Office of International Affairs
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) conducts international activities as part of its mission as the primary conservation agency and a leading science agency of the United States. The Office of International Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) facilitates, supports and coordinates international activities of the Department to advance the Department's mission and support complementary U.S. foreign policy priorities. For more than 100 years, DOI has conducted international activities which:
1. Facilitate DOI's domestic responsibilities, including: managing protected areas adjacent to international borders; sharing scientific findings, technology, and other information; and fighting cross-border fires.
2. Meet DOI's Congressional mandates such as migratory species preservation and elephant, rhino, and tiger protection.
3. Fulfill international U.S. treaty obligations that deal with endangered species, wetlands, the protection of world cultural and natural heritage, marine pollution, and boundary waters.
4. Support both the Departmental mission and complementary U.S. foreign policy objectives, at the request of the White House or State Department, by providing technical assistance and scientific advice regarding issues such as climate change, water, natural and cultural resource management, park management, and environmental hazards.
5. Support U.S. trade policy objectives through advice and assistance to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the State Department on negotiation and implementation of free trade agreements (FTAs) and associated mechanisms for environmental cooperation.
DOI and its Bureaus cooperate with over 100 countries on environmental protection, conservation, natural resource management, research and monitoring concerning environmental hazards such as volcanoes and earthquakes, cultural resource protection and indigenous affairs. DOI has the most activities with: Mexico, Canada, the countries of Central America, Afghanistan, Jordan and Tanzania.
DOI currently has over 110 full-time employees who work on international activities, most of whom are with USGS and USFWS. DOI employees work both at their duty stations in the US and on travel abroad in support of international cooperation activities. Our international programs enhance our domestic responsibilities and are supported by $94 million annually, with more than a third of that cost reimbursed by external sources such as the State Department, USAID, and the World Bank.
Within the Office of the Secretary, the Office of International Affairs (which reports to the Assistant Secretary--Policy, Management, and Budget) coordinates international activities involving more than one Bureau, approves international travel, and is the primary DOI point of contact for: the State Department and other U.S. Government agencies engaged in international activities; foreign embassies and ministries; and international organizations.
Bureau Offices of International Affairs
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service