2013 Sino-African Initiative Conference

Published on 4th February 2013

Speech by Mary D. Kane, Sister Cities International President & CEO at Sarova Pan Afric Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 2013 Sino-African Initiative Conference here in this cosmopolitan city of Nairobi. This week this city will serve not only as our host, but as a classroom to assist with perpetuating the knowledge-sharing goals of this conference.

I thank all of you -- sister cities members, local officials, community leaders, citizen diplomats, and embassy officials, for joining us in this gathering.

And a special thank you to our wonderful partner in Kenya, the Inter Region Economic Network Kenya and Eastern Africa Sister Cities.  All the hard work and cooperation from James and his staff made this day possible.  Your contribution is much appreciated, thank you!

I also want to give a special welcome to our friends at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr. Xie (See-yeuh), Ms. Duan (Doo-wan), and Mr. Liu (Lee-ou).  

Since its inception in 1956, Sister Cities International has played a key role in building, strengthening, and renewing relationships between U.S. cities and cities around world. Today, the network comprises of over 500 US cities, counties, and states with nearly 2,000 sister connections around the world. We have, as our founder President Dwight D. Eisenhower envisioned, served as an institutional hub of knowledge and supported the sister cities network through resources and services. Through our work and especially through conferences such as this one, we are proud to continue to facilitate unique ways for cities and citizen diplomats to partner and exchange ideas and best practices.

Sister Cities International’s Sino-African Initiative continues this tradition of growing strong partnerships in key regions of the world. This Initiative provides a unique platform for Chinese, African, and U.S. cities to come together and collaborate on economic development and urban poverty issues in Africa. This trilateral component of this Initiative provides a greater amount of resources for each of these projects, expanding their potential to affect meaningful change and include a wider range of participants and community members. The Initiative aims to provide models and examples of best practices in trilateral cooperation for development and urban poverty alleviation programs.

And all those gathered here are a privileged few who are part of this innovative Initiative. Over these next three days as you discuss the specifics of creating effective strategies, develop feasible work and implementation plans, and complete accountability templates for your projects, please keep in mind that your efforts and hard work are setting a precedent. You are setting an example for all those who will follow in your footsteps and work on addressing urban issues in Africa, and in every other corner of the world, with this type of trilateral framework.

Therefore, I encourage you to take advantage of all that this Conference has to offer. Conference sessions and workshops have been carefully chosen and designed on the theme of “Urban Service Delivery in Public Health and Waste Management.” Technical workshops, site visits, and training sessions will cover a comprehensive range of topics including financial management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting to give you a solid headway as you continue collaborating.

The aim of this Sino-African Initiative Conference is not only to provide ample learning opportunities but also act as a platform for a vibrant exchange of ideas as you begin your projects. This is a unique occasion for representatives from all three cities to gather together and participate in the discussions and planning for the upcoming year. The three critical areas of focus for these projects, infrastructure building, training, and trilateral relationship development, provide so much potential for positive local impact and innovation.  I encourage you to network with each other as well as the experts and expand the personal relationships that will make these partnerships stronger and more fruitful for years to come.

It is our sincere hope that at the end of these three conference days, your experiences and discussions have provided significant and eye-opening contributions to strengthening your projects over the next year.
Thank you again for joining us and good luck!

I now declare the Conference open.


This article has been read 1,559 times
COMMENTS