The first agreement of its kind signed between any Venezuelan and US city in more than 10 years
Chicago, March 15th, 2009.- In an unprecedented event that will signify the establishment of stronger cooperative ties between a US city and a Venezuelan city, this March 24th in Milwaukee will host the signing ceremony of the Sister Cities Agreement between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the city of Carora, located in Torres municipality, state of Lara, Venezuela. This initiative will benefit both cities in the areas of economic development, agriculture, health, education, cultural exchange, social awareness and tourism.
The agreement culminates months of hard work from civil society leaders and political figures in both countries. The Consulate of Venezuela in Chicago and the Office of the Mayor of the Torres Municipality, including former Mayor Julio Chavez and current Mayor Edgar Carrasco worked on the Venezuelan side, while “The Peace Education Project of Peace Action Wisconsin,” a Milwaukee based civil society group, the City Council of Milwaukee led by Alderman Joe Davis, and Mayor Tom Barrett, put out a great effort in the US, to make the agreement a reality.
This agreement fosters direct people-to-people relationships, allowing citizens in both cities to begin a reciprocal relationship for their mutual benefit. Agreements such as this one, complement the traditional relationships between countries led by federal governments at the national level.
Within the framework of the formal signing ceremonies March 23-24, the Venezuelan representatives from the Torres Municipality will participate at events in both Milwaukee and Chicago with local media, elected officials and grassroots organizations to inform them of Carora’s achievements in the community councils and the participatory budget issues, based on the renowned gains by the municipality of Torres in these important areas.
For more information, contact Mr. Rixio Barrios at Consulate of Venezuela in Chicago at
Office: (312) 324-0907, Ext. 90. Fax: (312) 580-1010, Email: ven.chicago@gmail.com.
Or Alderman Joe Davis in the city of Milwaukee: jldavis@milwaukee.gov
Additional web-sources:
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2359
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2007/710/36850
http://milwaukee.indymedia.org/en/2006/07/205752.shtml
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3784
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/18895
http://mayors.org/usmayornewspaper/documents/10_08_07/pg13_hemispheric.asp
