Newsletter: Houston MOTIA December 2021 Highlights

Dear Friends of the Mayor’s Office of Trade and International Affairs (MOTIA),

As we open the final newsletter of 2021, it is remarkable to see how far Houston has come this past year, and I take this opportunity to reflect on a few of Houston's accomplishments.

To start, Houston earned new recognition as a great global City. Time Magazine ranked Houston as one of the 100 Best Places in the World. Houston was Nr. 8 on the Top 100 World’s Most Innovative Cities, Nr. 19 in the world and Nr. 2 in the U.S. for Top Cities of the Future, and Nr. 3 on the U.S. Convention Cities Index. The Houston Ship Channel complex was once again ranked first in total waterborne tonnage in the U.S., and Houston is the only U.S. city to have two airports in the Best Airports in North America and Cleanest Airports in the Skytrax World Airport Awards rankings.

Houston as a global sports capital continued to grow. Houston hosted the World Table Tennis Championships Finals, the first time this event has ever been held in the U.S., the soccer Gold Cup tournament, and the Houston Astros played a home game for the Major League Baseball World Series the same day Houston hosted a FIFA World Cup 2026 site inspection delegation. And, Houston was selected for the fourth time to host the NCAA Final Four in 2023.

Despite the slowdown in global travel, Houston received official visits from the Presidents of Botswana, Ghana and Panama, the Vice-Presidents of El Salvador and Guyana, and welcomed visits from 13 ministers and 17 ambassadors. MOTIA hosted the 4th annual Africa Day celebration, during which a record-breaking of 10 Ambassadors from African nations and the Ambassador of the African Union to the U.S. took part in a full day of business meetings and a cultural reception. Capping our international calendar, for the 69th year Houston honored the members of the diplomatic corps at the Houston Consular Ball, celebrating the city's global leadership in climate action and our efforts to build a more resilient city.

As Houston leads the Energy Transition we welcomed energy professionals and government dignitaries from around the world to the 23rd Word Petroleum Congress, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), and CERAWeek, showcasing the transformation of the energy industry as we work together to reduce emissions, while providing reliable and affordable energy solutions to meet the growing global demand. On Earth Day, we opened the largest green-tech innovation center in the U.S., Greentown Labs – Houston. Mayor Turner was named Chair of the Board of Directors of the Resilient Cities Network and Climate Mayors, and continues to be the Secretariat for the World Energy Cities Partnership. In recognition of Houston's leadership, Mayor Turner joined world leaders from across the world at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland to highlight the critical role of cities in climate action, and the importance of private-public partnerships.

Driving international trade, in addition to our Africa business forum, MOTIA launched a live five-part web based training initiative to educate and empower small and medium Houston businesses (SMEs) to build an export capacity. We partnered with the University of Houston Texas Gulf Coast Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for World Trade month. We welcomed trade delegations to find new ways to increase global trade and grow innovation, including groups from Angola, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, and Nigeria.

Community outreach and citizen diplomacy remains a core component of Houston as an international city. In April, Houston again hosted the largest community Iftar in the U.S., providing a virtual celebration and serving more than 2000 free meals to the community. In July, Mayor Turner joined Mayor Wen-Je Ko of Taipei City to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Houston and Taipei, Houston’s first sister city. In November, Houston welcomed our newest Sister City, Ulsan, Republic of Korea, during signing ceremony between Mayor Turner and Mayor Song Cheol-ho at Houston City Hall. We celebrated other important milestones with the 80th anniversary of the Consulate General of Japan in Houston and the opening of the Mexican consulate’s new location.

Houston remains one of the most welcoming international cities in the world, home to an educated and diverse workforce with a broad industry base that includes energy, life sciences, technology, advanced manufacturing, and logistics. As we look forward to 2022, our office extends our deepest appreciation to all of our local and international partners for your continued effort to make Houston such a great global city.

Mayor Turner welcomed the 23rd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) to Houston. WPC is the flagship event of the World Petroleum Council, dedicated to the promotion of sustainable management and use of the world’s petroleum resources for the benefit of all. WPC has taken place every three years in different World Petroleum Council member countries since 1933, and Houston is proud to serve as the host for the 23rd WPC.

View the Opening Ceremony

The 2021 Congress marked the first time WPC had been held in the U.S. in more than 30 years. Exhibitors from around the world filled the George R. Brown Convention Center, allowing more than 5,000 visitors from 70 countries the opportunity to see the latest innovations in construction, operations, and sustainability in the energy industry. Energy industry leaders gathered to discuss a monumental challenge: how to address climate change while continuing to meet the expanding energy needs of the growing global population.

Visitors who met with Mayor Turner hailed from Saudi Arabia, Angola, Peru, India, and more. This year's Congress closed with a memorable ceremony as Mayor Turner handed the WPC obelisk to Calgary, Canada's Mayor Jyoti Gondek as the official host of the 24th World Petroleum Congress. We thank the WPC Organizing Committee and exhibiters for the success of this year's WPC.

"In Houston, we have met our goal of having municipal facilities powered by 100% renewable energy and of creating 50 new clean energy 2.0 companies by 2025. I've spoke on the essential role of cities and private-public partnerships at COP26 and the World Petroleum Congress, showing that Cities can lead both in energy and climate action, and that we must do this together with our partners in industry," said Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Press Release

On December 9-10, Energy Capital & Power (ECP) hosted the U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) in Houston to further bring together Houston's energy industry and the African continent. Mayor Turner welcomed delegates at the U.S.-Africa investment event which matched African petroleum, natural gas, power, energy storage, and renewable development projects with American investors and technology. MOTIA Director Chris Olson, moderated one of the key plenary sessions on managing the energy transition in the African context with a panel of African energy and investment leaders. We look forward to our continued work with ECP to provide opportunities for Houston companies to further engage with Africa's energy sector.

Mayor Turner welcomed T.H. Jose Fernandez, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, for a dialogue on the global energy transition and engagement with the energy industry during the WPC. Under Secretary Fernandez met with a range of Houston-area companies, non-profits, and local government officials to discuss his plans for leading the energy and environment portfolio at State and the importance of addressing climate change and leveraging clean energy initiatives.

Under Secretary Fernandez highlighted the Mayor's recent participation at COP26 and his leadership in Climate Mayors, which highlights America's leadership on urban climate issues and helps to connect the dots between domestic and international policy goals. He emphasized the importance of the U.S. Department of State engaging with small- and medium-sized business communities and private sector stakeholders that are typically underrepresented in order to better inform policy.

Mayor Turner welcomed H.E. Miguel Torruco Marqués, Minister of Tourism of Mexico, to discuss opportunities to increase the number of visitors between Houston and Mexico. Trade and cultural relationships in Houston are facilitated through the Consulate General of Mexico, the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the Mexico Tourism Board and the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston. Seven airlines offer a total of 63 daily nonstop passenger flights between Houston and 22 cities in Mexico.

In June of 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico visited Houston to attend the grand opening of the Consulate General of Mexico’s new building. Houston First has expressed strong interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration in tourism and exchanges between Houston and Mexico City.

Mexico- Houston Trade Ties