Bilateral agreements
Trading blocs
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/region_e/region_areagroup_e.htm
ACP, African, Caribbean, and Pacific States
http://www.acpsec.org/
ACS.Association of Caribbean States
http://www.comunidadandina.org/endex.htm
AFTA Asean Free Trade Area. 10 countries.
http://www.asean.org/
(ALADI) Latin American Integration Association.
http://www.aladi.org/
Anzerta (CER) Australian New Zeeland Closer Economic Agreement. The new name is CER.
http://www.customs.govt.nz/news/resources/factsheets/Documents/Fact%20Sheet%2020.pdf
APEC, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
http://www.apec.org/
APTA Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement.
http://www.unescap.org/tid/apta.asp
ARF, Asean Regional Forum.
http://aseanregionalforum.asean.org/
ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
http://www.asean.org/
AU. African Union.
http://www.au.int/
CACM. Central American Common Market.
http://www.sice.oas.org/trade/camertoc.asp
CAN Andean community.
http://www.comunidadandina.org/endex.htm
Caricom, Caribbean Community.
http://www.caricom.org/
CEFTA, Central European Free Trade Agreement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_European_Free_Trade_Agreement
CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central.
http://www.cemac.int/
CIS Commonwealth of Independent states.
http://www.cisstat.org/eng/cis.htm
COMESA, Common market for eastern and southern Africa.
http://about.comesa.int/
DR-CAFTA , Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_American_Free_Trade_Agreement
EAC, East African Community.
http://www.eac.int/
EAEC Eurasian Economic Community.
http://www.eurasian-ec.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=7
ECO, Economic Cooperation Organization.
http://www.ecosecretariat.org/
ECOWASN, Economic Community if West African States.
http://www.ecowas.int/
EFTA the European Free Trade Association.
http://www.efta.int/
EU, European Union.
http://europa.eu/
FTAA, Free Trade of the Americas.
http://www.ftaa-alca.org/
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/gulf/gcc.htm
GAFTA, Greater Arab Free Trade Area.
http://www.annd.org/english/data/publications/pdf/12.pdf
GSP, Generalised System of Preferences.
http://unctad.org/en/Pages/DITC/GSP/Generalized-System-of-Preferences.aspx
GSTP General System of Trade Preferences among Developing countries.
http://esango.un.org/ldcportal/trade/ism/-/asset_publisher/R2dBsjYiLdZ4/content/global-system-of-trade-preferences-among-developing-countries/19799
LAIA, Latin American Integration Association.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/683773/Latin-American-Integration-Association
Magreb, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maghreb
MERCOSUR
http://www.mercosurtc.com/
NAFTA North America Free Trade Agreement.
http://www.naftanow.org/
OAS, Organization of American States.
http://www.oas.org/
Pacific Community.
http://www.spc.int/corp/
SAAC, South Asian Association for regional cooperation.
http://www.saarc-sec.org/
(SACU) Southern African Customs Union.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_African_Customs_Union
SADC. Southern Africa Development Community.
http://www.sadc.int/
SAFTA, South Asian Association Free Trade Agreement.
http://saarc-sec.org/areaofcooperation/detail.php?activity_id=5
SPARTECA South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pacific_Regional_Trade_and_Economic_Cooperation_Agreement
WAEMU, West African Economic and Monetary Union.
http://www.dfa.gov.za/foreign/Multilateral/africa/waemu.htm
UEMOA Union Econmique et Monetaire Quest Africaine.
http://www.uemoa.int/Pages/Home.aspx
UMA, Arab Maghreb Union.
http://www.maghrebarabe.org/en/
Other International Organisations of Interest
ADB. Asian Development Bank
http://www.adb.org
AFDB. African Development Bank
http://www.afdb.org
EBRD. European Bank for reconstruction and Development.
http://www.ebrd.org
G8. (Group Eight).
http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/
IATA. International Air Transport Association
http://www.iata.org
IBRD. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. It is part of the World Bank.
http:// www.worldbank.org
ICC. International Chamber of commerce
http://www.iccwbo.org
IFC. International Finance Corporation. Part of World Bank to stimulate investments in developing countries.
http://www.ifc.org.
