美国国际姐妹城协会主席号召全球友城共同抗疫，赞赏中美友城合作

近日，美国国际姐妹城协会（Sister Cities International，简称“SCI”）主席、得克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市市长尼伦伯格在该组织官方网站上发表声明，号召全球友城加强沟通与合作，共同应对新冠肺炎疫情挑战，并对中美友城合作抗疫表示了赞赏。

尼在声明中表示，世界正处于前所未有的全球健康和经济危机中，只有坚持团结、秉持希望，才能成功应对这异常艰难的境地。尼鼓励全球友城网络分享抗疫合作经验，相互学习与借鉴。从每个人每个社区做起，通过相互尊重、理解和合作来促进和平。

尼在声明中分享了中美两国友好城市之间互帮互助的感人故事。当疫情在中国发生时，尼担任市长的圣安东尼奥市社区成员积极帮助其中国友城无锡市募集资金采购急需物资，而当无锡市形势转好，转而向圣市提供援助，承诺捐赠3万多个口罩。这些富有同情心的交流合作是友城携手应对现实挑战的重要象征（声明原文附后）。

美国国际姐妹城协会于1956年成立，总部位于美国首都华盛顿，是中国人民对外友好协会在美的重要合作伙伴。2014年，中国人民对外友好协会与美国国际姐妹城协会共同创办中美友好城市大会，迄今已成功举办四届，成为两国友好城市交流沟通、深化合作的重要平台，多次被纳入中美战略与经济对话成果清单和中美社会和人文对话项目。中美两国间建有50对友好省州和227对友好城市。美国暴发疫情以来，中国人民对外友好协会第一时间协调国内地方省市积极向美友好州、友好城市表达慰问、捐赠物资，传递中国人民的真诚关切与支持。

A Message from the Chairman

Ron Nirenberg

Dear Friends:

Amidst an unprecedented global health and economic crisis, unyielding solidarity and hope are essential for us to successfully navigate this extraordinarily difficult environment. Humanity has not experienced such systematic disruption across every continent at any time in recent history.

Almost every major urban and rural population center has been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 virus, an invisible adversary that knows no borders and threatens our public health systems as well as our social and economic networks.

In this global era, our responsibility rests in protecting human health while reinforcing the bridges we have built between communities of many nations. We must be committed to a future of progress and global solidarity.

In this short time, we have witnessed several innovations, some of which have been taken as best practices from other communities around the world. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network for example, in which San Antonio participates, has convened its member cities to share best practices on various themes and facilitate the empowerment of communities to take actions that have worked elsewhere.

As the hub for institutional knowledge and best practices in the field of citizen diplomacy, we too should be doing the same in our network, highlighting stories of cooperation and shared learning among our many sister cities.

We have read stories of sister cities in China and the U.S. helping each other during this time.  My own city is an example. Members of our local community came together to assist our sister city Wuxi by raising funds to purchase needed supplies.

Now, our sister city has turned around and offered assistance to our community pledging a shipment of more than 30,000 masks.  These acts of compassionate exchange have been important symbols reinforcing the reality of our common experience.

As the Mayor of San Antonio, I have seen COVID-19’s devastating impact firsthand.  On Feb 1, I made my first public statement about the virus. Since then, I have had to issue five emergency declarations and an amendment to facilitate effective management of resources and ensure an efficient response to the impact of the virus in our community.

Critical coordination and strategic communication are pivotal in the effort to flatten the curve and eradicate this disease.  Other mayors around the world, from communities small and large, are dealing with the same issues.  We share the same concern for the welfare of our residents and first responders. We are dealing with the unintended consequences of social distancing, which has disrupted our workforce and local economies as well as our educational delivery systems.

Sister Cities International unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers in more than 140 countries. I call upon each of you to rise to the occasion and engage and communicate.  Even if we are practicing social distancing, this does not mean we should practice isolationism. Together, our global community will get through this.

Our work in the sister cities network is more important than ever. Let’s reinforce our values and mission to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation — one individual, one community at a time. And may the bridges we build remain open and everlasting.

Ron Nirenberg

Chairman of Sister Cities International

Mayor of San Antonio, Texas

中文译文

一份来自美国国际姐妹城协会主席

尼伦伯格的声明

亲爱的朋友们：

世界正处于前所未有的全球健康和经济危机中，只有坚持团结、秉持希望，我们才能成功应对这异常艰难的境地。在近代历史上，人类从没有经历过如此大规模的系统性灾难。

几乎每一个城市和农村等人口聚居地都受到新冠肺炎病毒的侵蚀。这个看不见的敌人不分国度地威胁着全球公共卫生系统和社会经济网络。

在这个全球化的时代，我们有责任保护全人类的健康，加强各国社区间的联系，缔造全球团结合作、共同发展的未来。

短短的时间内，我们见证了不少创新举措，其中一些被世界各地社区视为最佳实践。例如，圣安东尼奥所参加的联合国教科文组织的创意城市网络，召集其成员城市就不同议题分享成功经验，从而协助社区采取其他地方试用过的有效措施。

友好城市是公民外交最佳实践的汇集地。我们鼓励全球友城网络分享抗疫合作经验，相互学习与借鉴。

最近，我们了解到中美两国友好城市之间互帮互助的感人故事。我所在的圣安东尼奥市就是一个例子。当疫情在中国发生时，我们城市社区成员积极帮助其中国友城无锡市募集资金采购急需物资；而当无锡市形势转好，转而向我们提供援助，承诺捐赠3万多个口罩。这些富有同情心的交流合作是我们携手应对现实挑战的重要象征。

作为圣安东尼奥市的市长，我亲眼目睹了新冠肺炎病毒所带来的毁灭性影响。2月1日，我第一次就该病毒发表公开声明。在那之后，我五次宣布紧急状态和一项修正案，以促进管理资源，确保有效应对病毒对我们社区的影响。

积极的协调和战略沟通对于控制和根除这一疾病至关重要。世界各地城市的市长，无论城市规模大小，都在处理同样的问题。我们都时刻关心着社区居民和一线人员的安危，同时努力应对因为社交疏离而有可能在我们工作、经济及教育等领域产生的不良影响。

我们呼吁国际姐妹城协会网络下140多个国家从事公民外交的网络成员共同努力，积极应对形势，加强沟通，共同战胜疫情。

现在友好城市关系的工作比以往任何时候都更加重要。我们虽然都在保持社交距离以抗击疫情，但这不代表我们要采取孤立主义，只有合作才能让我们共渡难关。让我们一起增强价值观和使命感，从每个人每个社区做起，通过相互尊重、理解和合作来促进和平。愿我们缔造的友谊桥梁永远开放、永世长存。

尼伦伯格

美国国际姐妹城协会主席

得克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市市长