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Presentation: Overview of San Jose Sister City Program
History of Sister City Programs
Sister city, county and state affiliations between the United States and
other nations began shortly after World War II, and developed into a national
initiative when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the people-to-people
program at a White House conference in 1956.
President Eisenhower's intention was to involve individuals and organized
groups at all levels of society in citizen diplomacy, with the hope that personal
relationships, fostered through sister city, county and state affiliations,
would lessen the chance of future world conflicts.
San Jose Sister City Program
The Office of Economic Development coordinates the San Jose
Sister City Program. This program consists of seven sister
cities including, Okayama,
Japan (established in 1957)(link)
(pictures); San Jose, Costa Rica
(1961); Veracruz, Mexico (1975); Tainan,
Taiwan (1975); Dublin, Ireland (1986);
Pune, India (1992); and Ekaterinburg, Russia (1992).
San Jose is a charter member of Sister Cities International (SCI)-a national
organization that certifies US Sister City affiliations. San Jose-Sister City
organizations are members of Sister Cities International by virtue of the
City’s affiliation. SCI links municipalities from the United States with
cities from other countries through Sister City agreements signed by the respective
Mayor of each city, and ratified by each City Council. To be official, a Sister
City relationship must have the endorsement of local authorities, and the
support of community volunteers.
What Is A Sister City Relationship
A sister city relationship is a broad-based, officially approved, long-term
partnership between two communities in two countries. A sister city relationship
becomes official with a signing ceremony of the top-elected officials of the
two local jurisdictions, following approval by the local city councils. Sister
city partnerships have the potential to carry out the widest possible diversity
of activities of any international program, including every type of municipal,
business, professional, educational and cultural exchange or project. Sister
city programs are also unique in that they inherently involve the three main
sectors in a community: local government, businesses, and a wide variety of
citizen volunteers (and civil society or non-profit organizations).
Key Elements of Success for Sister Cities Program
Sister city programs inherently involve a unique kind of partnership and
involvement of the three main sectors that make for a vibrant, productive
community: the local government, business and private voluntary sectors. Sister
city programs--perhaps more than any other international program--involve
the widest possible diversity of exchanges and projects. Basically, anything
that goes on in a community can become--and has, in one city or another--the
subject of a sister city project, including every type of municipal, business,
professional, environmental, educational and cultural exchange.
In the U.S., there is a great deal of diversity in how sister city programs
are structured. Generally speaking, however, broad-based sister city committees
made up of a wide-variety of citizens from the community make up the backbone
of most sister city programs in the U.S., with city hall and local businesses
in more of a support role. The primary historical and cultural reason for
this is the unique tradition in the United States of volunteerism and the
common suspicion on the part of many Americans (throughout U.S. history) towards
what is perceived as "big government." (It is often politically
difficult for many local governments in the U.S. to approve large budgets
for international affairs.) In many countries (although in all countries there
is a lot of diversity in structure from city to city), such as Russia, Japan,
China, and the United Kingdom, programs like sister cities are managed more
directly by city hall, by some type of international relations department.
Key Elements of Success for a Great Sister City Program, Whether It
Is of the More "Citizen Volunteer-Based" or "City-Hall Driven"
Model:
- Solid support and involvement from city hall: the mayor
as honorary chair; a staff person designated at city hall
to support the sister city program; direct involvement of
various city departments in municipal, economic development,
technical, public safety or other exchanges; various direct
and in-direct (in-kind) support for sister city activities,
such as assistance with administrative costs and receptions.
- Solid support and involvement in the sister city program
from the business sector, with an opportunity for both corporations
and small businesses, as well as individual business people,
to contribute their time and/or financial or in-kind support;
the local Chamber of Commerce and other key organizations
should be actively involved in the sister city program.
- The best long-term indicator of success for a sister city
program (since elected officials come and go) is a broad-based
Sister City Committee, made up of many individual citizens
who are enthusiastic supporters of the sister city program.
Every effort should be made to recruit people from various
professions, a youth delegate, people from different ethnic
and religious groups, both women and men, and people with
disabilities. Citizen volunteers in the US and abroad contribute
an enormous "cost share" to the local program
through their time and various out-of-pocket expenses, including
annual individual and family membership fees, travel expenses
abroad and homestay and other hosting expenses at home.
- To maximize limited resources and the potential outreach
and impact of the sister city program in the community,
every effort should be made to form additional alliances
within the overall sister city program, such as sister schools
or twinned Rotary and Lion’s clubs. It has been estimated
that Portland, Oregon and Sapporo, Japan have over 100 of
these types of twinning arrangements between their two cities.
- It is essential to have excellent communication links,
including reliable phone, fax and Internet communications,
with back up fax and phone numbers when necessary. Fax machines
should be kept on at night. Communication from a sister
city should be responded to right away to maintain good
relations. Even if a decision concerning a proposal has
not been reached, a quick reply saying, for example, "thank
you for your fax - we will respond to you after our meeting
next month," should be sent, promptly acknowledging
receipt of an important proposal or letter.
- Sister City projects should be reciprocal and jointly
planned, executed and evaluated.
- To maintain excellent, two-way communication and to keep
the program active, it is important that cities meet at
least every other year to develop a Memorandum of Understanding
about what they plan for their partnership, including frank
discussions about areas of interest, realities of budgets
and other important details in carrying out proposed exchanges
or projects.
- There are a variety of low-cost exchanges that should
occur every year, even if it is not possible to have a physical
exchange of people: an annual "state of the city"
letter between the two mayors; exchanges of the city annual
reports and city plans by officials at city hall; exchanges
of children’s artwork, letters or sister school programs
through the Internet; periodic exchanges of interesting
newspaper articles that show how society, technology, the
environment, etc. are changing in your city; cultural festivals,
movies or speeches that celebrate the culture of the sister
city (foreign students or business people from the nation
of the sister city can be guest speakers).
- It is essential to agree on regular, sustainable exchanges
of people that will take place every year or, at the very
least, every other year. There are many possibilities for
this, including teacher and student exchanges, municipal
internships for city officials in key fields, young business
leader internships sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce
(young professionals who are promising young business leaders
but also distinguishing themselves in regard to community
service and involvement), or participation at the largest
annual festival in the sister city.
- All relationships, like friendships, need to take a risk
once in a while with a larger or more ambitious project,
to stay fresh and to achieve their full potential. Such
projects require a high degree of planning, fund-raising,
and time and effort, but they also can be a very positive,
life-transforming experience for all involved. Examples
of spectacular, large scale sister city projects include:
"Shanghai Week in San Francisco," a week of top-level
performing arts exhibitions and seminars on doing business
in the US and China; a multi-year, broad-based reforestation
project between Palo Alto, California and Oaxaca, Mexico,
which involved extensive local government, media, volunteer
and business involvement on both sides; and a "space
bridge" event between San Diego and Vladivostok, Russia,
just at the end of the cold war, a live town hall meeting
through satellite television involving the mayors, local
celebrities and entertainers and hundreds of citizens in
both cities.
Video
of a New Gate Dedication at the Japanese Friendship Garden. |
