Atlanta Sister Cities Commission
 

 

 


Atlanta Sister Cities Commission Press Release

 

Mayor’s Office of International Affairs                     Atlanta, Georgia 30303

For immmediate release                                        contact: Sheila Jack

                                                                                    (404) 330-6658

                                                                                    email: sjack@ci.atlanta.ga.us

                                                                                    Ross Grimes

                                                                                    (404) 330-6878

                                                                                    email: dcos_assistant@ci.atlanta.ga.us

 

Sister Cities Conference puts Atlanta in the international spotlight

 

Atlanta, GA -- More than 600 individuals, including foreign officials and dignitaries, will convene in Atlanta from July 25 - 28 for the annual Sister Cities International (SCI) Conference.   

 

SCI is an international diplomacy organization that coordinates links between 650 U.S. cities and 1500 cities throughout the world.  Founded after World War II by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, SCI is a non-profit organization with sister city relationships on six continents.  This is the first time the conference will be held in Atlanta. 

 

The SCI conference will feature speeches by Mayor Bill Campbell, former First Minister of Northern Ireland David Trimble, and Mary Jean Eisenhower.  Eisenhower, granddaughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is CEO of People to People International, an organization founded by her grandfather to enhance tolerance and understanding among all peoples, while supporting youth development and the needs of youth.

 

Highlights of the conference include a Parade of Nations, on Thursday July 26th, which will proceed from Woodruff Park at 8.30 a.m. to the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Peachtree Street, providing a colorful spectacle of music, costume and culture. The parade will feature marching bands, visiting dignitaries, mayors from several of Atlanta’s sister cities, and flag bearers and performers representing Atlanta’s international friendship links.  In addition, the official Sister Cities Signing ceremony between Atlanta and its newest sister city, Ra’anana, Israel will take place at the Mayor’s Reception on Thursday July 26th. 

 

Hosted by the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission (ASCC), chaired by Georgianne Thomas, the SCI Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  The conference features speeches, workshops, a baseball exhibition, and a mayoral reception hosted by ASCC and the City of Atlanta. Visitors from Austria, Australia, Bucharest, Colombia, the Republic of Georgia, Congo, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Korea, Northern Ireland, Nepal, Peru, Phillipines, Romania, Tanzania, Uganda are expected to attend to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Sister Cities movement.

 

At conference sessions, delegates will share experiences of developing international relationship programs including civic, educational and cultural exchanges, economic development and philanthropic programs.

 

On July 26 –27th, a Technology Showcase will feature SCI’s new International Community Resource Center (ICRC).  The ICRC is a new state-of-the-art gateway to the wealth of resources SCI offers.  During the showcase, conference attendees will be able to learn how to enter their community’s information, find information on any sister city program, communicate through instantaneous translation and search the new site for fundraising operations.

 

The City of Atlanta and Ra’anana, Israel Signing Ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday July 26th at Atlanta City Hall.  This event will mark the culmination of Atlanta’s 17th sister-city signing.  Earlier this year, Councilwoman Cleta Winslow and several delegates from Atlanta flew to Ra’anana to represent Mayor Bill Campbell in the Ra’anana signing.  At the ceremony, the Mayor of Ra’anana will sign a sister-cities agreement with Atlanta, completing the formal twinning of the two cities. 

 

Partnership, innovation, and excellence in sister city programs will be honored at the Lou Wozar Awards Luncheon, Friday, July 27.  More than 20 awards will be presented to sister city programs and dedicated volunteers for their work in 2000.  One of the recipients is the Atlanta-Montego Bay Sister City Committee, which is slated to receive an award for Innovation in Healthcare for their Health Missions in Montego Bay. 

 

The conference ends Saturday July 28th with a closing reception at the Carter Presidential Center. 

 

For additional information on the Sister Cities Conference and the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission, consult these websites:

www.ci.atlanta.ga.us/sister/sister_info.html and www.sister-cities.org.