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WHEREAS, for over sixty-seven years, beginning in 1956, the City of Pittsburgh has historically pioneered bilateral, officially sanctioned international “Sister City” relationships in order to carry out the widest possible diversity of activities offered under any international program. Sister Cities International, founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, intends to promote world peace through the critical inclusion and value of citizen diplomacy regardless of federal policies, and;
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WHEREAS, sister city partnerships are unique in that they sanction and engage three main sectors: local government, business, and a variety of citizen volunteers representing every component of civil society: municipal, professional, business, academic, humanitarian, environmental, scientific medical, and cultural exchange or project, and;
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh now enjoys twenty of these unique relationships, developing mutually beneficial programs in commerce, education, environment, sports, technology, and culture to work together to share best practices that address the global challenges being faced by cities of today and tomorrow, and;
WHEREAS, Matanzas, Cuba was Pittsburgh’s seventh official sister city, founded in 1993 to establish goodwill through community exchanges based on mutual respect and shared interest by the late Senator Jim Ferlo, and Lisa Valanti, and;
WHEREAS, this year, 2023, marks it’s the thirty-year anniversary of this sister city relationship, and;
WHEREAS, the City Council of Pittsburgh recognizes, applauds, and supports the contributions this official Sister City Partnership has made over the past thirty years, and the efforts of the dedicated individuals and institutions such as Global Links, The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Pittsburgh Historical Society, Sankofa Community Gardens, Casa San Jose, The Thomas Merton Center, Phipps Botanical Gardens, and many more who have contributed to its success, often under difficult situations, towards changing our nations’ perception of each other while working together to make a better world, and;
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh, the “City of Bridges”, the “Three Rivers City”, is home to more than 300,000 people, a vibrant business community and technology center, world-class universities like the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne, Carlow, Chatham, and Carnegie-Mellon, and professional sports teams like the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins, and;
WHEREAS, Matanzas, Cuba, also known as the “City of Bridges” and the “Three Rivers City”, has the oldest baseball stadium in the western hemisphere. It is the center of Afro-Caribbean culture given the role it played in the colonial slave trade. It is also referred to as the “Athens of Cuba” given its many artists, writers, playwrights, and poets. The Veradaro Beach, often compared to the French Riviera, is in Matanzas, as is the Zapata Swamp, home to Crocodile Gar and the world’s smallest hummingbird. Matanzas is agriculturally dense and supplies much of the domestic food supply of Cuba. The battle of the Bay of Pigs was fought in Matanzas, and;
WHEREAS, in October of 2023, an officially sanctioned delegation from the Pittsburgh-Matanzas Sister Cities Partnership will visit our sister city of Matanzas to celebrate our thirty-year anniversary, renew our familial ties, and exchange information on the current state of our cities, their inhabitants, and seek ways to collaborate in the development of local culture, economies, education, health, welfare, sports, and the protection of the environment among many other shared interests.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby supports and reaffirms its officially sanctioned commitment and relationship with Pittsburgh-Matanzas Sister Cities Partnership, and the City of Matanzas, Cuba on our thirty-year anniversary and extends its greetings to the citizens of Matanzas, and encourages the people of Pittsburgh and Matanzas to continue building these bridges of solidarity, goodwill, respect, and friendship, based on the principles of world peace, respect for international law, and sovereignty.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh, joins our Sister City of Matanzas, Cuba in celebrating 330 years since its founding.