United States Mexico Sister Cities Association, incorporated
Four Pillars that support an enduring Sister Cities relationship.
Cuatro pilares que sostienen una relación duradera entre ciudades hermanas:
LOVE, BROTHERHOOD, RESPECT and FRIENDSHIP
AMOR, HERMANDAD, RESPETO Y AMISTAD
March 5, 2006
VISION:
United States/Mexico Sister Cities Association, Incorporated achieves peace, harmony and goodwill between the people of the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico through the grassroots People-to-People relationships of our sister cities affiliations.
MISSION:
United States/Mexico Sister Cities Association is committed to the continuation and enhancement of the grassroots People- to-People initiatives established by our sister cities affiliations between the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico. This organization is dedicated to provide a broader understanding of the history and the culture of each nation.
GOALS:
The United States/Mexico Sister Cities Association, Incorporated recognizes the following goals as important to our collective success:
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Strengthen our relationships within our membership to achieve our mutual goals.
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Enhance our relationships and communication with the United States/Mexico International and the MexicanNational Boards;
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Continue and expand youth and adult exchange programs; collective resources from organizations of Both countries, to assist local sister cities programs;
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Use the collective resources from organizations of both countries to assist and enhance the local sister cities programs;
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Serve as a clearing house for information reference source affiliated members on both sides of the borders;
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Sponsor annual conferences where delegates from both countries are able to discuss mutual issues of common interests, such as: student exchanges, education, custom regulations, health education, environmental oncerns, etc,.
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Provide information in our local communities which will serve to enhance a greater un derstanding of the culture, history, and economy of Mexico.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Conceived the program
President Eisenhower, who often proclaimed that he would rather be known to history for his contributions toward world peace than for his accomplishments as a President or general, deplored the fact that throughout history, international diplomacy had failed to keep the peace or to prevent war. He foresaw that the People-to-People idea, fostered by a Sister City program involving hundred of thousands of people in cities throughout the world could be a massive form of citizen diplomacy that might succeed in doing what the nations of the world had been unable to accomplish through diplomatic efforts.
The strained relations between Mexico and the United States is obvious to all of us as we read the newspaper headlines about problems of immigrants, drug imports, trade barriers, etc. More than ever, the role that Sister Cities can play to bring people of both countries in a better mutual understanding is evident. As members of Sister Cities, we are, perhaps, in a unique position to build bridges between the people of these two countries at a time when it is most needed. We all know that Sister Cities in a People-to-people organization. We can help each other, not only in providing various types of assistance, but through better understanding of the situation in Mexico and the problems they face on a day-to-day basis. By building an even stronger Sister Cities organization and focusing on new projects, hopefully we can build more enthusiasm among the membership and more accomplishments in the people-to-people bridge-building that we all so anxiously want to do.
The Sister City program is a dedication of friends and understanding between peoples of different cultures and different attitudes..it is an affirmation of one's goodwill toward another people...it is the Golden Rule applied to international practice...it is a recognition that we are all brothers in the human race...and it is, perhaps, a last hope for peace in our times and for the survival of our world.
