What Is The Gulf Of Mexico States Accord General Secretariat?
The Gulf of Mexico States Accord (GOMSA) is an international cooperative agreement, initiated in 1995 by the Governors of the eleven Mexican and US border states along the Gulf of Mexico basin. Those states are: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas on the US side; Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Yucatan on the Mexican side. The Gulf of Mexico States Accord brings state-level leadership in a well-defined sub-region of North America to define mutual interests, shape consensus and build political will for new regional initiatives in the areas of international commerce, homeland security, economic development, transportation, tourism and education. Policy officials, business executives, economic developers and academic researchers all actively participate in the Accord. The Accord's current Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana, who succeeded Governor Joaquin Hendricks Diaz of Quintana Roo in 2005. The Accord's initiatives impact homeland security in the Gulf of Mexico basin, as well as create new environmental, economic development, educational, agricultural and commercial programs and new transportation initiatives in the border states of the Gulf of Mexico basin.
The General Secretariat, located in Tampa, Florida, manages the day-to-day activities of the Accord, the Executive Committee, its work programs and special initiatives of the Executive Committee. The Secretariat also manages the official Accord website, www.gomsa.org.