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History and
Mission
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.
Sister Cities
International (SCI) is the national membership organization for
sister city, county, and state programs in the United States.
Sister Cities International is the official agency which links
communities from the United States with communities worldwide.
Currently, Sister Cities International represents 1,200 U.S.
cities, counties, and state and their 2,100 partners in 125
countries worldwide. As the premier citizen diplomacy network in
the United States, Sister Cities International leads the
national movement for global community partnerships and
volunteer action.
Effective as of
July 1, 1990 SCI has not recognized efforts by a U.S.
jurisdiction to initiate more than one sister city, county or
state affiliation in the same foreign country. Cities that
appear in the directory with more than one U.S. city link were
established prior to this date.
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Sister
Cities by Country: |
U.S.
Cities |
Affiliations
|
|
Africa
|
107 |
110 |
|
Middle
East |
37 |
38 |
|
Americas
& Caribbean |
355 |
418 |
|
Asia
& Oceania |
625 |
689 |
|
New
Independent States |
166 |
169 |
|
Europe |
768 |
709 |
D.C.-Dakar is the
organizer of the U.S. Africa Sister Cities Conference. We
established the Conference in 1991. In 1990 at the Annual Sister
Cities International (SCI) Conference in Chicago, IL, the D.C.-
Dakar delegation convened a meeting of all cities that had
African sister cities. Twenty-one persons came to the meeting.
After the meeting we presented the idea of a meeting of all U.S.
African Sister Cities in Washington, D.C.
The D.C.-Dakar
Board approved hosting the meeting in D.C. The U.S. Africa
Sister Cities Conference was founded because of a lack of
program issues focusing on Africa. We are an advocate
organization addressing issues that affect Africa and promote
public awareness through our African sister cities. We help to
promote friendship and better understanding, values of mutual
respect, cooperation and benefit as well as encourages a better
quality of life economically, technically, and environmentally.
Since 1990, representatives have met annually to exchange
information and promote joint projects. Every fourth year the
Conference is held in an African country. See
USASC History
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