Richmond
City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305 - Richmond, Virginia 23219
U.S.A. - www.council.richmondva.gov
COUNCIL PUBLIC
INFORMATION NEWS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED
Richmond City Council
to welcome Sister City Delegation from Segou, Republic of Mali, during Formal Meeting
WHAT (Richmond,
Virginia U.S.A.) -- Richmond City Council will receive and welcome a Sister City delegation
from the City of
Segou, Republic of Mali. Celebrating the fifth-year anniversary of our
important Sister City relationship with the City of Segou, Richmond City
Council is honored to recognize the members of this delegation for their
service, leadership and dedication on behalf of the residents of the City of
Segou and for their continuing work on behalf of our two cities.
Richmond’s Sister
City relationship is coordinated by the Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Commission. The members of the delegation from the City of Segou (provided in French)
include:
Governor of
the Region of Segou
Excellence
Monsieur le Gouverneur Boubacar Thierno CISSE, Gouverneur de la Région de Ségou
Mayor of Segou
The Honorable
Ousmane K SIMAGA, Maire de la Ville de Ségou
City
Councilman and Chair of the Sister Cities Commission
Monsieur le
Conseiller municipal Madani SISSOKO, Président de la Commission des Jumelages
de la Ville de Ségou
President of
the University of Segou
Monsieur le
Recteur, le Dr Abdoulaye TRAORE, Recteur de L'Université de Ségou
Director of
the Segou Hospital
Monsieur le
Directeur General, le Dr Abdoulaye SANOGO, Directeur Général de l’hôpital
Nianankoro Fomba de Ségou
Budget
director for the Segou Region
Monsieur
l'Instructeur de la Direction Regionale du Budget Yah TRAORE
National
Deputy and Haidara Foundation President
The Honorable
Abdoul Galil Mansour HAIDARA, députe et Président de la Fondation Cheick
Mansour Haidara-Ségou
Segou Bank
Manager
Monsieur le
Directeur d'Agence, Monsieur Garba El Haki KEITA, chef d'agence, Banque
Malienne de Solidarité Ségou
WHEN Monday, October 13, 2014
6:00-8:00
p.m.
(During the first part
of the scheduled Richmond City Council Formal Meeting)
WHERE Richmond City Council Formal Meeting
Richmond City Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall, 2nd
Floor
900
E. Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23229
Background on the Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Commission ______________
One of Richmond City Council's more than 50 boards, task forces
and commissions created to assist with providing oversight of
certain projects and priorities, the Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Commission was established by Richmond City Council in 1980 and consists of 13
members. It operates under Council guidelines and by requirements of the Sister
Cities International organization, located in Washington, D.C.
An early champion of international relations,
Richmond began a relationship with its namesake, Richmond Upon Thames, England,
in 1930. In 1956 a formal Sister City concept was established in the
United States of America by U. S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. President
Eisenhower's idea called for exchanges between Americans and people in other
countries, with a goal of fostering peace, understanding and harmony.
The term
“Sister City” is used to express a closeness that is engendered through
commonalities between communities.
Formal friendships are then established to promote cultural
understanding and educational and economic prosperity.
For example,
cities linked with Richmond are generally cities with comparable populations,
notable points of historic interest, and potential opportunities for economic
development and trade.
Richmond Sister
City Relationships
Richmond
currently maintains the following Sister City relationships:
1. Richmond
upon Thames, England (Europe)
2. Saitama City, Japan (Asia)
3. Windhoek, Namibia (Africa)
4. Zhengzhou,
China (Asia)
5. Segou, Republic of Mali (Africa)
Interest
Throughout the
year, Richmond City Council receives requests from residents and interested
cities regarding its Sister Cities Program, which are shared with the
Commission.
Some examples
of Sister Cities Activities _________________________________________
Segou, Republic
of Mali (Africa)
Richmond’s
partnership with Segou, Republic of Mali is Richmond's city’s newest Sister
City relationship. Richmond and the
city of Segou, Republic of Mali, became Sister Cities in 2009 following the
adoption of Richmond City Council Resolution 2009-R99-109, adopted July
27, 2009 that invited Segou to be a
formal Sister City of Richmond, and the formalization of the relationship in
Richmond on October 12, 2009 with a visiting delegation of dignitaries from
Segou.
