"If people get together, so eventually will nations." President Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Northern California Chapter (NorCal) of Sister Cities International (SCI) helps SCI communicate with local Sister City organizations in Northern California. NorCal provides a forum to increase global cooperation at the local level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development.

NorCal, in partnership with SCI, leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials and business leaders to conduct long-term sister city programs of mutual benefit.

What Are Sister Cities?

Sister City affiliations between the United States and other nations begin shortly after World War II, and developed into a national initiative when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a "People-to-People" program at a White House conference in 1956.

President Eisenhower's said of his People-to-People program, "If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and to leap governments - if necessary to evade governments - to work out not one method, but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other."

President Eisenhower's intention was to involve individuals and organized groups at all levels of society in citizen diplomacy, with the hope that pesonal relationships, fostered through sister city affiliations, would lessen the chance of future world conflicts.

Thus, the Citizen Diplomat was born. That Citizen Diplomat is needed now more than ever. Please contact your local sister city representative and volunteer to form friendships around the world.