About us

In recent years, the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce (MECACC) has established itself as the voice of American business in the vital Gulf Region. An affiliate of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the MECACC comprises ten American chambers of commerce (AmChams) operating in the region.

The MECACC represents the more than 700 United States companies doing business in the Gulf, where it fosters American business activities and actively encourages United States Government policies that promote America's commercial interests in the region. The MECACC is one of four such regional umbrella groups. The Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA), the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC), and the European Council of American Chambers of Commerce (ECACC) provide similar representation to United States businesses and expatriates around the world.

In the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and in Iraq- American businessmen and businesswomen are promoting United States exports in the face of intense international competition. Largely as a result of their work and the special friendship that the United States shares with the GCC nations, United States sales of goods and services to the GCC have totaled more than $20 billion annually. This creates or sustains more than half a million jobs in the United States.

While some of its individual member associations have been in existence since the 1970s, the MECACC was officially established in 1989. Since its inception, this voluntary, nonpartisan, and nonprofit organization has actively fostered improved economic relations between the United States and the GCC countries through trade and investment, as well as cross-cultural exchange and mutual understanding. The MECACC is widely recognized for its contributions in these areas, both in the United States and the Gulf, and it continues to play an instrumental role in building economic, political and cultural bridges between the two regions.

Together with its member AmChams, the MECACC has also worked hard to assist United States companies competing for a share of the region's lucrative export market. Many of America's competitors have developed sophisticated export strategies which provide strong, direct government support for their citizens and companies in overseas markets. The MECACC, working closely with the United States Government, is committed to "leveling the playing field" for American companies and going head-to-head with global competition.

The MECACC means business, to be sure, but it also means people. Some 50,000 civilian Americans live in the GCC nations, making the expatriate American community there one of the largest in the world (relative to the host nation's size). Americans in the Gulf represent all walks of life -educators, technicians, chief executives, service professionals, government officials, homemakers, investment bankers, consultants, attorneys, students, accountants, engineers and many more. Americans have established strong ties with their Arab counterparts in the Gulf nations, with whom they share such ideals as family values, community service, the pursuit of knowledge, free enterprise and patriotism. Like other United States citizens around the world, the American community in the Gulf reinforces a positive image of the United States and proudly defends America's national interests overseas.