International Trade: Strategy Needed to Better Monitor and Enforce Trade Agreements
NSIAD-00-76
Published: Mar 14, 2000. Publicly Released: Mar 14, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether federal agencies have the capacity to monitor and enforce trade agreements, focusing on: (1) the federal structure for monitoring and enforcing trade agreements; (2) the increasing complexity of the federal monitoring and enforcement task and key activities that federal agencies must perform; and (3) whether the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have the capacity to handle their monitoring and enforcement workload, that is, whether their human capital resources and support mechanisms enable them to perform needed monitoring and enforcement activities.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | In order to improve U.S. capacity to monitor and enforce trade agreements, USTR, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with other relevant agencies, should develop a strategy for how the U.S. government will manage its growing trade agreement monitoring and enforcement workload. This strategy should: (1) assess the human capital skills needed and available to monitor and enforce U.S. trade agreements now and in the future and determine how any gaps can be addressed; (2) consider whether the current workload is targeted toward the highest risks and properly allocated among key agencies; and (3) assess whether the mechanisms for obtaining private sector input provide full and balanced coverage of existing and future trade issues. |
Closed – Implemented
In response, USDA, in conjunction with USTR and Commerce, helped develop a trade compliance training course through the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute. This course is available to monitoring and enforcement staff for federal agencies. In addition, USDA helped create the Monitoring and Enforcement Subcommittee of the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee to strengthen the existing interagency process for prioritizing the monitoring and enforcement workload.
|
| Department of Commerce | In order to improve U.S. capacity to monitor and enforce trade agreements, USTR, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with other relevant agencies, should develop a strategy for how the U.S. government will manage its growing trade agreement monitoring and enforcement workload. This strategy should: (1) assess the human capital skills needed and available to monitor and enforce U.S. trade agreements now and in the future and determine how any gaps can be addressed; (2) consider whether the current workload is targeted toward the highest risks and properly allocated among key agencies; and (3) assess whether the mechanisms for obtaining private sector input provide full and balanced coverage of existing and future trade issues. |
Closed – Implemented
In response, Commerce, in conjunction with USTR and USDA, helped develop a trade compliance training course through the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute. This course is available to monitoring and enforcement staff for federal agencies. In addition, Commerce helped create the Monitoring and Enforcement Subcommittee of the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee to strengthen the existing interagency process for prioritizing the monitoring and enforcement workload.
|
| Office of the U.S. Trade Representative | In order to improve U.S. capacity to monitor and enforce trade agreements, USTR, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with other relevant agencies, should develop a strategy for how the U.S. government will manage its growing trade agreement monitoring and enforcement workload. This strategy should: (1) assess the human capital skills needed and available to monitor and enforce U.S. trade agreements now and in the future and determine how any gaps can be addressed; (2) consider whether the current workload is targeted toward the highest risks and properly allocated among key agencies; and (3) assess whether the mechanisms for obtaining private sector input provide full and balanced coverage of existing and future trade issues. |
Closed – Implemented
In response, USTR, in conjunction with USDA and Commerce, helped develop a trade compliance training course through the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute. This course is available to monitoring and enforcement staff for federal agencies. In addition, USTR helped create the Monitoring and Enforcement Subcommittee of the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee to strengthen the existing interagency process for prioritizing the monitoring and enforcement workload.
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Topics
Foreign trade agreementsForeign trade policiesInteragency relationsInternal controlsInternational tradeInternational trade regulationMonitoringPrivate sector practicesTrade agreementsPrivate sector