Sister Cities International

Sister Cities International (SCI)

Abbreviation	SCI
Formation	1956
Legal status	501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Purpose	To create and strengthen partnerships between communities in other countries
Headquarters	1012 14th Street NW Suite 1400 [1] Washington, D.C. 20005 United States
Membership	states, counties, cities
Board Chair	Peter Svarzbein [1]
Website	sistercities.org

Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that has the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing "Sister Cities." ^[2] Sister Cities are broad long-term agreements of mutual support formally recognized by the civic leaders of those cities. ^[3] A total of 1,800 cities, states, and counties have partnered in 138 countries. ^[4]

As an organization that links jurisdictions in the U.S. with communities worldwide, Sister Cities International recognizes, registers, and coordinates relationships among cities, counties, provinces, and other subnational political divisions at various levels.

Background

Sister City partnerships share similar demographics and town sizes. These partnerships may arise from business connections, travel, similar industries, diaspora communities, or shared history. For example, Portland, Oregon and Bologna, Italy's partnership arose from a shared industry focus in biotechnology and education, an appreciation for the arts, and a deep cultural connection of food, ^[5] whereas Chicago's link with Warsaw, Poland began with the city's historic Polish community. ^[6]

Sister Cities International also recognizes "Friendship City" affiliations. These are less formal arrangements that may be a step towards a full Sister City affiliation. ^{[7] [8]}

Early years

The first U.S. sister city program began in 1956, ^[9] when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to-people citizenship diplomacy. ^[10] Originally part of the National League of Cities, Sister Cities International became a separate, non-profit corporation in 1967.

History

On June 4, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. ^[11] Zelenskyy asked that cities in the United States take part in rebuilding Ukraine by developing ties between localities that can leverage resources allocated to the effort to repair damaged social infrastructure. Sister Cities has been delivering humanitarian aid ^[12] to support the Ukrainian people. Poltava, Ukraine has been a sister city of Irondequoit, NY, since June 29, 1992, due to an agreement signed by Anatonij Kukoba, the then President of Poltava City Council, and Fredrick W. Lapple, the then Town Supervisor of Irondequoit. The scope of the relationship is broadly defined in this document, agreeing that many sectors of public life are open for engagement. After elected signatories process documents of this kind, agreements between Sister Cities are submitted to the main branch of SCI and kept on file at the Washington, DC, office. ^[13] SCI's CEO has advocated for sustained relations between existing Sister Cities programs ^[14] even in times of conflict.

The agreement between Irondequoit and Poltava states that their Sister City relationship never expires. Former Irondequoit Supervisor Lapple formed a committee to locate a city willing to partner in the interest of honoring the Ukrainian community active in his town. The relationship is ongoing, with a virtual conference occurring on July 14, 2022, featuring elected officials, organization leaders, and various citizens, all given a venue to speak as the Ukrainians fight to secure their independence and democracy. This expression of citizen-to-citizen diplomacy has fostered participation in the international relations of multiple localities. Sister Cities allows individual citizens to achieve global impact through efforts within their own local US communities. The SCI platform allows people to mobilize a network of international organizations, expanding participation in spheres driving democratic values, humanitarian relief, financial markets, and good governance organizations. Irondequoit hosted Ukrainian delegates from Congress' Open World ^[15] organization, supporting the development of leaders who embrace democratic values. To inform the public for generations to come, the citizens of Irondequoit instituted a special collection of documents ^[16] at the University of Rochester to historically preserve the more than one-hundred-year history of the Ukrainian community in the greater Rochester area.

