Resolution 15320EXHIBIT 1
City of Alameda
Sister City Program Guidelines
The Sister Cities initiative was founded by President Eisenhower in 1956, with the goal of championing
peace and prosperity through citizen diplomacy. The City of Alameda’s Sister City Program works to
promote cultural understanding and cooperation with cities around the world, and to strengthen
international partnerships at the municipal and person-to-person levels. The Sister Cities Program is a
partnership between the City of Alameda and the Alameda Sister Cities Association (ASCA), a 501(c)3
non-profit organization established in 2009. In collaboration with ASCA, the City of Alameda sets forth
the following guidelines for developing and maintaining its sister city affiliations.
a. Criteria for establishing a sister city relationship
i. Sustainability: Support of a sizable, committed group of Alameda community members
willing and able to manage a long-term relationship. There must be a dedicated ASCA
committee, with an active chairperson, for any proposed sister city.
ii. Compatibility: One or more similarities with Alameda, which may include, but are not
limited to: population size, geography, culture, industries, academic institutions, historic or
ancestral connections, peace efforts or other shared goals.
iii. Opportunity: Opportunities for mutually beneficial cultural, economic, humanitarian and
educational exchanges and program activities between community-based organizations.
This will include an outline of potential sister city programs and activities over a five-year
period.
iv. Financial Resources: Adequate financial resources or fundraising plan to fund program
activities, cultural exchanges, and maintenance of the relationship.
b. Responsibilities of the City of Alameda
i. Facilitate City Council review and approval of proposed sister cities, including preparing the
staff reports, resolutions, and memoranda of understanding and agreement.
ii. Provide support for official sister city visits and delegations. This may include the following:
providing a formal welcome meeting, facilitating other meetings where possible (such as
assistance in identifying locations, or connecting with local business owners), and attending
official events, cultural orientations, and other events when possible. When attending sister
city events, the highest elected City official present shall be the chief representative of the
City of Alameda. If the no elected City official is present, the highest administrative City
official shall be the chief representative of the City of Alameda.
iii. Draft and review all official City communications regarding ongoing sister city relationships,
including letters, proclamations, and talking points, and review and approve formal
itineraries for sister city delegations visiting Alameda, and delegations from Alameda to
sister cities.
iv. Assist with marketing and publicity for the Sister Cities program, including issuing press
releases, providing social media promotion, providing support for a citywide International
Celebration to honor our sister city relationships , and hosting of a secondary sister cities
webpage (in addition to ASCA’s primary Sister Cities webpage).
v. Establish and maintain a Sister Cities gallery to exhibit official gifts received through sister
city relationships.
c. Responsibilities of the Alameda Sister City Association (ASCA)
i. As a representative of the City of Alameda, ASCA holds primary responsibility for managing
all Sister City relationships in partnership with the City of Alameda, including the following:
1. Evaluate and recommend potential sister cities for Council Approval.
2. Plan and execute all sister city events, delegations, trips.
3. Plan and execute all program activities (such as youth exchanges, etc.).
4. Plan and execute all fundraising activities.
5. Provide protocol and sensitivity training ahead of all formal delegations and visits.
6. Provide formal itineraries for delegations visiting Alameda, and delegations from
Alameda to sister cities, to participating City officials within a reasonable review
time.
7. Provide regular reports to the City, no less than two times per year, summarizing all
sister cities activities.