Organization
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing sister cities.[2] Sister cities are 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 entities at various levels.
Background
Sister city partnerships often 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 on biotechnology and education, an appreciation for the arts, and a deep cultural connection to food,[5] whereas Chicago, Illinois' link with Warsaw, Poland began with Chicago's historic Polish community.[6]
The scope of the relationship between sister cities is broadly defined, with many sectors of public life open for engagement. After elected signatories process the agreement between sister cities, it is submitted to the main branch of SCI and kept on file at the Washington, DC, office.[7] SCI's CEO has advocated for sustained relations between existing sister cities programs even in times of conflict.[8]
Sister Cities International also recognizes "Friendship City" affiliations. These are less formal arrangements that may be a step towards a full sister city affiliation.[9][10]
Early years
The first U.S. sister city program began in 1956,[11] when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to-people citizenship diplomacy.[12] Originally part of the National League of Cities, Sister Cities International became a separate, nonprofit corporation in 1967.
Notable relationships
On June 4, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.[13] 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. Cities in the US have been delivering humanitarian aid to support their sister cities in Ukraine.[14] Poltava, Ukraine has been a sister city of Irondequoit, New York, 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 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 in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
This expression of citizen-to-citizen diplomacy has fostered participation in the international relations of multiple localities. SCI allows individual citizens to achieve global impact through efforts within their own local US communities. According to the SCI platform, the organization seeks to mobilize a network of international organizations and expand participation in spheres driving democratic values, humanitarian relief, financial markets, and good governance organizations. Irondequoit hosted Ukrainian delegates from Congress' Open World program.[15] To inform the public for generations to come, the citizens of Irondequoit instituted a special collection of documents at the University of Rochester to historically preserve the more than one-hundred-year history of the Ukrainian community in the greater Rochester area.[16]
