Sarasota Sister Cities Association

Citizen Diplomats - Carving a Path toward Peace Since 1963

Citizen Diplomacy - The Sister Cities Story

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to -people program under the National League of Cities as a ”citizen diplomacy.” He envisaged persons and organizations in individual U.S. cities interacting on a one-to-one basis with their peers in foreign cities and nations, believing that such personal relationships would lessen the chance of future world conflicts.

President Eisenhower was a man of vision and in 1956 noted at the 10th anniversary conference of Sister Cities International that –

"I have served as a General in the greatest military force that the world has ever known and I have had the responsibility of being President of the most powerful nation in history and yet I have been unsuccessful in achieving International peace and understanding. Global conflicts still exist!"

Those in Sister Cities relationships believe that it is only through the people to people concept and through exchanges of people from all walks of life, including young people, in our communities and with programs designed to facilitate better understanding, cultural tolerance and friendship will our countries realize true success in achieving world peace and international good will. The promotion of adult and student international exchange is a vital concept of Sister Cities.

The rapidly growing program became the nonprofit Sister Cities International in 1967. Even before that, in 1963, Sarasota residents had already established the Sarasota Sister Cities Association. Today official relationships have been forged with Hamilton, Province of Ontario, Canada; Perpignan, France; Vladimir, Russia; Tel Mond, Israel; Dunfermline, Scotland, and Treviso, Italy. Siming District, Xiamen, China is a candidate Sister City.