Letter to Congressional Leaders on Terminating the Designation of Mauritania as a Beneficiary Sub-Saharan African Country Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act Program

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

In accordance with section 506A(c)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2466a(c)(2)), I am providing notice of my intent to terminate the designation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (Mauritania) as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

I am taking this step because I have determined that the Government of Mauritania has not established, or is not making continual progress toward establishing, the protection of internationally recognized worker rights, as required by section 104 of the AGOA.

In particular, Mauritania has made insufficient progress toward combating forced labor, specifically, the scourge of hereditary slavery. Despite intensive engagement with the United States, the Government of Mauritania has failed to meet critical required benchmarks to address these issues to date.

Accordingly, I intend to terminate the designation of Mauritania as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country under the AGOA as of January 1, 2019. I will continue to assess whether the Government of Mauritania is making continual progress toward establishing the protection of internationally recognized worker rights for potential reinstatement of eligibility in accordance with the AGOA eligibility requirements.

Sincerely,

DONALD J. TRUMP