A Strategic Plan for the Great Lakes Commission

Facilitation and Consensus Building
Our goal: The Commission convenes and leads multistakeholder forums, projects and activities on issues and ideas of importance to Member jurisdictions and others. The Commission provides forums where emerging issues and ideas are identified, leading research is presented, conflicting views are shared and debated, and consensus is built around potential solutions.

Objective #1 of 3
Serve as neutral broker of information, ideas and analyses by convening forums to share information and facilitate regional approaches and solutions.

• Convene and provide secretariat support for Commission task forces, working groups and committees, such as the Great Lakes Dredging Team, the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species and the Great Lakes Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Task Force.
• Establish and convene new committees, task forces and work groups, as needed, to address emerging regional priorities and improve coordination of programs and policy implementation.
• Convene conferences and symposia on emerging issues such as renewable energy, water conservation and coastal management to share information, innovative approaches and success stories among states and provinces.

Objective #2 of 3
Enhance dialogue and debate among Members to build consensus on regional issues.

• Develop and implement a strategy, built on regional consensus, to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species.
• Design and conduct semiannual Commission meetings that feature expert panels on timely and high priority regional topics.
• Convene periodic meetings of individual state and provincial delegations to enhance dialogue and identify emerging issues, challenges and opportunities for appropriate Commission action.
• Develop and endorse resolutions and policy positions on issues where Members agree.
• In conjunction with stakeholders, define and promote environmentally sustainable shipping practices.

Objective #3 of 3
Monitor relevant regional, national/binational and international policy forums and initiatives of relevance to the Great Lakes, report to Members and, where appropriate, represent Members’ views in such forums and initiatives.

• Participate in review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
• Monitor and react to activities under the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, U.S. Ocean Action Plan and related initiatives.
• Track progress on implementation of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes.