Topic Definitions and Descriptions


 
Topic Number Topic Defintion Description
1.
 Diplomacy Matters with long-range policy implications normally decided at the chief-of-government level.
1ALLY Alliance Military alliances, possibly including non-military matters.
1AMITY Amity Friendship, general relations, and matters concerning more than one topic in the Topic Group.
1ARMCO Arms Control Arms control and disarmament, including safeguards for operation of nuclear reactors.
1CHART UN Membership Acceptance of obligations of UN charter.
1DISPU Dispute Settlements Formal procedural and substantive resolutions of legal and political controversies.
1ESTAB IGO Establishment Establishment of an international government organization (IGO).
1HEAD IGO Headquarters Establishment of IGO headquarters and relations between it and the host country.
1OCCUP Military Occupation Belligerent occupation.
1OPTC International Court of Justice Clause Acceptance of compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
1PEACE Peace/Armistice Termination of war or hostilities.
1RECOG Diplomacy/Recognition Diplomatic relations and recognition, independence of new states, acceptance of treaty obligations.
1REPAR Reparations Post-war reparation settlements. Global or country-to-country level, often involving a lump sum of money to pay for damages.
1STATU Status of Forces Peacetime status of foreign military forces.
1TERRI Territorial Limits National land and water boundaries determined by political decisions.
1TRUST UN Trusteeship Establishment or operation of a UN trusteeship.  Does not involve money in trust.
2.
 Welfare Matters falling broadly within the scope of government agencies in charge of health, labor, and welfare.
2HEW General Welfare Matters concerning more than one topic in this group, i.e. social cooperation.
2HUMAN Relief/Rescue Short-term humanitarian relief and rescue relating to natural and other disasters. Does not include disaster preparation.
2LABOR Labor Includes migratory labor, trade unions, and internships.
2NARK Narcotics Control Control of illegal drug production and traffic.
2REFUG Refugees Refugees and repatriation.
2SANIT Human Health Disease control, public health, projects or techniques to aid public health and sanitation.
2SECUR Social Security Social security, retirements, old age benefits, disability, unemployment compensation.
2WOMEN Status of Women Legal status of women and issues of women's equality.
3.
 Economics Matters that are primarily economic in the sense of traditional international trade and payments, not including aid-supported transactions.
3CLAIM Claims, Debts, Assets Claims regarding particular debts and assets, mainly concerning retrospective settlement (Claims for damages are analogous to a US suit for damages).
3COMMO Raw Materials Trade Trade in specific commodities, e.g. aluminum, cotton, rubber, fish, meat, phosphates, wool.
3CUSTO Customs Duties Custom rates and tariffs.
3ECON Economic Cooperation General economic cooperation and matters not covered elsewhere, or concerning more than one topic in this Topic Group.
3INDUS Industry Factories or entire industrial sectors.
3INVES Investment Guarantee General guarantees for protection of investments.
3MOSTF Most Favored Nation Status Traditional most-favored nation treatment as the main function of a treaty, rather than as an incidental clause.
3PATEN Patents and Copyrights Patents, copyrights, trademarks, intellectual property.
3PAYMT Payments and Currency Routine commercial payments and exchange rates.
3PROD Products and Equipment Finished goods, industrial products, equipment, facilities, installations. (Commercial and military)
3TAXAT Taxation Double taxation, tax exemptions, fiscal evasion.
3TECH Technical Cooperation Technical and scientific-technological cooperation and exchange between equally developed nations.
3TOUR Tourism Promotion of tourism.
3TRADE General Trade Trade not limited to a particular commodity.
3TRAPA Trade and Payments Equal or similar emphasis on both.
4. 
 Aid Non-commercial transfers or goods, capital, or services.
4AGRIC Food or Agricultural Aid Aid for foodstuffs, fertilizers, and agricultural products, equipment, and technicques.  These projects are typically short-term and have a limited lifespan.
4AID Unspecified Aid Aid concerning more than one topic in topic group, or which does not fall into other topics.
4ATOM Atomic Energy Aid Aid for peaceful use of nuclear energy.
4EDUC Educational Aid Aid for academic and vocational training.
