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6.1.F. - Page 1 <br />REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br />October 23, 2017 <br />SUBJECT <br />Sister City and Friendship City Guidelines <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />By motion, approve the Sister City and Friendship City Guidelines <br />BACKGROUND <br />The Sister City concept started in 1956, some years after the end of the Second World <br />War, during the Eisenhower presidential administration. A worldwide network of Sister <br />City relations was established to help rebuild nation -to -nation relationships and foster <br />global harmony. Efforts were made to create "citizen diplomats" by opening <br />communication between peoples of the world. Out of this effort came the Sister Cities <br />International organization. <br />A Sister City is an official City relationship established between the City of Redwood <br />City and a city in another country to develop long-term civic and people -to -people <br />linkages and promote the exchange of cultural, educational, economic and social <br />information with international communities that have interests and characteristics similar <br />to Redwood City's. <br />A Friendship City is a relationship established between the City of Redwood City and a <br />city in another country that may serve as the first stage in establishing a new Sister City <br />relationship. City officials or staff and interested community members or organizations <br />from the City of Redwood City and its Friendship Cities may periodically keep in contact <br />for the purpose of discussing topics of mutual interest. <br />In 1989, local community members established Redwood City International (RCI) a <br />501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works collaboratively with the City to support and <br />promote the City's Sister City and Friendship City relationships. RCI's purpose is to <br />encourage the people and neighbors of Redwood City, and the people of similar cities <br />of foreign nations to acquire a consciousness of each other, to understand one another <br />as individuals, as members of their community, as citizens of their country, and as part <br />of the family of nations. Over the past 28 years, RCI has been committed to promoting <br />and supporting Sister City relationships between the City and its Sister Cities by hosting <br />