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SISTER CITIES 50th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE TAKES MOVEMENT TO NEW HEIGHTS Delegates From Across the Globe Recommit Themselves to Eisenhower's Dream of Peace & Ambitious Future Plans FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 19, 2006 Media Contact: Ami Neiberger-Miller, 202.347.8630 ext. 8251, amiller@sister-cities.org Washington D.C. - The grassroots sister city movement soared to new heights last week in the nation's capital city, with 1,200 delegates and 200 youth from 39 countries attending the Sister Cities International 50th Anniversary Conference. More than 800 delegates and 200 youth attended appointments with leadership on Capitol Hill to discuss funding a new $6,000,000 international exchange initiative. The initiative aims to increase the number of international exchanges by providing matching grants to 1,000 sister city partnerships and stem the tide of negative opinion about the United States abroad. As news reports detailed the troubling outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, delegates paused for a moment of silence before the opening of a plenary session on the Islamic Peace and Friendship Initiative. As he discussed his hopes for peace, Avi Rabinovitch of the Union of Local Authorities in Israel said, "I have a dream, I have a dream, and I am not Dr. Martin Luther King," and the audience was electrified. Seated beside him on the stage was Mayor Ibrahim Jaffal of Abu Dees in the Palestinian Authority, a community that has an Israeli security wall dividing it, and they embraced in friendship. Rabinovitch and Jaffal were accompanied on the stage after the session by a delegation of mayors from Israel and the Palestinian Authority who attended the conference to further their quest for peace. More than 30% of the delegates attending the conference were from outside the United States. More than a hundred mayors and top-level local government officials were among the delegates. During the Mayors Forum on Globalization and Local Economic Development, delegates attended roundtable forums discussing international engagement as an economic tool, innovative technology, and international tourism. A best practices showcase highlighted outstanding local sister city programs and a workshop on achieving the Millennium Development Goals through City-to-City Partnerships drew rave reviews. Receptions for delegates were hosted by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, the Embassy of Egypt, the Embassy of Hungary, the Embassy of India, the Embassy of Italy, the Embassy of Japan, the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa, and the Organization of American States. Held in conjunction with the National Summit on Citizen Diplomacy, delegates who participated in more the fifty Community Summits on Citizen Diplomacy around the nation over the past year pondered the next phase of the citizen diplomacy movement. A national report issued by the Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy is available online and details the results of their efforts. As part of the event, a summit was held at The George Washington University for more than 200 young leaders ages 16-20 to explore global citizenship, develop communication and leadership skills, and design action plans for changing communities. Noted speakers during the conference include Ambassador Barbara Masekela of the Republic of South Africa, Senator Richard Lugar, Congressman Jim Kolbe, Congressman and Vermont Senate candidate Bernie Sanders, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Ruben Barrales, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Dina Habib Powell, Mayor Anthony Williams of Washington, D.C., Mayor Kay Barnes of Kansas City, Mayor Ron Loveridge of Riverside, Calif., Roger Dow of the Travel Industry Association of America, Ambassador Kenton Keith of the Meridian International Center, Ron Somers of the U.S.-India Business Council, Mark Walton of The Africa Channel, Ron Sege of Tropos Networks, Warren Wright of the Gallup Organization, Chairman Vincent Wolfington of the World Travel & Tourism Council, and Traver Gruen-Kennedy of the Digital Divide Partnership. The Musical Tribute to Citizen Diplomats at the historic Warner Theatre was emceed by singer and musician John McCutcheon and inducted honorees into the 50th Anniversary Local Government Leadership Circle and the 50th Anniversary Circle of Distinguished Volunteers. The event also recognized 40 communities with Annual Awards and 50th Anniversary Awards. Delegates elected seven people to three year terms on the Board of Directors: Alan Chambers of Bangor, Northern Ireland, Michael Curd of Tempe, Arizona, Pat Fallin of Aspen, Colorado, James G. Hromas of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Boubker Mazoz of Casablanca, Morocco, Frank Tripicchio of Bakersfield, California and Mark Walton of New York City. The one-year State Coordinator Representative is Ann Geiger of Davenport, Iowa. The one-year Ambassador Association Representative is Jason Hibner of Vandalia, Ohio. The one-year? Youth Representative is Nathaniel Hibner of Vandalia, Ohio. Mae Ferguson of Fort Worth, Texas became the organization?s twelfth President of the Board of Directors. Ferguson is the third woman to hold the honor in the organization's fifty year history. The event culminated in a black-tie gala at the National Building Museum featuring author and NBC News Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss. Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and head of People to People International, was visibly moved when she accepted the Eisenhower Legacy Award for Global Citizenship. Ken Behring of the Wheelchair Foundation accepted the Humanitarian Partnership Award. Citrix Systems, Inc. accepted the Corporate Global Responsibility Award. During the gala, Maya Alkateb, a YES exchange student from Syria who lived in the United States for a year, described for delegates how her time in the U.S. dramatically changed her perspective on life, the opinions of others around her, and her ambitions for her country?s future. Accompanied by other YES alumni, Alkateb accepted the Young Global Leaders Award from Sister Cities International to a standing ovation. The sister city movement traces its beginnings to a White House Summit on Citizen Diplomacy convened by President Eisenhower to help organize the budding sister city programs that were springing up as U.S. communities reached out to former enemies Germany and Japan. President On September 11, 1956, President Eisenhower delivered a speech calling on delegates to reach out in the name of peace and understanding to communities around the world and forge ties for peace. Representing more than 2,500 communities in 134 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs. ###
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