Sister Cities International's affiliation policies
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The Sister Cities International Board of Directors has made significant changes to Sister Cities International's affiliations policies. The policies in effect are:
Only dues-paying members in good standing with Sister Cities International will have their sister city partnerships formally recognized.
- New partnerships will be considered official only when Sister Cities International has received signed copies of the sister city agreement(s).
- Sister Cities International will recognize a new sister cities partnership between a U.S. and an international community, even though another partnership may exist between that international community and a different U.S. community, only if a cooperative agreement among all involved communities is filed with Sister Cities International.
- Sister Cities International's former policy of U.S. communities partnering with only one sister city in an international country no longer applies. Sister Cities International members can now recognize more than one sister city partnership in any given country.
- Sister Cities International will consider a relationship to be active unless notified otherwise. Sister Cities International will provide guidance in periodically evaluating a relationship. Sister Cities International will also assist in revitalizing a relationship or in terminating a relationship, if the partners agree it is not working out. Inactive partnerships may be designated as a "Sister City Emeritus." Under this category, relationships which are no longer active will still be honored, but the international city will be available for another sister city partnership.
- Sister Cities International will recognize sister city partnerships in countries where formal U.S. diplomatic relations have not been established, provided that the U.S. government has at least an "Interest Section" operating in that country and provided that no federal funds are used by Sister Cities International to support the partnership. The only country immediately affected by this policy change is Cuba. Sister Cities International will now officially recognize United States-Cuba sister city partnerships, upon receipt of a copy of the signed sister cities agreement.