Sister Cities
'The Sister City Program is an important resource to the negotiations of governments in letting people themselves give expression to their common desire for friendship, goodwill and cooperation for a better world for all.'
Dwight Eisenhower
President of the United States of America
The Sister City Program began as an initiative of the Eisenhower Government in the United States in 1952
Sister City Relationships
City of Sydney has Sister City relationships with six international cities:
| City | Year Established |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, USA | 1968 |
| Nagoya, Japan | 1980 |
| Wellington, New Zealand | 1982 |
| Portsmouth, England | 1984 |
| Guangzhou, China | 1985 |
| Florence, Italy | 1986 |
Program Objectives
The main objectives of the Sister City Program are:
- to extend the hand of friendship nationally and internationally on a person-to-person basis, utilising the resources of local government
- to perpetuate an understanding between people at all levels and of different cultures
- to bring together like interest groups in each city
- to provide a forum for the exchange of sister city experiences
- to promote knowledge and understanding and extend the level of contacts through all sectors of the community
- to develop economic, trade, cultural, educations, sorting and other beneficial exchanges.
Each Sister City relationship has developed in a unique and different way. The nature of the relationship is influenced by the characteristics of the Sister City involved and by the interest and skill of the committee members.
Friendship Cities
City of Sydney has Friendship City relationships with four international cities:
| City | Year Established |
| Athens, Greece | 2000 |
| Berlin, Germany | 2000 |
| Dublin, Ireland | 2002 |
| Paris, France | 1998 |
A Friendship City relationship can be likened to a deed of co-operation between Mayors. It is likely to be a long term relationship, but the level of community support and involvement is not as high as with a full Sister City relationship.
A Friendship City relationship is a type of affiliation that is intended to recognise educational, historical and cultural ties. It is activated in relation to delegations, visits, celebrations and ceremonies between cities.
Friendship City Objectives
- To develop programs in which each other’s experience, know-how and technology can be shared in every field of local government and in particular regarding:
-
- Protection of the environment
- Town planning - To develop cultural cooperation between the two cities, particularly in the arts.
These are the guidelines for sister city relationships:
Downloads
- Guidelines for Sister City Relationships | PDF 136Kb
More information
For more information on City of Sydney’s Sister Cities or Friendship Cities, contact:
Toola Andrianopoulos
Protocol Project Coordinator
Tel: 02 9246 7602
Email: tandrianopoulos@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
