To enhance the friendship that exists between the two sister cities by working on programs that provide the opportunity to learn from each other; to establish activities and programs that encourage and support cultural, social, educational and commercial exchanges for the mutual benefit of both sister cities.

Goals and Objectives

• Develop programs between the two cities relating to the arts and culture, education and tourism.
• Create an atmosphere in which economic and community development can be implemented and strengthened
• Stimulate environments through which communities will creatively learn, work, and solve problems together through reciprocal cultural, educational, municipal, business, professional and technical exchanges and projects.
• Collaborate with organizations in the United States and other countries, which share similar goals.

Brief History of the Organization

Sister Cities International leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials and business leaders to conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit between the U.S. cities and cities all over the world.

Under the auspices of Sister Cities of Long Beach, Inc., the founding committee worked diligently for two years to establish Sister Cities Long Beach-Manta. This relationship became a reality when the Agreement was signed by Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill and Mayor Jorge Zambrano of Manta, Ecuador on September 27, 2000.

Long Beach-Manta Sister Cities is a non-profit organization established on September 27, 2000 when the mayors of Long Beach and Manta officially signed the document implementing the sisterhood.

The goal of the founding committee was to unite the two countries by joining these two cities. This group worked diligently for two years to establish the organization under the auspices of Sister Cites Ecuador-USA Corp.

Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between U.S. and international communities in an effort to increase global cooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding and to stimulate economic development. SCI leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials and business leaders to conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit. SCI was established by president Eisenhower in 1956.

For more information about us, please visit our website at http://www.mantasistercity.org