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2001 A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 A TLANTASISTERCITIES C OMMISSION 2001 Annual Report ANCIENT OLYMPIA GREECE BRUSSELS BELGIUM BUCHAREST ROMANIA COTONOU BENIN LAGOS NIGERIA MONTEGO BAY JAMAICA NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE GREAT BRITAIN NUREMBERG GERMANY PORT-OF-SPAIN TRINIDAD RA'ANANA ISRAEL RIO DE JANEIRO BRAZIL SALCEDO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SALZBURG AUSTRIA TAEGU KOREA TAIPEI TAIWAN TBILISI REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA TOULOUSE FRANCE a tlantas isterC ities C OMMISSION 2001 Annual Report The Honorable Shirley Franklin INTRODUCTION 2 To Mayor, City of Atlanta The Honorable Cathy Woolard SCI Conference 3 President, Atlanta City Council Committee Reports 7 Georgianne Thomas From Chair Atlanta Sister Cities Commission I am pleased to submit to you the 2001 Annual Report of the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission (ASCC). In addition to the activities of the vari- ous committees, ASCC has met monthly to carry out its role and function in relation to Atlanta's Sister Cities program. We were pleased to serve the City of Atlanta and its inter- national community during 2001 and look forward to the continued growth and expansion of the Sister Cities pro- gram under your administration. 2 0 Page 1 0 1 a tlantas isterC ities C OMMISSION 2001Introduction Annual Report The Atlanta Sister Cities Commission The Atlanta Sister Cities Commission (ASCC) was chartered by the Atlanta's Sister City relationship with Ra'anana, Israel was formally City of Atlanta and codified in Atlanta City Ordinance No. 1979-71. signed in Atlanta during the Sister Cities International Conference The organization is managed by a Chair, elected by the Mayor of in July 2001. Other applications for sister city relationships were Atlanta. The appointee must be ratified by a majority of the Atlanta reviewed, including cities in Ethiopia and Japan. City Council. Georgianne Thomas served as Chair, and Vin Martin as Vice Chair, in 2001. ASCC maintains a web site with press releases, annual reports and information on each of the sister cities. The full 'board' of the Commission comprises the Chair, four Mayoral appointees and two members appointed by the City Council. In www.ci.atlanta.ga.us/sister/cities.htm addition, the chairpersons of each Sister City Committee, or their designee, serve on the Commission. Name of City Date of Chair/Representative Affiliation Appointed members include Ms. Cocoa Jordan Johnson, Dr. Hershelle Challenor and Ms. Thomasene Blount Roberts. Ancient Olympia – Greece 1994 Mr. Lou Zakas Brussels - Belgium 1983 Ms. Louise Suggs Elections are held annually to select a Vice Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Each elected officer serves a one-year term. Elected officials Bucharest - Romania 1994 Mr. Nick Modares of the Commission are restricted to two consecutive terms in office. Canberra - Australia 1999 Councilwoman Julia Emmons Cotonou – Benin 1995 Mr. Nony Mbaezue Officers and committee chairs include: Lagos – Nigeria 1974 Dr. Augustine O. Esogbue Montego Bay - Jamaica 1972 Mr. Vin Martin Secretary Norma Kendal-Hamlett Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 1977 Mr. David Smith Treasurer Carlton Parker - Great Britain New Cities Dr. Augustine Esogbue Nuremberg - Germany 1998 Ms. Terri Simmons Commission Relations Thomasene Roberts PR David Smith Port-of-Spain - Trinidad 1987 Ms. Norma Hamlett Rio de Janeiro - Brazil 1972 Ms. Lisa Calhoun Other standing committees of the Commission are Fund Raising, Ra'anana - Israel 2000 Dr. Arnold Heller Nominating and Economic Development. Salcedo 1996 Mr. Victor Ramirez - Dominican Republic Staff Salzburg - Austria 1967 Ms. Nancy Love/Mr. Carlton Parker Taegu - Korea 1981 Mr. Young Kang The Commission is supported by the Taipei - Taiwan 1974 Mr. David Yu staff of the International Affairs Division of the Mayor's Office. The staff partici- Tbilisi - Republic of Georgia 1988 Ms. Nancy Love pates in monthly or special meetings, Toulouse – France 1974 Mrs. Carolyn Wills helps shape the Commission's policy and acts as liaison with the Mayor. In This is the Year 2001Annual Report of the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission, submitted according to its statutory requirements. The document also includes the voluntary 2001, Maria Pease played a vital role as addition of reports for the following sister city link organizations: Atlanta-Ancient City of coordinator for the Mayor's Office. Olympia; Atlanta-Bucharest; Atlanta-Cotonou; Lagos-Atlanta; Atlanta-Montego Bay; Atlanta-Newcastle; Atlanta-Nurmberg; Atlanta-Port-of-Spain; Atlanta-Ra' anana; Atlanta- Rio de Janeiro; Atlanta-Salcedo; and Atlanta-Toulouse Sister Cities Committees. Reports were not received from the following: Atlanta-Brussels; Atlanta-Canberra; Atlanta-Salzburg; Atlanta-Daegu; Atlanta-Taipei ASCC's display at Atlanta and Atlanta-Tbilisi Sister Cities Committees. Page 2 Hartsfield International Airport. 