User:Ua13.13/Sister Cities International

Early Years

Having a long dated history, sister cities trace back to the partnership of British Cities and European cities following the Second World War. In 1947, Bristol began a partnership with Hanover which included exchanges of goods, music and student exchanges. This partnership has continued uninterrupted ever since. In 1931, Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain entered a partnership, making Toledo, Ohio the first sister city in the US. The first U.S. sister city program began in 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to-people citizenship diplomacy. President Dwight D. Eisenhower hoped that the possibilities of future world conflicts would decrease through the implementation of sister cities. In order to establish these relationships, the United States sent a delegation to the World Conference of Mayors. San Francisco and Osaka, Japan's partnership, that began in 1957, has led to disaster relief, student exchanges, business partnerships and global cultural exchanges creating one of the most famous sister city partnerships. Originally part of the National League of Cities, Sister Cities International became a separate, nonprofit corporation in 1967.