Sister Cities of Newport News, Inc.

The act of “Sistering” cities was developed so that relationships would be grounded in long-term community partnerships. “Sistering” is a process that officially links citizens and municipalities with foreign communities through sister city agreements. These agreements are often fostered by grass-roots efforts and then ratified by a city council, or its equivalent.

Citizen Diplomacy is the essence of all sister city programs. People-to-People contact is the goal of the program. Through these contacts we build international understanding and foster community and business relationships.

Speaking at a White House Conference on Citizen Diplomacy designed to solidify plans at a national level for a City-to-City program, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower told delegates…

I am emboldened to talk to you because the purpose of this meeting is the most worthwhile purpose there is in the world today: to help build the road to peace, to help build the road to an enduring peace.

A particular part of the work that we expect to do is based upon the assumption that no people, as such, want war — that all people want peace.

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 remarks are the foundation of the Sister City movement and his wisdom still guides us today as we face new challenges within our global community.

Originally part of the National League of Cities (NLC), Sister Cities International (SCI) became a separate, non-profit corporation in 1967. SCI is the nation’s foremost citizen diplomacy movement with more than 2,500 communities participating in 132 countries. SCNN is a dues paying member of SCI.

Our local program began on January 25, 1982, when Newport News City Council, by resolution, accepted an invitation from the City of Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan to establish a sister city relationship. The resolution also authorized the City Manager to develop a program of appropriate activities with Neyagawa, consistent with a sister city affiliation.

In July 1982, mayors from both cities signed the Declaration of Sister Cities that officially established the sister cities relationship between Neyagawa and Newport News.

On November 22, 1982 Newport News City Council established the Newport News Sister Cities Committee with Council Resolution #3227-82 (the name is changed to “Newport News Sister Cities Commission” on June 27, 1983 with Council Resolution #3369-83).

In November 1999, the State Corporation Commission certified the incorporation of Sister Cities of Newport News, Inc.