Welcome to the Governor’s Commission on Middle Eastern Affairs

 

The mission of the Governor's Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs is to:

  • Serve as an advisory body to the Governor and agencies within the Executive Department on matters relating to the MEA population of Maryland, including matters relating to economic, workforce, and business development;
  • Identify needs or problems affecting MEAs and develop appropriate responses and programs;
  • Conduct outreach to MEA groups and communities in the State and communicate information to them concerning public and private programs thatare beneficial to their interests;
  • Generally comment and make appropriate recommendations on matters affecting the health, safety and welfare of the MEA population of Maryland.

In order to efficiently achieve these goals, the Commission is split into three sub-committees.

The Business Development Committee studies and seeks to implement innovative ways of enhancing the participation of businesses and individuals of Middle Eastern extraction in the economic life of Maryland, including the expansion of government contracting opportunities for businesses owned by Middle Eastern Americans and the development of conditions favorable to expanded trade and investment between the Middle East and Maryland.

The Community and Social Development Committee facilitates outreach to the Middle Eastern American communities, promotes cultural awareness throughout the state of Maryland, and studies ways to plan for the anticipated and continued growth of the Middle Eastern American population.

The Workforce Development Committee studies Middle Eastern American appointments to boards and commissions and to other decision-making positions within state government. The goal of the Workforce Development Committee is to increase engagement and opportunities for Middle Eastern Americans in state government.

The Commission relies on the participation of the Middle Eastern American community from across the state. We look forward to working with all of Maryland's communities to help strengthen and grow our One Maryland.

 

First Annual Health Conference

Cultural diversity is the core engine that drives this country and its impact at this time has significant implications for health care delivery and policymaking throughout the United States. This conference will bring key stakeholders together to share and discuss the health needs of the Middle East community and explore best practice models to improve our community health outcomes and reduce health disparities.

Click here for more information

 

Census 2010

Census 2010There is an important civic and constitutionally mandated event that will shape our future over the course of the next decade and we need your help. The 2010 Census is coming and we must ensure that every Marylander in every neighborhood, community, village, town, city and county in Maryland is counted on Census Day, April 1, 2010.

To achieve this goal, Governor O'Malley has approved an active outreach plan to be implemented under the leadership of the Maryland Department of Planning, our official State partner to the U.S. Census Bureau, along with the Office of the Secretary of State and the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives.

By answering the census, services and programs like job training, education, health care and transit improvements, will be there for our families and our communities for years to come. The importance of the Census cannot be overstated. An undercount of as little as a 1.7% or 100,000 of our state's 5.8 million residents translates to a loss of $1 billion dollars in federal revenue over the decade and considerably more in state funds distribution.

To make sure everyone is counted, we are working closely with the U.S. Census Bureau, State agencies, local governments, and non-governmental organizations including community and ethnic groups in order to form the partnerships that can reach out to the people of Maryland.

The success of the Census, it's in our hands Maryland!

For more information on the Census 2010 click on the above logo.

Click here for the Census Outreach Mapping Tool