2 0 0 1 A tlantaS isterC ities C OMMISSION S.C.I. Conference Annual Report 2001Atlanta July 25 - 28, 2001 Sister Cities International Conference – 2001 After three years of planning, the Titled 'Your Community's Passport to the World' the conference's Atlanta Sister Cities Commission keynote speakers included David successfully hosted the Sister Cities Trimble, Nobel Peace Prize winner International Conference in Atlanta in and former First Minister of Northern July. Taking place at the Hyatt Regency Ireland and Mary Jean Eisenhower Hotel, the event attracted 650 (see photograph), CEO of People-to- municipal officials, civic leaders, People International and grand- exchange coordinators, dignitaries and daughter of President Dwight D. youth from 39 states and 26 countries Eisenhower, founder of the U.S. sister including Australia, Colombia, Congo, city movement. Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Korea, Northern Ireland, Parade of Nations Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda. The event marked the 45th Event highlights included the 'Parade of Nations', which provided anniversary of Sister Cities International, the United States international a colorful spectacle of music, costume and culture on the streets of diplomacy networking organization, which coordinates links between downtown Atlanta. The parade featured the Douglass High School 650 U.S. cities and 1,500 cities throughout the world. Marching Band, the Athol Highlanders This event gave recognition to Pipe and Drum Band Atlanta as an international city and an international and an opportunity to broadcast flag corps carrying the a positive message to the world flags of 30 nations. through the entire network of sister cities. ASCC was respon- Distinguished visitors, sible for raising funds and in-kind including mayors contributions for hosting key from several of events including a Parade of Atlanta's Sister Cities, Nations, opening reception and rode in convertible Mayor's reception. ASCC was cars while representatives of Atlanta's sister cities marched in the also responsible for providing a procession, wearing native volunteer force, transportation, dress and carrying their and organizing press and global national flags and banners. publicity arrangements. Performers included a Taiwanese parade dragon and Approximately $100,000 in cash and kind was raised from organiza- lion dancers and Romanian tions and individuals, including the UPS Foundation, Atlanta Visitors folk dancers. and Convention Bureau, Coca Cola, Delta Air Lines, Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, and United Water. The City of Atlanta under- wrote the entire event, providing major financial support, coordination and services through the Advisory Committee on International Relations and the Mayor's Office of International Affairs. Councilwoman Julia Emmons donated funds from her council Page 3 administrative budget. 2 0 0 1 A tlantaS isterC ities C OMMISSION S.C.I. Conference Annual Report 2001Atlanta July 25 - 28, 2001 Opening Ceremony The festivities continued into the Opening Ceremony at which the parade participants and performers processed into the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel where they were joined by other performers including Chinese ribbon dancers, native American hoop dancers, Romanian folkloric dancers, an African drum troupe and the Borokeete Atlanta Carnival performers, representing Port of Spain, Trinidad. Following the parade of flags into the hall, the audience was addressed by Mayor Bill Campbell, ASCC Chair Georgianne Thomas and Councilman Jim Maddox, and entertained by the cultural performers. Photographs on this page demonstrate the color and splendor of the festivities. Page 4 2 0 0 1 a tlantas isterC ities C OMMISSION S.C.I. Conference Annual Report 2001Atlanta July 25 - 28, 2001 Mayor's Reception In honor of the Sister Cities International Conference, Mayor Bill Campbell and the City of Atlanta held a reception in the Atrium of City Hall for delegates and officials. The reception included an array of music, food and entertainment for the city's guests. The centerpiece of the evening's events was the official twinning ceremony for Atlanta's newest sister city, Ra' anana, Israel, with a formal signing by Mayor Campbell and Mayor Zeev Bielski (see photographs below and opposite). At the Mayor's reception, Georgianne Thomas and ASCC officers greet the visiting delegation from Salcedo, Dominican Republic. Page 5 2 0 0 1 a tlantas isterC ities C OMMISSION S.C.I. Conference Annual Report 2001Atlanta July 25 - 28, 2001 Other Highlights The Sister Cities International Annual Awards ceremony recognized More than 50 the Atlanta-Montego Bay Committee for their medical outreach volunteers from the missions to Jamaica. A group representing