IMF. International Monetary Fund
http://www.imf.org
ISO. International Organization for Standardization
http://www.iso.ch
OECD. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
http://www.oecd.org/
OPEC. Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries
http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/
UN. United Nation
http://www.un.org
UNCTAD. United Nation’s Conference on Trade and Development is UN’s organization for trade and investment.
http://www.unctad.org.
World Customs Organization.
http://www.wcoomd.org
WTCA. World Trade Centers Association
http://www.wtca.org.
WTO. World Trade Organisation (Former GATT)
http://www.wto.org
Future Economy
GDP and economic development
PWC The world in 2050.
http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/economy/the-world-in-2050.html
The wealth report. A global perspective.
http://www.investtoronto.ca/InvestAssets/PDF/Reports/The-Wealth-Report-2012.pdf
Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds a publication of the National Intelligence Council
https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/GlobalTrends_2030.pdf
Richest Countries In The World 2050. Huff post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/21/worlds-richest-countries-2050_n_1819547.html
Video. Hans Rosling’s 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes – The Joy of Stats – BBC Four. More about this program: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wgq0l
Hans Rosling’s famous lectures combine enormous quantities of public data with a sport’s commentator’s style to reveal the story of the world’s past, present and future development using augmented reality animation story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers – in just four minutes. Plotting life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, Hans shows how the world we live in is radically different from the world most of us imagine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo
Worldmeter
Continuously updated on population, Government and economics, Society and media. Environment, food, water, Energy and health.http://www.worldometers.info/
The Global dept clock. Interactive map. The economist. http://www.economist.com/content/global_debt_clock%20?fsrc=nlw|newe|9-3-2012|3337129|36829541|
Video. Financial Crisis – G20 Preview. 2008.
Already, the World Bank estimates, high food and fuel prices have driven 100 million people into poverty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N60NziuroiM&feature=relmfu
Slides. 10 Decrepit Countries That Will Never Boom Again.
http://www.businessinsider.com/slowest-growing-countries-2011-2
Slides. The 10 Fastest Growing Economies Of The Next 40 Years.
http://www.businessinsider.com/fastest-growing-economies-2011-2
Countries/markets
Video. Hans Rosling: Asia’s rise how and when. At TEDIndia, he graphs global economic growth since 1858 and predicts the exact date that India and China will outstrip the US.
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_asia_s_rise_how_and_when.html
Cities
Dubai’s Luxury Life – Full Documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myPzCEXXtvw&list=UUIup_mBthX8oUFOJUkPPtkA
Video Go #InsideInnovation at Cisco IoE Innovation Center Songdo.
“Amazing things happen when you connect the previously unconnected.” Such is the work of Cisco’s Innovation Center in Songdo, Korea a city in one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ake6ZbnCEvohttp://songdo.ciscogcoe.com/
Songdo International City, South Korea Time lapse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7jxE44MhzM
Video. Becamex IDC Corp Binh Duong New City.
3D rendering for Binh Duong New City. This ambitious project is developed by Becamex. This is a new city comprising of high-class apartments, buildings, malls, universities, administrative head-quarters, offices to host 1 million people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rJsI0gN5as
The World’s Future MEGAPROJECTS (2015-2030’s)
A documentary on the ten most ambitious mega-projects currently under development around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOCpo10zQlM
Trade
Trade development, WTO report. (New every year)
https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/wtr15-1_e.pdf
Oracle. E-Commerce. Report
https://blogs.oracle.com/cx/entry/2014_b2b_commerce_survey_results
Population
Video. Global population growth.
Hans Rosling: Global population growth, box by box. The world’s population will grow to 9 billion over the next 50 years and only by raising the living standards of the poorest can we check population growth.
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_on_global_population_growth.html
United Nations. Population forecast to 2050.
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html
United Nation. Report on population development by country to 2050.
