The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and leading or directing negotiations with other countries on such matters. The U.S. Trade Representative is a Cabinet member who serves as the President’s principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade and related investment matters.
The agency provides trade policy leadership and negotiating expertise in its major areas of responsibility, including:
- all matters within the World Trade Organization (WTO)
- trade, commodity, and direct investment matters managed by international institutions such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- expansion of market access for American goods and services
- industrial and services trade policy
- international commodity agreements and policy
- bilateral and multilateral trade and investment issues
- trade-related intellectual property protection issues
- negotiations affecting U.S. import policies.
The website contains policy documents and news along with a number of issue guides realting to different aspects of US trade policy. These are divided under headings as follows:
- WTO and multilateral affairs
- World Trade Organization
- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
- Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP)
- WTO-UNCTAD International Trade Center
- International Labor Organization (ILO)
- World regions
- Sectors
- Trade and environment
- Trade and labour
- Monitoring and enforcement
- Trade and development