectual property disputes, and marshalling information technology as a tool for storing, accessing, and using valuable intellectual property information.

     A substantial part of its activities and resources is devoted to development cooperation with developing countries. 

     Publications may be ordered from the online bookshop at www.wipo.int/ebookshop; for further information, contact the World Intellectual Property Organization, 34, chemin des Colombettes, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland; telephone: 41 22 338 9111; fax: 41 22 740 1812; email: ebookshop@wipo.int; Web site: www.wipo.int/.

The World Tourism Organization is an intergovernmental body entrusted by the United Nations with promoting and developing tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a source of tourism know-how. The organization began as the International Union of Official Tourist Publicity Organizations, set up in 1925 in The Hague. Renamed the World Tourism Organization, it held its first general assembly in Madrid in May 1975. Its membership includes 141 countries, seven territories, and some 350 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations, and local tourism authorities.

     The World Tourism Organization publishes the Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics, and Travel and Tourism Barometer (triannual).

     For information, contact the World Tourism Organization, Calle Capitán Haya, 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain; telephone: 34 91 567 8100; fax: 34 91 571 3733; email: infoshop@world-tourism.org; Web site: www.world-tourism.org/.

The World Trade Organization (WTO), established on January 1, 1995, is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO has 144 member countries and is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably, and freely as possible. It does this by administering trade agreements, acting as a forum for trade negotiations, settling trade disputes, reviewing national trade policies, assisting developing countries in trade policy issues—through technical assistance and training programs—and cooperating with other international organizations. At the heart of the system—known as the multilateral trading system—are WTO’s agreements, negotiated and signed by a large majority of the world’s trading nations and ratified by their parliaments. 

     The WTO’s International Trade Statistics is its main statistical publication, providing comprehensive, comparable, and up-to-date statistics on trade.

     For publications, contact the World Trade Organization, Publications Services, Centre William Rappard, rue de Lausanne 154, CH-1211, Geneva 21, Switzerland; telephone: 41 22 739 5208 or 5308; fax: 41 22 739 5792; email: publications@wto.org; Web site: www.wto.org/.

Containerisation International Yearbook is one of the most authoritative reference books on the container industry. It has more than 850 pages of data, including detailed information on more than 560 container ports in more than 150 countries and a review section that features two-year rankings for 350 ports. The information can be accessed on the Containerisation International Web site, which also provides a comprehensive online daily business news and information service for the container industry. 

     For more information, contact Informa UK at 69-77 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4LQ, UK; telephone: 44 20 7017 5531; fax: 44 20 7017 4782; email: webtechhelp@informa.com; Web site: www.ci-online.co.uk/.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), founded in 1958, initially focused on nuclear deterrence and arms control. Later, it began to cover more comprehensively political and military issues in all continents. The IISS provides information and analysis on strategic trends and facilitates contacts between government leaders, business people, and analysts that could lead to better public policy in international security and international relations. IISS’s staff and governing boards are international and its network of some 3,000 individual members and 500 corporate and institutional members draws from more than 100 countries. 

     The IISS is a primary source of accurate, objective information on international strategic issues. It publishes The Military Balance, an annual assessment of the military capabilities and defense economics covering 170 countries.

     Publications may be obtained through Taylor and Francis Journals (www.tandf.co.uk/journals/). For information, contact the London office at Arundel House, 13–15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX, UK; telephone: 44 0 20 7379 7676; fax: 44 0 20 7836 3108; email: iiss@iiss.org; Web site: www.iiss.org/, or the Washington, D.C., office at 1747 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 7th Floor, Washington DC 20006, USA; telephone: 202 659 1490; fax: 202 296 1134; email: taylor@iiss.org.

The International Road Federation (IRF) is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization with public and private sector members in some 70 countries. The IRF’s mission is to encourage and promote development and maintenance of better and safer roads and road networks. It helps put in place technological solutions and management practices that provide maximum economic and social returns from national road investments. 

     The IRF believes that rationally planned, efficiently managed and well-maintained road networks offer high levels of user safety and have a significant impact on sustainable economic growth, prosperity, social well-being, and human development.

