Arizona and Mexico: Neighbors for Good

Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC) founder, former Arizona Governor Paul Fannin, is remembered as setting the stage for a strong relationship with Mexico when he said, “God made us neighbors, let us be good neighbors.” Nearly 60-years later, Arizona continues to work with that notion in mind – we’re neighbors for good.

The work of the AMC is fueled by Governor Doug Ducey’s vision to position Arizona at the forefront of an increasingly interconnected global economy, and supported by the AMC’s proven legacy of cross-border collaboration around shared priorities. As board president of the AMC, I am honored to work alongside Governor Ducey and an outstanding group of individuals on both sides of our border, that share the drive to help Arizona and our region stand out in a global economy.

The Arizona-Mexico Commission is committed to making sure Arizona’s borders move at the speed of business – actively working to reduce border wait times through innovative programs like Unified Cargo Processing, a joint U.S.-Mexico inspection program piloted at the Nogales Port of Entry. Projects like Sky Bridge expand this even further.

The Arizona-Mexico Commission is actively working to support innovative binational university partnerships that are driving innovative research and cross-border entrepreneurship through international degree programs and classes, student exchanges, and collaborative research initiatives. These efforts are driven by the work of the AMC’s binational committees and supported by joint agreements between Governor Ducey and Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich.

Together Arizona and Sonora offer travelers a geographically and culturally diverse destination. That’s why the Arizona-Mexico Commission is working to facilitate joint promotion of the region as a two-nation destination building a cross-border tourism industry that can jointly promote the region to travelers.

Additionally, safe infrastructure is a priority for both sides of the border; it keeps commerce and tourism moving. The Arizona-Mexico Commission works to facilitate unique cross-border partnerships such as the Lukeville-Peñasco Safety Corridor and the Border Liaison Unit Commercial Driver Training program to make our infrastructure safer and more efficient. June 14-15, the Arizona-Mexico Commission will host its annual binational Summit in Tucson, Arizona – our premiere event where top level business leaders and policy makers from Arizona and Mexico will come together under the leadership of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich to promote a strong, collaborative binational relationship.

This year’s summit theme, “Leadership in Action,” will feature distinguished Arizona leaders on speaker panels ranging in topics from global trends in manufacturing to professional sports in Arizona and international market trends. In addition, the AMC, in partnership with the Sonora-Arizona Commission, will host sixteen binational committee meetings led by public and private sector leaders to develop initiatives that promote trade and binational information sharing that result in, lasting impacts for our state, our region and the U.S. and Mexico.

The 2018 AMC Summit is an opportunity for business leaders and policy makers from Arizona and Mexico to come together to define, advance and implement strategies that promote cross-border collaboration, culture, business, investment and growth. Arizona is committed to its partnership with Mexico in driving innovation and promoting investment across strategic industries and sectors in this highly competitive corridor. Attendees are encouraged to actively participate in this binational dialogue.

I invite you to join us at this year’s summit for what is sure to be an informational, productive and enjoyable event!

Jessica Pacheco is the President of the Arizona Mexico Commission and Vice President of State and Local Affairs for Arizona Public Service.