Title
Enter into Sister Cities Agreement with Medellin, Colombia (Ordinance S-49880)
Description
Request to authorize the Mayor of Phoenix, or her designee, to enter into a Sister Cities agreement with Medellin, Colombia in support of youth and education exchanges, municipal and technical cooperation, business, and arts and culture.
Report
Summary
Phoenix Sister Cities, Inc. (PSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1972. It is responsible for coordinating exchange programs in youth and education, municipal and technical cooperation, business, and arts and culture with Phoenix's 11 Sister Cities. Currently, the City of Phoenix has Sister Cities relationships with Calgary, Canada; Catania, Italy; Chengdu, China; Ennis, Ireland; Hermosillo, Mexico; Himeji, Japan; Grenoble, France; Prague, Czech Republic; Ramat-Gan, Israel; Suwon, South Korea; and Taipei, Taiwan.
In 2016, the PSC Board of Directors conducted an analysis of cities with which Phoenix customarily compares itself and discovered that it was falling short in its number of sister cities. At that time, the Board of Directors prioritized the exploration of additional sister cities relationships. The last sister city to join Phoenix's family was Suwon, South Korea in 2021, bringing the total number of sister cities to 11.
In December 2021, the Embassy of Colombia in Washington, DC contacted Phoenix Sister Cities about a project in Colombia to recruit 200 US sister cities for Colombian cities in recognition of 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Over the next 11 months, Phoenix Sister Cities analyzed potential sister cities and discussed with the Embassy opportunities for a relationship. In November 2022, Phoenix Sister Cities sent a working delegation to Medellin to discuss opportunities for cooperation. In April 2023, Phoenix Sister Cities received a working delegation from Medellin, in turn.
Medellin is the capital of the Antioquia province in the Aburra Valley, a central region of the Andes Mountains. It is the second largest city in Colombia, with a population of more than 2.5 million. The metropolitan area surrounding Medellin brings the total population to four million.
Medellin leaders are "building a city of the future" based on sustainability through planning, education and mobility. Considered the Silicon Valley of Colombia, Medellin's economy is tech-centric.
Among the many benefits of the proposed relationship are:
- Alignment around initiatives and goals, including connected and sustainable mobility; and the development of the cities' respective rivers and surrounding communities;
- Youth and education exchanges including the Youth Ambassador Exchange Program;
- Arts, culture and sports exchanges including an upcoming exhibit of works by Fernando Botero at the Phoenix Botanical Garden; and,
- Business exchanges, especially focused on aerospace, biotech, and connected mobility.
The PSC Board of Directors recommends that the City Council authorize the Mayor of Phoenix to sign a Sister Cities agreement, acknowledging the intention of both cities to engage in mutually-beneficial activities and exchanges, and detailing the ideas generated to date as a starting point.
If approved, PSC intends to organize a delegation to visit Medellin in August 2023 to sign a Sister Cities agreement.
Contract Term
If approved, the term of this contract is in perpetuity until the City of Phoenix or City of Medellin terminates it.
Financial Impact
This action will not impact the General Fund. Activities and exchanges with Medellin will be privately funded through the efforts of Phoenix Sister Cities, Inc.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Interim Deputy City Manager John Chan and the Community and Economic Development Department.