By Kay Scrimger
February 2, 2009

International Affairs Committee Discusses Sister City Relationships, Mayors for Peace Drive to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, International Trade

By Kay Scrimger

Chaired by Doral (FL) Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez, the International Affairs Committee met January 17 at the Conference of Mayors' 77th Winter Meeting.

The committee discussed several international issues, including international trade, Sister City relationships, and the drive by mayors to eliminate nuclear weapons through the international network Mayors for Peace.

Carbondale (IL) Mayor Brad Cole, Vice Chair of Sister Cities International's (SSI) Board of Directors, who will become Board Chair in July 2010, and Sister Cities Executive Vice President Jim Doumas discussed the history and development of Sister City relationships since President Dwight David Eisenhower created the organization in 1956.

Doumas pointed out, "President Eisenhower had the amazing foresight to recognize the key role that U.S. mayors and cities could play as diplomats." Sister Cities (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network, which creates and strengthens partnerships between the U.S. communities and communities abroad.

Committee Vice Chair Alexandria (VA) Mayor William D. Euille noted that Alexandria's Sister City efforts include economic development, medical exchanges, and arts and cultural exchanges.

Doumas said that in addition to the Sister City relationship, "Friendship City" is a category also available as a less formalized relationship. Irvine (CA) Mayor Sukhee Kang said that his city has found the Friendship City relationship to be very successful.

Cole discussed SSI's Annual Meeting this year in Belfast, Ireland, July 29-August 1, and also the upcoming Global Mayors Forum, September 15-18 in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. More information about the Hong Kong meeting, contact Akaplan@sister-cities.org, or Adam Kaplan 202-347 8630, ext. 8634.

Olmsted (OH) Mayor Thomas O'Grady and Jacqueline Cabasso, North American Representative of Mayors for Peace, outlined recent and upcoming efforts of Mayors for Peace to enlist mayors worldwide in the cause of the elimination of nuclear weapons by the year 2020.

Hiroshima, Japan Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki, Japan Mayor Tomihisa Taue head Mayors for Peace. Past Conference of Mayors President Akron (OH) Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic is a Vice President of Mayors for Peace.

To date, 132 cities in the United States have signed the appeal to abolish nuclear weapons. In all, 2,645 cities in 134 countries have pledged their support.

O'Grady and Cabasso discussed the third and final Preparatory Committee meeting on the Non-Proliferation Treaty in New York May 4-15. They urged mayoral participation in Mayors for Peace activities at this meeting.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors passed the resolution "Support for the Elimination of All Nuclear Weapons by the Year 2020," at its Annual Meeting in Miami in June 2008. The resolution encourages mayors to participate in the New York activities.

Bermudez concluded by thanking the speakers and the mayors for their participation. He noted a year-by-year compilation of all resolutions passed by the committee and asked mayors to consider these as they begin thinking about resolutions they may wish to offer for the June meeting in Providence.