Sister City Program - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

�� "The Sister City Program is �n importartt re- saurce !o the negotiations o�gat�erriments in letting the peopl� t�emsefues giue expressian to. their rommon desire �or f riendship. gaod u1i�1, Qnd caoperaiior+ Jor a better world for a1l." —Ptesident Dw�ght D. �E'rsenhou�r Tawn afliliations between the t�nited States and other countri�s �egan shortly aiter Warld �ar ��, �nd s�� am� ��Ru�a�l�t lcr�oam �� Sister Cities. The program became a nationa� effort when Fresident �senhower proposed the Peaple-to-People pragram at a White }-�ouse Con(erence in 1956. i-iis idea w�s to involve �evple ar� �.ga�i�� r�u�s �: �!! ievels ot au� sc�cie� �� 1 �di�lo: nac��. One of the groups [armed as a result of t�e P�ople-to•People concept was the C+vsc Com- mittee, estabtished to promote Sister Crty reEations an a national scale. At the request o� the C9vi�c Co�m�##ee, �he I�Iationat Le�gu� of Cities. represeni�ng mare thzr. 15,(�D ti#ies, towns, and villages in #he U.S.. agreed to serve as a��earinghause in expanding the Sister City tar�ept among its me�mbers. Yn the first few years of the proyr�m, a ciaaen ac#ive affliations were started. in thr� ea�ly 7.960's, the number of city affitia#ians i�egan ta increase rapidly and i# becam� clear tha± �*tew nationati organizatton devoled �xc�usive.Ly ta tl�e support o� the Sister City prcxsram was needed. In 19b5, delegates ta a Westem Regional Sister �ity Conference in Fort�and, Oregon, unanimausly supparted the �sstabtishment oi a nationa] organixatian. 7�e Leasue of Califomia Cities and the League of �regon Cities adopfed resolutians suppc�rtin� the idea. ihe Executive Committee of ihe I�at�ona� League of Cities fol�owed s�it at its meetir�9 late in 1965. in response, the ToMm Affil"ya�ion As.sociation �f � � � _,� - +T � q� ��I �� IKi€R�l��i0(ikl o� #he United Sfates, Inc., was o#fieially incorporated on lune 12, 1967, as a non-pro{it ct�r�r�tion i� #h� Qi�tr�t of �Qlurrebia, de- fineci tin its articles of� intorporation as a "membership organizafi�n to ioster better internationat understanding , ar�d coaperation through Sister City reIations�ips." �h� T�, Affili�atian ��ciatic�n ;TA�#,l is �p;;�rr�or�,,,# F �� r� nF f{7Ueil�jl.fitro r�iro�`tOYS eiected uy k� membership. i�otirtg member- ship in the Associatian is held by -cities� s#ate assaciations o� municipaliti�s, the I�ational League of Cit�es, other units of local govern- ments and bcal 5ister City Committees which pay annuat dues �nd are respons�ble tor carry- ing out an affiliation ur�#h a fareign commtinity. Sister Cities �nternational {SCI) has evolved as the principal program of the Town Affil'�ation As.�ociatian. Although #he TAr4 title is sti�l used on carporate dacuments� Sister Cities �nter- nati�nal is the name now wridely e�sed and recognized as descriptive af the Sister City concept. SGi program development is handled by a pYOfessianaf s#aff u►ith years a{ service in other nations ard the Sister Cities movement_ The Washingtan headquarters is dir�cted b,r an executi�e vice president, and sectar directors are respansible Eor speti�ic program de�elnp- ment. A netwark of $Cl represeniati�es and regianal vice presidents provsde elase contact and advi�e to lacal pro�ams. They are avail- able io assist any individ�at, organization, or community wishing to jain ihe program.