Who We are
Lexington Sister Cities
The Lexington Sister Cities Commission in a non-profit organization that manages and maintains programs and partnerships with Lexington's four Sister Cities.
Lexington has four Sister Cities: Deauville, France – 1957 County Kildare, Ireland – 1984 Shinhidaka, Japan – 1988 Newmarket, England – 2003
Roles & Responsibilities:
- Oversees and assists the Deauville, France, County Kildare, Ireland, Shinhidaka, Japan and Newmarket, England committees with projects and programs.
- Assists the government in proper reception of the many foreign visitors and dignitaries who frequent the Lexington area annually.
- Assists the government in international trade relations and promotion.
- Assists the government and its agencies in tourism and travel promotion on the international and national levels.
- Maintains direct contact with Sister Cities International and initiates contact with networking agencies in the Lexington area and the state.
- Informs and educates the public concerning the operation of the Commission and the active programs.
- Assists other cities in Kentucky participating in the Sister Cities program.
The Lexington Sister Cities Commission offers the opportunity for the community to:
- Learn about and participate in international relations.
- Experience other cultures, language, art, music and ideas.
- Understand the economics of world trade and tourism and increase our international business partnerships.
- Participate in cooperative community programs based on diversity.
Sister cities international
Sister Cities International was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 as a way to promote peace and prosperity through citizen diplomacy. President Eisenhower reasoned: "If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and to leap governments – if necessary to evade governments – to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other." Now, Sister Cities International has united tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers in 150 countries on six continents.