Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

After more than a year of moving toward this goal, the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project (IARP) and our partner in Iraq the Muslim Peacemaker Teams (MPT) are celebrating the beginning of a formal Sister City relationship between Najaf, Iraq and Minneapolis, MN USA. On Friday, July 31st, 2009, the Minneapolis City Council passed a resolution by unanimous vote establishing the two cities as official Sister Cities.

A Sister City relationship is a formal agreement signed by the governing bodies of each city committing to long term sharing of cultural, educational, and citizen resources. It is a symbolic statement of friendship and cooperation, but also an official commitment to build tangible connections.  A core belief of both IARP and MPT is that close interpersonal and community connections are key to building international peace.

As Minneapolis City Council Member Cam Gordon points out in his July, 2009 newsletter, the Sister City relationship with Najaf is “the City’s first such relationship in the Middle East, and (it will) help create a positive, peaceful, and non-imperial relationship between Najaf residents and Minneapolitans.” Gordon’s Policy Aide Robin Garwood also reports that “we don’t have any reason tobelieve that this new sister city relationship will entail any additional cost to the City.”

Media coverage of the Sister City relationship can be found at MPR, the TC Daily Planet, Star Tribune, and E-Democracy.org.

IARP is grateful for the many people who worked to get the resolution passed. Council Member Betsy Hodges, the original sponsor of the resolution, took the lead. The final resolution, voted on July 31st at the full Council, was sponsored by Council Members Hodges, Gordon, Hofstede, Glidden, and Remington. IARP also thanks City staff members Jenny Chayabutr, Lauren Maker and “Meet Minneapolis” International visitors point person, Bill Deef . Thanks also to the many others who supported the resolution.

The first official exchange between the two cities will come this September, when a delegation from Najaf will visit the Twin Cities for two weeks.

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