Trade Policy and Programs

Thriving international commerce has long served U.S. interests by promoting U.S. prosperity and job-creation and promoting peaceful foreign relations. U.S. trade policy is based on two primary goals:

• To expand access for American exporters to overseas markets, and
• To ensure that commercial competitors and partners abroad observe fair trade practices.

To achieve these goals, the State Department and others in the U.S. helped establish the system of international trade rules administered by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The U.S. Government works to lower barriers to trade through negotiations both multilaterally in the WTO and bilaterally in negotiations with individual nations and regional groups. Currently a major round of negotiations is underway aimed at making trade more free and fair. We also work hard, including through U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas, to ensure that foreign governments live up to their trade commitments.

Many U.S. agencies are involved in the formulation of U.S. trade policy and negotiating positions, under the coordination of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The State Department's Trade Policy and Programs (TPP) division actively participates in the policymaking process to ensure that U.S. foreign policy goals are fully considered in the formulation of our trade policy.

The Trade Policy and Programs division is divided into three offices with responsibility for the diverse aspects of trade policy:

• Office of Multilateral Trade Affairs
• Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs
• Office of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Textile Trade Affairs

The Trade Policy and Programs division is led by the Economic and Business Affairs (EB) bureau's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Shaun Donnelly.