Key Personnel

David DeCarme, Director

OFFICE FUNCTION

Mission:

To provide departmental coordination on international surface and intermodal transportation and trade policies, including trade facilitation, technical assistance and cooperation programs, trade promotion and advocacy, multimodal transportation issues, and international diplomatic and protocol activities; and to coordinate Departmental representation in global transportation and trade organizations.

Key Objectives:

• Provide the Secretary with the best information available to develop international transportation policy and carry out the Department’s international responsibilities in a timely manner;
• Promote and facilitate open and liberalized global transportation markets;
• Work through the International Policy Council to promote and coordinate more coherent multi-modal international transportation policies;
• Conduct in-depth analysis and provide policy recommendations to address emerging and ongoing international transportation issues;
• Develop the Department’s positions on transport aspects of international trade agreements in consultation with operating administrations and lead Departmental representation in key international organizations;
• Initiate and manage international technical assistance and cooperative programs; and
• Facilitate the success of the Secretary’s international travel agenda and meetings with foreign visitors.

Division of Diplomatic Programs and Protocol

The Division is primarily responsible for all secretarial-level protocol and diplomatic activities, including arranging DOT participation in international meetings and conferences for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Assistant Secretaries; developing foreign visit programs for senior-level DOT officials and visits to the Department by foreign dignitaries and officials.  Division staff works with U.S. and foreign embassy officials to ensure coordination of U.S. DOT staff support while in-country and follow-up on issues raised during foreign visits. They also ensure that foreign inquiries to U.S. DOT for assistance are addressed in a timely manner.

Division of International Cooperation and Trade

The Division has the responsibility for developing a range of policy positions on international transportation and trade facilitation matters.  This include representing the Department in multi-lateral and bi-lateral trade negotiations involving all modes of transportation; participating in international organizations forums, and implementing science and technology agreements with other nations.  In addition, the office interacts with development agencies of the U.S. Government, such as the U.S. Trade Development Agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as development banks such as the World Bank, the African Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank to implement technical assistance efforts with developing nations.  The Office has been the primary instrument in implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the U.S. goals of trade liberalization in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  The office promotes the sale of U.S. products and services through its trade promotion program.

Revised July 2010
Content is provided by David DeCarme, Director
(202) 366-4398