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/worldageing19502050/countriesorareas.htm
Labour force
Index Mundi. Labour force by country.
http://www.indexmundi.com/map/?v=72
International Labour Organization. Employment trends.
http://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/global-employment-trends/2014/WCMS_233953/lang–en/index.htm
OECD.Stat Average annual hours actually worked per worker.
http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=ANHRS
GFMAG. Unemployment rates around the world.
http://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/worlds-unemployment-ratescom#axzz1v4NpWibk
GFMAG Labor Productivity.
http://www.gfmag.com/magazine/december-2012/polls-and-stats-labor-productivity-#axzz1v4NpWibk
The Conference board. International compensation costs in Manufacturing.
https://www.conference-board.org/ilcprogram/index.cfm?id=28269
GFMAG. Personal Income tax rates.
http://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/personal-income-tax-rates#axzz1v4NpWibk
Manufacturing
Manufacturing the future: The next era of global growth and innovation. McKinsey Global Institute – November 2012.
http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/the-future-of-manufacturing
Manufacturing, The factory of the future
http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/10/manufacturing
The Future of Manufacturing. Opportunities to drive economic growth. Deloitte
http://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/manufacturing/articles/future-of-manufacturing.html
Natural resources
Top 10 Energy Sources of the Future. These are ten most promising alternative energy sources of tomorrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uStFvcz9Or4
10. Space-based solar power.
http://energy.gov/articles/space-based-solar-power
9. Human Power.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-harness-human-power-electricity/
8. Tidal Power.
http://www.renewablegreenenergypower.com/ocean-energy-facts/
7. Hydrogen (fuel cells).
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter20.html. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen-powered_aircraft
6. Geothermal heat from underground lava beds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen-powered_aircraft ,
https://theconversation.com/drilling-surprise-opens-door-to-volcano-powered-electricity-22515
5. Nuclear Waste.
http://nautil.us/issue/7/waste/our-nuclear-waste-is-a-goldmine. http://gehitachiprism.com/
4. Solar windows.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_of_photovoltaics
3. Bio-fuels (algae).
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/20/alabama-gets-first-world-carbon-negative-algae-biofuel/ . http://biofuel.org.uk/biofuel-facts.html
2. Flying wind farms.
http://news.mit.edu/2014/high-flying-turbine-produces-more-power-0515 . www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=427&t=3
1. Nuclear fusion.
http://www.americansecurityproject.org/10-key-facts-about-nuclear-fusion/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER#Timeline_and_current_status
http://www.zdnet.com/article/nuclear-fusion-from-google-lockheed-draper-fisher/
Institute of energy research. World energy forecast 2035.
http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/analysis/eia-forecast-world-energy-led-by-china-to-grow-53-percent-by-2035/
International Energy Agency. Energy outlook.
http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/
Video. TED. Bill Gross, the founder of Idealab, talks about his life as an inventor, starting with his high-school company selling solar energy plans and kits. Learn here about a groundbreaking system for solar cells and some questions we haven’t yet solved. http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gross_on_new_energy
Amory Lovins: A 40-year plan for energy. In this intimate talk filmed at TED’s offices, energy innovator Amory Lovins shows how to get the US off oil and coal by 2050, $5 trillion cheaper
http://www.ted.com/talks/amory_lovins_a_50_year_plan_for_energy
Nautilus Energy. Mining under water.
http://www.nautilusminerals.com/IRM/content/default.aspx
Marketing and advertising
South Korean supermarket chain opens virtual grocery stores in subways
One inventive South Korean supermarket chain is using technology to completely change the way we buy groceries. Noticing that it was a distant second in the grocery store market in Korea, Tesco embarked on an innovative ad campaign to get people to use its online shopping services, reports.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/south-korean-supermarket-chain-opens-virtual-grocery-stores-in-subways/#ixzz4AFAg9bfU
How digital is transforming retail: The view from eBay. Does mobile commerce spell the end of traditional stores? In this series of short videos, Devin Wenig, the president of eBay Marketplaces, explains the impact of digitization and why retailers must evolve to survive. http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/how-digital-is-transforming-retail-the-view-from-ebay
