International Cooperation

Overview

The U.S. Department of Transportation cooperates with the United States’ foreign partners in many areas of common interest. DOT’s modal Operating Administrations are each engaged in some form of international cooperation.  These activities support DOT’s core missions of promoting transportation safety and supporting the economic competitiveness of the United States.

The Office of International Transportation and Trade ensures that the Department’s international cooperation is consistent with the Department’s international policy, and it coordinates a number of key technical cooperation programs and initiatives including:

• Negotiation of Departmental cooperative technical agreements with partner countries and exchange
• Exchanges of technical/best practice information through meetings, seminars and workshops
• Management of the Department’s engagement in bilateral programs and forums and in the interagency U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada border initiatives 
• Departmental representation in multilateral organizations such as the International Transport Forum (ITF), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transportation Working Group, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Coordination of the Department’s engagement in Administration regulatory cooperation initiatives with Canada, Mexico and the European Union and others
• Coordination of fee-for-service training for international partners at DOT modal training institutes
• Management of special international Departmental cooperative programs initiatives, including support of the Administration’s priority to stop human trafficking