     The IRF has a major role to play in all aspects of road policy and development worldwide. For governments and financial institutions, the IRF provides a wide base of expertise for planning road development strategy and policy. For its members, the IRF is a business network, a link to external institutions and agencies and a business card of introduction to government officials and decisionmakers. For the community of road professionals, the IRF is a source of support and information for national road associations, advocacy groups, companies, and institutions dedicated to the development of road infrastructure.

     The IRF publishes World Road Statistics.

     Contact the Geneva office at chemin de Blandonnet 2, CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland; telephone: 41 22 306 0260; fax: 41 22 306 0270; or the Washington, DC, office at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20001, USA; telephone: 202 371 5544; fax: 202 371 5565; email: info@irfnet.com; Web site: www.irfnet.org/.

Netcraft is an Internet services company based in Bath, United Kingdom. Netcraft’s work includes the provision of network security services and research data and analysis of the Internet. It is an authority on the market share of Web servers, operating systems, hosting providers, Internet service providers, encrypted transactions, electronic commerce, scripting languages, and content technologies on the Internet.

     For information, visit www.netcraft.com/.

Drawing on the talents of 122,000 people in 144 countries, PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focused assurance, tax, and advisory services for public and private clients in corporate accountability, risk management, structuring and mergers and acquisitions, and performance and process improvement.

     PricewaterhouseCoopers publishes Corporate Taxes: Worldwide Summaries and Individual Taxes: Worldwide Summaries.

     For information, contact PricewaterhouseCoopers, 300 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA; telephone: 646 471 4000; telecopier/rightfax: 813 286 6000; Web site: www.pwcglobal.com/.

Standard & Poor’s Emerging Markets Data Base (EMDB) is the world’s leading source for information and indices on stock markets in developing countries. The EMDB was the first database to track emerging stock markets. It currently covers 53 markets and more than 2,000 stocks. Drawing a sample of stocks in each EMDB market, Standard & Poor’s calculates indices to serve as benchmarks that are consistent across national boundaries. Standard & Poor’s calculates one index, the S&P/IFCG (Global) index, that reflects the perspective of local investors and those interested in broad trends in emerging markets and another, the S&P/IFCI (Investable) index, that provides a broad, neutral, and historically consistent benchmark for the growing emerging market investment community. 

     For information on subscription rates, contact S&P Emerging Markets Data Base, 55 Water Street, 42nd Floor, New York, NY, 10041-0003; Telephone: 212 438 2046; Fax: 212 438 3429; Email: indexservices@sandp.com; Web site: www.standardandpoors.com/.

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) provides information on the conservation and sustainable use of the world’s living resources and helps others to develop information systems of their own. It works in close collaboration with a wide range of people and organizations to increase access to the information needed for wise management of the world’s living resources. 

     Committed to the principle of data exchange with other centers and noncommercial users, the WCMC, whenever possible, places the data it manages in the public domain. 

     For information, contact the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntington Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK; telephone: 44 12 2327 7314; fax: 44 12 2327 7136; email: info@unep-wcmc.org; Web site: www.unep-wcmc.org/.

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is a consortium of leading information technology industry associations in 65 countries, representing more than 15,000 information technology companies. As the global voice of the information technology industry, WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance the industry’s growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in information technology products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of contacts. WITSA also hosts the World Congress on Information Technology and other worldwide events.

     WITSA’s publication, Digital Planet 2004: The Global Information Economy, uses data provided by Global Insight covering the world’s 70 largest information and communications technology buying countries and regions.

     For information, contact WITSA, 1401 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1100, Arlington, VA 22209, USA; telephone: 703 284 5333; fax: 703 525 2279; email: ahalvorsen@itaa.org; Web site: www.witsa.org/.

The World Resources Institute is an independent center for policy research and technical assistance on global environmental and development issues. The institute provides—and helps other institutions provide—objective information and practical proposals for policy and institutional change that will foster environmentally sound, socially equitable development. The institute’s current areas of work include trade, forests, energy, economics, technology, biodiversity, human health, climate change, sustainable agriculture, resource and environmental information, and national strategies for environmental and resource management.

     For information, contact the World Resources Institute, Suite 800, 10 G Street NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA; telephone: 202 729 7600; fax: 202 729 7610; email: front@wri.org; Web site: www.wri.org/.