A Strategic Plan for the Great Lakes Commission

Guiding Principles
The following principles guide the actions of the Great Lakes Commission in its work. These principles set high standards that we, as an organization, aspire to and that help us to define what we are moving toward.

• Great Lakes Commission initiatives are defined by our Member jurisdictions and add value by bringing a regional perspective to state and provincial Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River programs, projects and priorities.
• Great Lakes Commissioners are ambassadors for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River region and serve as liaisons between their jurisdictions and the Commission. Commissioners bring their individual expertise to bear on regional issues, building collective solutions with their fellow Commissioners.
• The Board of Directors convenes, engages and coordinates its state/provincial delegation on Commission priorities, projects and operations in accordance with the Great Lakes Basin Compact and the Commission’s Strategic Plan.
• The Commission is transparent about its various roles, which include convener, facilitator, advocate and information broker.
• The Commission provides information that integrates relevant scientific, economic and policy components to guide decisionmaking.
• The Commission values inclusiveness in its projects, partnerships and decisionmaking; diverse views are welcomed and considered.
• The Commission respects the roles of other regional institutions and partners with them to build on respective strengths to achieve common goals.
• The Commission supports sustainable development principles and reflects this commitment in all its operations.