Sister Cities International

Sister Cities International is an organization that helps cities in the United States connect with cities in other countries. These special partnerships are called "sister cities." When two cities become sister cities, their leaders sign an agreement to support each other.

So far, more than 1,800 cities, states, and counties in 138 countries have become sister cities. This means many communities around the world are working together.

Sister Cities International helps these partnerships grow. It recognizes and supports the relationships between cities, counties, provinces, and other areas. This way, people in different parts of the world can learn from each other and become friends.

Background

Sister city partnerships often connect cities that share similar traits and sizes. These partnerships can start because of business ties, travel, shared industries, communities of people from the same place, or common history. For instance, the partnership between Portland, Oregon and Bologna, Italy grew from both cities focusing on biotechnology and education, loving the arts, and having a strong bond over food. Similarly, Chicago, Illinois' connection with Warsaw, Poland began thanks to Chicago’s large Polish community.

The relationship between sister cities can cover many areas of public life. After local leaders sign the agreement, it is sent to the main office of Sister Cities International in Washington, DC to be kept on record. The leader of Sister Cities International encourages keeping these city friendships strong, even during difficult times.

Sister Cities International also supports “Friendship City” links. These are more relaxed agreements that might lead to becoming full sister cities someday.

Early years

In the early days, Sister Cities International was part of a larger group called the National League of Cities. It started when the State Department asked for help in 1952 to create cultural exchanges between cities. Because of challenges like the Vietnam war, keeping these sister-city activities going was hard.

Sister cities have a long history, going back to partnerships between British and European cities after the Second World War. For example, Bristol and Hanover began working together in 1947, sharing goods, music, and students. In 1931, Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain became partners, making Toledo, Ohio the first U.S. sister city. The first official U.S. sister city program started in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower suggested building friendships between people of different countries. One famous partnership began in 1957 between San Francisco and Osaka, Japan, which has helped with disaster relief, student exchanges, and cultural sharing. Sister Cities International became its own nonprofit group in 1967.

Notable relationships

In June 2022, the president of Ukraine spoke to leaders of cities in the United States. He asked these cities to help rebuild Ukraine by forming partnerships with cities there. Many U.S. cities have been sending help to their sister cities in Ukraine. For example, the city of Poltava in Ukraine has been a sister city to Irondequoit, New York, since 1992. Their agreement states that this partnership will continue forever.

These partnerships let ordinary people help with important world issues right in their own communities. The organization behind these partnerships works to bring together groups from many countries to support democratic values, help people in need, and improve governance. Irondequoit even welcomed visitors from Ukraine to share ideas and experiences. The people of Irondequoit also collected important documents to keep the history of Ukraine’s community in their area for future generations.

Programs

Sister Cities International offers many programs to help people in different cities learn from each other and work together.

One program, called the September Concert, gives free music shows in sister cities around the world every September 11. Another program, started in 2009, helps cities in Africa improve their water, cleaning systems, and health by working with cities in the United States.

There is also a Youth Ambassador Program where high school students from Mexico, Canada, and the United States spend three weeks in each other's countries, learning about important issues like poverty and the environment. Young people aged 13 to 18 can show their ideas about sister cities through art and writing in the Young Artists and Authors Showcases.

The Sister Schools program connects students in classrooms or after-school activities for projects like writing letters, making videos, or raising money. Students can also join exchange programs to live with host families and study in another country.

Two special programs help students who learn differently, including one that creates a video dictionary for deaf and hard-of-hearing students between Gainesville, Florida and Qalqilya, Palestinian Territories, and another that trains teachers in Ramallah, Palestine.

Economic and sustainable development

Sister Cities International added an energy category to its Annual Awards program with help from the U.S. Department of Energy. They also partnered with World Serves of La Crosse, Inc. to run the Open World Program. Since 2002, this program has brought nearly 400 leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Uzbekistan to learn about good government.

In 2006, Sister Cities International worked with Citrix Systems to start a special partnership called Cyber Sister Cities between Agogo, Ghana and Fort Lauderdale, FL. Citrix helped both places use technology to share ideas about business, computers, the internet, and learning. They also started projects in farming and growing food without soil.