Mayor Walsh announces sister city agreement with Praia, Cabo Verde

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today joined Mayor Ulisses Correia e Silva of Praia, Cabo Verde to sign a Sister Cities agreement to foster economic, social and cultural development and business ties between the two cities, expand commercial activities, boost the number ofsmall and mid-sized enterprises, increase imports and exports and grow jobs.

"In order to be competitive in an increasingly global economy, we must strengthen our partnerships with cities around the world that share our goals," said Mayor Walsh. "Boston has a strong Cape Verdean community, and our partnership with Praia is a fitting testament to our city's diversity."

"Today we sign a Sister-City agreement to build on and strengthen the existing economic, cultural and educational relationships between the cities of Boston and Praia, while committing to explore new ties and creative ways of improving the quality of life for residents on both sides of the Atlantic," said Mayor Ulisses Correia e Silva.

The Sister City agreement commits both cities to identifying activities that can generate new initiatives to further nurture economic, social, cultural and faith based relationships, as well as:

Promote both cities to their respective business and academia sectors as locations for trade and investment;
Facilitate trade missions and business-to-business dialogue between the two cities;
Explore and encourage cooperation and exchange between local development agencies, Chambers of Commerce and tourism bodies;
Help facilitate faith-based exchanges between faith leaders in both cities;
Promote mutual leisure and business tourism opportunities;
Encourage cultural exchanges; and
Explore joint policy development and sharing of best practice in the fields of urban development, regeneration and city financial models.

Boston's Cape Verdean population is estimated at over 40,000 residents.
The City of Boston and the City of Praia have historically maintained strong academic, cultural and social ties, covering a wide array of sectors including public safety, education, arts and culture, business trade, commerce and tourism, and health. The Sister City Agreement will reinforce and strengthen that partnership over the next several years.

The signing took place in Mayor Walsh's Office at City Hall. This is the second Sister City agreement signed by the City of Boston since 2001.

Praia Mayor Ulisses Correia e Silva is visiting Boston on October 9 - 10.

Boston's Sister City programs operate as non-profit, independent organizations, and are heavily dependent on voluntary support and contributions. During the 1950s, residents and government officials recognized the importance of developing closer international relations, and the search for a Sister City began. The success of this program prompted the development of other goodwill sister relations. To the present date, eight Sister Cityfriendships have been formed: Kyoto, Japan (established in 1959); Strasbourg, France (established in 1960); Barcelona, Spain (established in 1980); Hangzhou, China (established in 1982); Padua, Italy (established in 1983); Mebourne, Australia (established in 1985); Taipei, Taiwan (established in 1996); Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana (established in 2001).

The Sister Cities Program began as a national concept in 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for massive exchanges between Americans and people of other countries to create international understanding and goodwill. A Sister City agreement is formalized when two communities from different nations join together to develop a friendly and meaningful relationship. The two cities exchange people, ideas, culture, education, and technology. Citizens from both communities learn about each other's culture and become directly involved in developing unique solutions to common problems. The Sister Cities Program promotes world peace in an individual level and encourages citizens to better understand community, by contrasting their way of life with another culture.