DEPARTMENT: Economic Development Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Rene Dominguez
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
Sister City Agreement with the City of Windhoek, Republic of Namibia
SUMMARY:
The Sister City Agreement with the City of Windhoek is meant to encourage greater friendships and understanding between other nations and U.S. cities, counties and states. In order to foster these goals, the people of San Antonio and the City of Windhoek, Namibia agree to collaborate for the mutual benefit of our communities by exploring educational, economic and cultural opportunities.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Sister City Program, administered by Sister Cities International, was initiated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.
San Antonio has hosted numerous Namibian delegations over the years beginning soon after Namibia's independence from South Africa in 1990. The three most recent Namibian ambassadors have visited San Antonio and our elected officials almost annually for the past 10 years. San Antonio is also home to an Honorary Consul of Namibia who is active in fostering strong linkages between the two communities.
As part of a strongly held objective to build a connection to Africa, Mayor Taylor signed a Friendship City Agreement with the Mayor of Windhoek, Republic of Namibia, on April 21, 2015. In September 2015, The Mayor welcomed the President of the Republic of Namibia to San Antonio along with the Deputy Prime Minister and three cabinet-level Ministers of State. During this visit, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Namibia to establish cooperative relations especially in the development of academic and cultural interchanges and other areas of mutual interest.
Through the signing of the Friendship City Agreement and the MOU, Windhoek and San Antonio jointly support continued efforts to strengthen relations, promote economic cooperation and...
Click here for full text