Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Friday morning signed a sister city agreement with Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
The agreement marks the first in partnership with Sister Cities International’s “7 for 70 Program,” supported by the U.S. State Department and the White House National Security Council under the Biden administration.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell attended the sister cities signing at the Hawai’i Convention Center during the Pacific Arts and Culture Festival to “celebrate and help launch” the program “for help advance our Pacific partner strategy, which is really designed in a multi-faceted way. initiatives to unite us,” he stated.
The White House announced in September that “the United States intends to form at least seven sister city partnerships with other Pacific Islands by 2026 in celebration of the 70th anniversary of Sister Cities International.”
According to Campbell, the effort begins in Rarotonga.
“In many countries in Europe there is a lot going on and their sister cities are important, but in the Pacific they are essential,” Campbell said. “The commitments we are making, connecting the internal peoples of the United States with the peoples of the Pacific, will fundamentally shape and change the relationships between our peoples over time.”
Blangiardi expressed his pride that Honolulu is the first city to participate in the “7 by 70” initiative, saying it is a hopeful example for others to follow.
He also said the signing of sister cities represents more than just a formal alliance; symbolizes a “sincere bond of friendship and cooperation that bridges oceans and unites our cultures.”
Blangiardi was accompanied by Honolulu Council President Tommy Waters, Cook Islands Premier Mark Brown and House of Ariki President Tou Travel Ariki.
This year’s FestPAC theme, “Ho’oulu Lahui: Regenerating Oceania,” made the sister city signing appropriate, according to Brown.
“This is a historic occasion for the Cook Islands,” Brown said. “I’m glad we can time this signing ceremony to coincide with the 13th Pacific Arts Festival.”
The Cook Islands delegates presented Blangiardi with a woven pandanus mat, an embroidered “tivaevae” quilt, an “atamira” main seat, a “korare” ceremonial spear and a Cook Islands Bible.
“It is a message for you to consider in our sacred prayer that our friendship between our people is like the strands of fiber in the woven mat, that this friendship extends from the highest of our people to the lowest of our people.” Brown said.
“The ties that unite the Maori of the Cook Islands and the Maoli of Hawaii go back generations. These links are manifested in the ocean voyages shared for centuries and in the exploration fleets of the Polynesian people that, even today, prosper.”
Brown said he was confident that this signature “will serve to further enrich and deepen the areas of cooperation between our peoples.”
Last week, Sister City International announced its intention to pursue partnerships with three cities in Papua New Guinea: Port Moresby and Long Beach, California; Lae and Charleston, South Carolina; and Madang and Poplar, Wisconsin.
On Monday, Madang officially began its international cooperation with Poplar by signing a “Partner Intention” Memorandum of Understanding.
“You wouldn’t normally think they would go together, but it’s a wonderful connection,” Campbell said. “And we want to do more of this as we move forward.”
“We look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities that have been created here at FestPAC to pursue potential future partnerships. If people have an idea or suggestion for a new connection we can make, we are all open to ideas and initiatives to move forward.”
Campbell said the State Department will do everything it can “to build more of these to make sure they hold up, to make sure they are strong and connect us in ways that they can’t break in the future.”
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