40th Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers

WHEREAS, the New England Governors and Eastern  Canadian Premiers have a long standing tradition of addressing important issues  for the region through collaboration and cooperation; and

WHEREAS, the cooperation between governments in the  region remains essential to continuing and increasing the exchange of goods and  services between the member jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, Resolution 38-3, signed by the Governors  and Premiers in 2014, recognizes the importance of regional economic  development cooperation which resulted in a process that began to identify  shared opportunities, challenges and barriers associated with economic  development and trade in the region and assessed potential collaborative  actions that could enhance the region's economic competitiveness; and

WHEREAS, the work completed as a result of  Resolution 38-3 revealed that stronger relationships among economic development  officials and staff in the NEG/ECP region would facilitate more meaningful  cooperation on economic development and trade initiatives; and

WHEREAS, the final report resulting from Resolution  38-3 recommends that a new NEG/ECP committee focused on economic development  and trade be established to continue to formalize the work resulting from  Resolution 38-3, and that efforts be made to strengthen business engagement at  the NEG/ECP annual conference.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED  THAT the Governors and Premiers continue to explore opportunities to  coordinate actions, establish partnerships, and leverage the power of regional  collaboration for the benefit of all jurisdictions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Governors and Premiers direct the  Coordinating Committee Officials to establish a new NEG/ECP Committee focused  on economic development and trade that will be directed to develop a Terms of  Reference and a yearly Work Plan that shall include collaborative measures and  activities to support the region's economy and businesses; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT trade promotion and economic development of  the region will be a distinct focus of the 2017 conference of New England  Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in Prince Edward Island; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT officials from the region, with support  from the two Secretariats, be directed to work collaboratively to develop a business  forum to happen in conjunction with the 2017 NEG/ECP Conference. The business  forum may include elements of business development, knowledge/technology  transfer/ partnership development, cluster development, and  business-to-business matchmaking in order to facilitate the competitiveness and  growth of the region's economy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the sector focus for the 2017 business  forum will be determined in a collaborative manner among the eleven  jurisdictions and will be tied to growing sectors within the region.

Adopted  at the 40th Annual Conference of the New England Governors and  Eastern Canadian Premiers, Boston, Massachusetts, August 29, 2016