Mission: Cincinnati Sister City Association serves to enhance the multicultural experience of the citizens and community of Cincinnati through, culture, education and economic development, built on people to people relationships.
Sister City relationships are strong exchanges built upon friendships which help develop links to economic development, tourism, arts and community development. In the belief that developing partnerships with international cities will benefit the citizens of Cincinnati, our local sister city organization focuses through its programs on connecting people locally and internationally to build cultural and economic bridges.
Who we are and how do sister cities work
The International Sister City program, created by President Eisenhower with a mission to promote mutual understanding, has expanded to include a full range of exchanges, and benefits between two cities and inherently two countries. An agreement signed by the Mayors of participating cities formalizes the relationship and although government is a sponsor, it is the citizens that volunteer and create value for each other.
The Cincinnati USA Sister City Association acts as a liaison between the Office of the Mayor, City Hall and Cincinnati’s Sister City organizations, and is a resource for creating implementing programs in education, tourism, community service and economic development for the city. The organization is currently completely organized and run by volunteer citizens.
Our History:
The City of Cincinnati partnered with its first Sister City, Liuzhou, China, in 1988, and the other six quickly followed. By 1994, Cincinnati had eight international sister cities, Liuzhou, China (1988); Gifu, Japan (1988); Kharkiv, Ukraine (1989); Munich, Germany (1989); Harare, Zimbabwe (1990); Nancy, France (1991); New Taipei City, Taiwan (1994). Two more were added after the turn of the centuryt: Mysore, India (2012) and Amman, Jordan (2015).
All of our Sister Cities are important centers of culture, industry, and education and noted for their scenic landscapes or historic architecture. The Office of the Mayor of the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati USA Sister City Association support Cincinnati’s interaction with these cities. Each Sister City has its own committee or association, which is directly responsible for the partnership by organizing its membership, budget, programs, activities, and visits. The Sister City committees and associations organize exchanges that include education culture, science, commerce, and government.
