Lae and Charleston, South Carolina have formally initiated a Sister Cities relationship at a historic signing of an intent to partner held in Lae. The Lae City Authority Chief Executive Officer, Robin Calistus signed on behalf of Lae and Neita Wiese, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charleston Sister Cities International signed earlier in Charleston. Carlo Capua, the Chair-elect of Sister Cities International and Chief of Strategy and Innovation for the City of Fort Worth, Texas, facilitated the signing. Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, and Dr. Suely Saro, a city council member from Long Beach, California, officiated the event with the signing intended to partner and mark a significant step towards fostering deeper economic, cultural, and educational ties between the two cities. Capua, who last visited Lae 21 years ago, expressed his excitement about this connection, emphasizing the transformative potential of these city-to-city partnerships. "These mayor-to-mayor partnerships are a two-way exchange of ideas and culture, and present an exciting opportunity for economic development, education, and cultural exchange.” “Returning to Lae and seeing the enthusiasm for engagement is truly inspiring." At the event, Calistus stated, “The signing of this partnership is a blessing for the people of Lae city and the people of PNG.” “It’s a great opportunity for us to learn from one another and help one another.” Deputy Prime Minister Rosso noted that this Sister Cities relationship is an integral part of the development of the city and sharing of culture, and the expansion of education, health, business ties. Dr. Suely Saro, a city council member from Long Beach, California, and a key advocate for Sister Cities partnerships, also attended the ceremony and spoke about the power of Sister Cities to improve the lives of everyday people by linking communities directly with one another across the globe. Dr. Saro is an advocate for Sister Cities partnerships between Long Beach and nine other cities and expressed her hopes to sign a letter of intent to partner on Sister Cities with Port Moresby Governor, Powes Pakop on Friday. “These non-binding agreements are a testament to the commitment and willingness of both parties to engage in detailed discussions about the future of their partnerships.” “I have seen firsthand how these partnerships facilitate discussions, exchanges, and trade, by providing each city a mechanism to identity and engage with their peers in their sister city.” “The letter of intent will spur the formation of Sister Cities committees who will work over the next months to define the relationship and hopefully lead to a visit of our mayor and other mayors to Papua New Guinea.” Meanwhile representatives from Sister Cities and Long Beach, California, attended FestPac Cultural Festival in Hawai'i this June, where Carlo, Neita, and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met with the PNG delegation led by Steven Kilanda. These new partnerships are an initiative called 7 for 70, which commits to creating seven new Sister City relationships in the Pacific Islands by 2026 in celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Sister Cities International. 7 for 70 is a partnership between Sister Cities International and the White House and was first announced at U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit meeting at the White House on September 25, 2023. The goal is to strengthen ties between the United States and Pacific Islands nations through new partnerships and promoting cultural understanding. Sister Cities International began in 1956, initiated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's vision of fostering global friendships and cultural understanding through municipality-to-municipality partnerships. Today, Sister Cities International encompasses more than 400 U.S. cities with relationships in 2,100 communities across 145 countries, including this historic new connection with Papua New Guinea.