In April 2010
Richmond was awarded an $115,000 grant from Sister Cities International for a two-year African Sustainability Project
that will be used to assist with performing projects in Segou that will
assist with addressing sanitation, health, and water issues. On May 10, 2010 Richmond City Council
received and welcomed a visiting delegation from the Republic of Mali.
The delegation included six members of the country’s government who were in
Richmond for the day as part of a government training program sponsored by the
Institute for Global Training, USAID in Washington D.C. and were being show
state and local government by the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center’s
Virginia Institute of Government.
On
October 6, 2010 the Richmond City Council Sister Cities Commission and members
of Richmond City Council and the Richmond Government Administration welcomed
The Honorable Ousmane K. Simaga, Mayor of Segou, Republic of Mali (Africa); The
Honorable Madani Sissoko, Councilman, Segou, Republic of Mali (Africa),
President of the Segou Sister City Commission; and, a number of additional
dignitaries from Segou, Republic of Mali (Africa), during its monthly meeting.
Richmond upon
Thames, England (Europe)
In 2008 Richmond
was honored with a visit from the Mayor and Councilmember's from Richmond upon
Thames. In 2007 Richmond was honored with a visit from the Mayor and
Councilmembers from Richmond upon Thames in coordinating planning and events
leading up to Virginia’s 400th-year celebration in 2007.
Zhenghou, China
(Asia)
Richmond continues
supporting teacher exchanges and exchanges of art and culture through museums,
economic trips to China (conducted by Governor of Virginia with representation
from Richmond). A book collection was presented to Richmond citizens from
Zhengzhou citizens, which is displayed at the Richmond Public Library - Main
Library.
Saitama, Japan
(Asia)
Annual student, academic, sports and cultural
exchange programs.
·
Richmond has an ongoing annual baseball exchange with Saitama,
which began in Richmond in 1994 and rotates each year (missing 2011 due to the
tragic earthquake and tsunami that severely impacted Japan) from Richmond to Saitama.
·
From August 3-8, 2012 Richmond welcomed Japanese Little League
Baseball team players for the 18th Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Richmond-Saitama International Junior Baseball Exchange. This exchange marked the return to the
exchange for the first time since 2010, as the 2011 events were canceled due to
tragic earthquake and tsunami that severely impacted Japan. During their week-long stay, the little leaguers enjoyed
international cultural exchange and played baseball games with Little League
teams in the Richmond area. The visiting Saitama team included 17
players, one City Official, four coaches and an emergency technician. The visit, games and friendships fostered during the little
leaguers’ visit to Richmond are sterling examples of the partnership and
collaboration between Richmond and Saitama, one of Richmond’s six international
Sister City relationships.
·
On June 23, 2012, three educators visited Richmond from Saitama,
Japan for two weeks as part of Richmond Sister Cities Commission Educational
Exchange program. That marked the 13th
year of this successful educational exchange program, which began in 1998.
·
In March of 2012, 10 high
school students and two teachers from Urawa Municipal High School in Saitama,
Japan visited Richmond to as part of a week-long Richmond Sister Cities
Commission Educational Exchange program.
Windhoek,
Namibia (Africa)
August 2007: the U.S. State Department brought a camera crew to Richmond
from Windhoek coordinated events. July 2003: Richmond
donated a Fire Truck to Windhoek.
For more information regarding the
Richmond City Council Sister Cities Commission, please visit its website,
at http://www.richmondgov.com/CommissionSisterCities/index.aspx
-
E N D -
Steve Skinner
Council Public Information Manager
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF
Richmond City Hall
900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305
Richmond, Virginia 23219 U.S.A.
804.646.6052 (office)
804.335.4054 (mobile)
804.937.1386 (home/mobile)
804.646.5468 (fax)
steven.skinner@richmondgov.com (email)
www.council.richmondva.gov(website)
____________________________________________________
MISSION The mission of Richmond City Council is to
represent citizens in creating and amending local laws,
providing government
policy and oversight, and
approving the city budget.
VISION Richmond City Council is committed to
creating a vibrant community that is a great place
to live, work, learn, play, visit and raise a family.
