Mission
To advise, assist and mentor current Arizona Sister Cities members; to expand current membership; and to work with all levels of Arizona government to promote the activities of our organization.
All activities will be in accordance with the mission of Sister Cities International:
To promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.
History
A Sister City program is a volunteer group of ordinary citizens who, with the support of their local elected officials, form long-term relationships with people and organizations in a city abroad. Each Sister City Program is independent and pursues the activities and thematic areas that are important to them and their community. In Arizona, these communities have Sister City partnerships throughout the globe.
“Sister Cities International was created at President Eisenhower’s 1956 White House conference on citizen diplomacy. Eisenhower envisioned an organization that could be the hub of peace and prosperity by creating bonds between people from different cities around the world. By forming these relationships, President Eisenhower reasoned that people of different cultures could celebrate and appreciate their differences and build partnerships that would lessen the chance of new conflicts.”
—from Sister Cities International, Mission and History
Sister City programs promote peace through people-to-people relationships — with program offerings varying greatly from basic cultural exchange programs to shared research and development projects between cities with relationships. Sister City Programs offer the flexibility to allow connections to form between communities that are mutually beneficial, and to take on issues that are relevant for the partners.
Arizona Sister Cities is an important resource in the negotiations of governments in letting the people themselves give expression of their common desire for friendship, goodwill and cooperation … for a better world for all.
UPDATED Sister Cities International Affiliation Policy
Contact Information
Rick Gerrard
200 W. Washington, 19th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
arizonasistercities@gmail.com
Arizona Sister Cities 