MISSION STATEMENT

Charleston Sister Cities International globally promotes the Charleston region and enhances our community’s international understanding through trade missions, and civic, cultural, educational and humanitarian engagement with partners abroad - contributing to a more peaceful and prosperous world.

PARTNERING GLOBALLY. THRIVING LOCALLY.

The City of Charleston, South Carolina joined the Sister Cities International movement in 2008 with the creation of the Charleston – Spoleto, Italy Sister City partnership. As a non-profit organization seeking to develop understanding and better relationships with significant cities around the world, Charleston filed for Articles of Incorporation in 2015 and with Charleston City Councils approval, signed their second SCI partnership with Panama City, Panama in 2016. Charleston Sister Cities International’s vision for the future is to establish a network of global partnerships on each continent that will enhance the Charleston region while contributing to international goodwill.

Founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, SCI is the national nonprofit volunteer membership organization representing Sister City programs of more than 500 U.S. cities and their 2,000 partners in more than 145 countries worldwide. As the premier organization for non-partisan citizen diplomacy in the United States, SCI leads the national movement for local community development and volunteer action in the global arena.

MISSION STATEMENT
Charleston Sister Cities International globally promotes the Charleston region and enhances our community’s international understanding through trade missions, and civic, cultural, educational and humanitarian engagement with partners abroad - contributing to a more peaceful and prosperous world.

PARTNERING GLOBALLY. THRIVING LOCALLY.
The City of Charleston, South Carolina joined the Sister Cities International movement in 2008 with the creation of the Charleston – Spoleto, Italy Sister City partnership. In 2016, Charleston Sister Cities International signed their second SCI partnership with Panama City, Panama. In 2018, they added Speightstown, Barbados. In 2019, they added Freetown, Sierra Leone and Doha, Qatar. in 2022, they added Fleur, France. Charleston Sister Cities International’s vision for the future is to establish a network of global partnerships on each continent that will enhance the Charleston region while contributing to international goodwill.

Founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, SCI is the national nonprofit volunteer membership organization representing Sister City programs of more than 500 U.S. cities and their 2,000 partners in more than 145 countries worldwide. As the premier organization for non-partisan citizen diplomacy in the United States, SCI leads the national movement for local community development and volunteer action in the global arena.

CHARLESTON'S INTERNATIONAL SALUTATION
A Sister Cities program is one of the most vital organizations an active and prosperous community has. Sister Cities programs lead their communities toward global integration, using new technologies and techniques to support trade, health care advancement, arts, education, environment, and urban development. Sister City programs are the forefront of community development, working at the community level to assist their partners abroad.

Sister Cities programs and their volunteers represent all sectors of the city and all aspects of its society, diversity, history and ambitions. Sister Cities programs empower all sectors of a community to participate constructively in the global arena, thus unleashing citizen diplomacy at the grassroots level. A Sister City program is a community’s international salutation. Sister Cities programs are involved in much of a community's international relations. Internationally aware, members and volunteers are a community's citizen diplomats providing cross-cultural expertise foreign skills and knowledge of foreign lands and cultures. A strong Sister Cities program serves its communities well.

BUILDING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS WORLDWIDE.
At the heart of all Sister Cities partnerships is an agreement, officially linking municipalities from the United States with foreign cities through Sister Cites agreements. These partnership agreements are signed by respective mayors of each city and ratified by each city council, or its equivalent, officially confirming the commitment of each community to the success of the Sister City partnership agreement. Both Sister Cities agree to send and receive delegations of various types-including civic, political and business leaders, arts and cultural representatives, educators, as well as ecological and technological experts- because these exchanges promote cross cultural understanding. This dynamic process empowers all sectors of a community to participate constructively in the global arena, thus unleashing citizen diplomacy at the grassroots level.