Programs

• September Concert: Sister Cities International partners with The September Concert to sponsor a series of free musical performances held in sister cities around the world on September 11 of every year.
• Africa Urban Poverty Alleviation Program: In 2009, Sister Cities International launched the Africa Urban Poverty Alleviation Program, a three-year project to alleviate poverty in 25 African cities through water, sanitation, and health initiatives led by U.S. and African sister city programs. U.S. sister cities collaborate with their African counterparts to identify and address the most critical problems in these sectors, which form barriers to sustained development in urban areas. In 2021, they are estimating that 9.1 million people are working on projects with drinking water. ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Youth Ambassador Program: The youth ambassador program supports the exchange of high school students between Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Students participate in three-week exchanges in both Mexico and the U.S., meeting with NGOs and government officials and exploring issues like poverty and the environment from a local and international perspective.
• Young Artists and Authors Showcases: The Young Artists and Authors Showcases encourage youth ages 13 to 18 to express their vision of the sister city mission through original works of art and composition.
• Sister Schools: The Sister Schools program links youth to collaborative projects through a classroom, school, or after-school activity. Students can engage in letter, video, or webcast exchange, leadership-building projects, fund-raising campaigns, or projects tailored to their interests.
• Student Exchange Partnership: Sister Cities International offers youth exchange opportunities to its members. Through this partnership with the American Cultural Exchange Service (ACES), sister city members can nominate and sponsor high school students from their sister city to study in the U.S. for a semester or a school year. The students live with host families and participate in local activities. ^[17]
• Special Education and Virtual Learning in the U.S. and Palestine (SEVLUP) Grant: Sister Cities International oversees two programs through its SEVLUP grant: the Gainesville program and the Muscatine program. The Gainesville program connects students in Florida and Qalqilya, Palestinian Territories, to develop an ASL-Palestinian sign language video dictionary for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The Muscatine program works with its sister city, Ramallah, in the Palestinian Territories, to provide special education training for middle school educators and expand intercultural curricula for special education students.

Economic and sustainable development

• Energy Award: With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Sister Cities International added an energy category to its Annual Awards program. ^[18]
• Open World Program: Sister Cities International and World Serves of La Crosse, Inc., partnered to administer the Open World Program. Since 2002, U.S. sister city communities have hosted nearly 400 emerging leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Uzbekistan to learn more about accountability, transparency, and citizen participation in government. The Open World Program is sponsored by the Open World Center, which is affiliated with the U.S. Library of Congress. ^[19]
• Cyber Sister Cities: Citrix Systems and Sister Cities International partnered in 2006 to pilot the first Cyber Sister City relationship between Agogo, Ghana and Fort Lauderdale, FL. Citrix provided technological guidance and support to promote the utilization of technology and the exchange of business knowledge between Agogo and Fort Lauderdale. Citrix's primary involvement was in opening Agogo Information and Communications Technology, offering Agogo residents access to computers, the internet, and e-learning courses. In addition to the center, the Cyber City partnership has developed economic partnerships between Agogo and Ft. Lauderdale, including aquaculture and hydroponics projects. ^{[20] [21]}

See also

• Cross-border town naming
• List of local government organisations
• Lists of twin towns and sister cities
• Paradiplomacy
• Partnership2Gether
• Sister city
• Global City

References

1. sci website
2. "Our Mission – Sister Cities International (SCI)" . Retrieved 2024-03-29.
3. "Sister Cities International (SCI)". Sister Cities International (SCI). Retrieved 2022-02-18.
4. 2019 SCI maps
5. "Mission". Portland Bologna Sister City Association. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
6. Leroux, Charles (July 31, 2001). "Chicago has assembled a sorority of sister cities". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
7. "Sister Cities International: Affiliation Policy and Types of Affiliations" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
8. "Sister Cities International: FAQ". Archived from the original on 2017-05-09. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
9. "Sister Cities Program". St. Charles, MO. 3 October 2024. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
10. "The Unlikely Sisterhood of Seattle and Tashkent". AramcoWorld. September 11, 1956. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
11. Zelenskyy, Volodymyr (June 4, 2022). "Don't help Russia justify itself and don't let the murderers call you their brothers and sisters—an address by the President of Ukraine to the participants of the 90th annual meeting of the US Conference of Mayors". President of the Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy Official Website. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
12. "Support the Humanitarian effort for our Sister City, Poltava, and the rest of Ukraine - Town of Irondequoit" . Retrieved 2022-07-18.
13. "Sister Cities International (SCI)". Sister Cities International (SCI). Retrieved 2022-07-18.
14. Allala, Leroy. "Citizen Diplomacy and the Importance of Maintaining Sister City Relationships" (PDF). Sister Cities International. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
15. "Social Issues and Accountable Governance Delegations from Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova | OpenWorld". www.openworld.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
16. "Ukrainian Rochester Collection | RBSCP". rbscp.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
17. "Sister Cities International Partnership (SCI)". American Cultural Exchange Service. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
18. "DOE, Sister Cities International honor clean energy partnerships". FMLink. 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
19. "Overview". Open World Leadership Center. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
20. "Citrix Does Valuable Work in Agogo, Ghana". Citrix Systems, Inc. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
21. "Citrix Honored by Sister Cities International for Bringing Information Technology to the Ashanti Tribe of Ghana". Citrix Systems, Inc. Retrieved 16 July 2012.

External links

• Sister Cities International official website