4LOAN Financial Aid Loans and other repayable financial aid, including world bank projects; financial cooperation between developed and developing nations.
4MEDIC Medical Aid Aid for hospital construction and equipment, as well as organization of public health services.
4MILIT Military Aid Aid for military supplies, equipment, training.
4PCOR Peace Corps or other Volunteers American Peace Corps and similar volunteer services of donor countries.
4RESOU Resources Aid Aid for build-up of infrastructure to develop national resources.
4TECA Technical Assistance Non-financial advisory services for modernization. No development credits. Between IGO/developed nation and developing nation.
4UNICE UNICEF Aid Aid involving UN Children's Fund.
5. 
 Transport All forms of transportation by air, land, or water, including related infrastructures.
5AIR Air Transport Air services, airlines, airports, landing rights.
5LAND Land Transport Road and rail transport including passengers, freight, bridges, tunnels.
5TRANS General Transport Matters concerning more than one topic in this topic group.
5WATER Water Transport Ocean, lake, river transport including passengers, freight, ports.
6. 
 Communications Transmission of mail and other information by traditional as well as electronic means.
6COMMU Communications General communications; matters concerning more than one topic in topic group.
6MEDIA Mass Media Newspapers, radio, television, exchange of newsreels.
6POST Postal Services Rates and handling procedures for letters, parcels, and postal money orders.
6TELCO Telecommunications Telephone and telegraph services, construction and operation of radar stations, allocation of frequencies.
7. 
 Culture Exchanges and joint programs in cultural fields, broadly defined.
7CULT Culture Theater, opera, ballet, films, books, sports; matters concerning more than one topic in this topic group.
7EDUC Education Student and teacher exchange, joint schools and programs, equivalence of degrees and diplomas, cooperation in educational projects. Emphasizes teachers/students from kindergarten to Ph.D.
7RELIG Religion Not limited to a particular religion, but with religion as the primary focus.
7SCIEN Science and Technology Research programs and exchanges in science and technology, weather stations, earth and ocean observations, cooperation between academies of science.
7SEMIN Seminars and Conferences UN sponsored and other seminars and conferences on specific issues. Typically treaties between the UN group and a host country.
7SPACE Space Exploration and Research Peaceful uses of outer space and related space technology, including satellites and orbital stations.
8.
 Resources Various programs concerning the development and use of natural resources. But see also 4RESOU.
8AGRIC Agriculture Fertilizer, experimental programs, pest and disease control, quarantine.
8CATTL Cattle or Fowl Veterinary matters, vaccination, health certificates, crossboundary grazing, migratory birds.
8ENERG Energy All forms of energy.  See also 4ATOM for atomic energy aid.
8ENVIR Environment or Ecology Pollution control, wildlife protection by species or region, water quality, environmental improvement.
8FISH Fisheries Fish and all other living marine animals as resources.  Conditions and zones of conservation and harvesting.
8METAL Metallurgy Mining and processing of metals as natural resources.
8WATER Water Multiple use of water, e.g. irrigation, power, drinking.
8WOOD Wood or Forestry Forestry management, reforestation, logging, fire protection.
9.
 Administration Routine administrative matters incidental to, or independent of non-routine political treaties.  But see also 1. Diplomacy.
9ADMIN Administration Routine matters that don't fit into any other topic or group or that concern more than one topic in this group. Arrangements between IGOs to handle projects.
9BOUND Boundary Maintenance Physical maintenance and marking of borders, e.g. bridges, tunnels, checkpoints, mapping.
9CITIZ Nationality or Aliens Immigration, citizenship, nationality, minorities, military service requirements.
9CONSU Consulates Consular matters including functions, buildings.  Also includes business being transacted at the diplomat/consul level.
9LEGAL Legal Procedures Judicial assistance, enforcement of civil and criminal judgments.
9MILIT Military Procedures Routine military cooperation between equivalent countries.
9MILMI Military Missions Permanent military missions.
9PRIVI Privileges and Immunities Diplomatic immunities of governments and IGOs.
9VISAS Visas and Passports Visas and visa fees, regulation of movement of persons and good across borders.
9XTRAD Extradition Extradition and deportation.

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