Newsletter: Houston MOTIA November 2021 Highlights

On November 19, on behalf of the City of Houston, Mayor Turner welcomed Mayor Song Chul-Ho of Ulsan, Republic of Korea, back to our great city! This visit commemorated the signing of the Sister City agreement, the final step in formalizing the sister city relationship between Houston and Ulsan. Houston is incredibly proud of all our sister city relationships, and through our global partnerships with cities and countries around the world Houston has grown into a great global city and the most diverse city in the U.S. We are proud to finally include Ulsan as our sister city thanks to the support of our Korean community. During this visit, MOTIA also joined Mayor Song and his delegation at a welcome luncheon hosted by the Houston-Ulsan Sister City Association and the Korean American Association and Community Center of Houston (KAACCH).

Ulsan is the Republic of Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. Korea is Houston’s fourth largest international trading partner, with trade valued at $9.5 billion in 2020. Houston has more than 35,000 residents of Korean descent enriching our city, from the beloved “KFest”, the nationally-recognized annual Korean Festival, to Houston's largest Koreatown district in Spring Branch offering culture, education, businesses, and of course food. We greatly value their important role in the cultural, civic and commercial life of our city.

Houston looks forward to working closely with Ulsan and the Korean community in Houston to ensure a fruitful sister city relationship with Ulsan for years to come. Sister City Signing Ceremony Recording

"I am pleased to join world leaders & mayors from across the world at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Scotland to discuss Houston's and cities' roles in reaching net zero goals, advancing climate adaptation projects and much more." - Mayor Sylvester Turner

In November, Mayor Turner joined world leaders and mayors from across the world at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland. Mayor Turner is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Resilient Cities Network and Chair of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of more than 470 U.S. mayors representing 48 states and 74 million Americans. The Climate Mayors coalition reflects U.S. cities' commitment to climate progress.

Cities such as Houston are hubs of innovation and resilience. Cities are closest to the impacts of climate change and at the frontlines of solutions to mitigate its short- and long-term effects. From clean public transit to green spaces to more energy-efficient buildings and affordable, pollution-free housing, city climate action is the most effective way to create healthy, thriving, and more equitable communities while confronting the climate crisis. Among the priority topics discussed during the COP26 were the importance of sub-national engagement for addressing climate action, and the critical role of private-public partnerships. We greatly appreciate the support of all of our partners in making our visit to COP26 so successful.

"Mayors cannot properly address the crisis alone, though. That's why mayors from around the world are coming together in Glasgow to deliver a resounding message to national governments, business executives, youth activists, and other leaders at COP26," said Mayor Turner. "Cities around the world are delivering the climate solutions and level of ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis and create a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable future." Press Release

On behalf of the City of Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner and Council Member David Robinson welcomed H.E. Lea Wermelin, Minister for the Environment of Denmark, and a business delegation from Denmark to Houston.

An MOU was signed with the City of Copenhagen focused on promoting the continued and mutually beneficial relationship between Denmark and Houston as both move forward efforts to develop scalable solutions to address challenges related to climate resilience, flood mitigation, and climate change with a focus on sharing knowledge, experiences, data, and best practices employed to address these challenges.

The delegation also visited Grundfos’ new global headquarters for water utilities in Houston. Based in Denmark, Grundfos is the largest pump manufacturer in the world with more than 19,000 employees globally. Sustainability is a major priority for Grundfos; in addition to manufacturing energy- and water-efficient pumping solutions, the company focuses on making a difference on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

The business delegation was co-organized by DI - Dansk Industri, Danish Export Association, and Denmark in USA – The Trade Council of Denmark in North America.

MOTIA and the Greater Houston Partnership welcomed a trade mission from Chile to Houston to connect, develop, and strengthen the innovation, knowledge, and business ecosystems between Houston and Chile. ProChile in collaboration with Endeavor organized the trade mission to explore new business opportunities in Texas for Chile’s scale ups and small to medium sized enterprises in a post COVID19 era. Areas of focus included US Procurement, Strategic Supply Chain, Near-Shoring / Re-Shoring Initiatives, Digital Economy and the Energy Transition. The Houston-Galveston Customs District is the second busiest gateway for U.S.- Chilean trade and Chile is Houston’s third largest South American trade partner. From ’11 to ’20, trade between Houston and Chile averaged $4.1 billion annually.

Global Houston

Mayor Turner welcomed to Houston H.E. George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs of Nigeria, and a delegation of Nigerian officials for a two-day conference on Investment, Economic Development and Governance. The objective of the trip was to promote strategic partnerships and relationships with companies, universities, and government agencies in Texas. Other participants included: H.E. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, H.E. Elder Donald Alasoadura, Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs and H.E. Mukhtar I. Bashir, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Nigeria, Washington-DC. MOTIA and Director Chris Olson joined the Nigerian delegation for a day of business engagement and panel discussions on potential opportunities in Nigeria for Houston businesses.

MOTIA joined city and community leaders for the unveiling of the design plans for the first Ismaili Center in the U.S. set to be built on Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard, with commissioning from His Highness the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. Once it's complete, this masterpiece of architecture and community engagement will join its counterparts in London, Lisbon, Dubai, Dushanbe, Vancouver and Toronto.

“The Center will elevate, yet again, Houston on the world map as a global city where people of all backgrounds can come together," said Mayor Turner. "The Ismaili Muslim community in Houston and the United States continues to actualize the values that these Centers aim to promote – friendship, service, and mutual understanding.” Mayor Turner visits The Ismaili Centre, London, 2017

For the first time in history, the United States hosted the World Table Tennis Championship. This year's tournament in Houston coincided with the 50th anniversary of the historic first meeting between the Chinese and American teams. It was 50 years ago that the USA Table Tennis Team arrived in China for a friendly Table Tennis exchange in 1971. "Ping Pong Diplomacy" brought the U.S. and China to the table, setting the stage for establishing formal diplomatic relations. The slogan for that event was the Chinese athletic slogan "Friendship First, Competition Second" and eased diplomatic tensions enough to allow President Richard M. Nixon to travel to Beijing in 1972.

For this first Championship in the U.S., Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed athletes, dignitaries, and guests to the Ping Pong Diplomacy Dignitary Dinner hosted by the Houston Harris County Sports Authority. Special Guests included President Nixon's grandson, Christopher Nixon Cox, and Neil Bush, son of President H.W. Bush. "Houston is honored to be the host city for the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships and commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "As the nation's most diverse and welcoming city, Houston has a history of successfully hosting major events and promoting peace and friendship through sport."

Press release | Mayor's ITTF Welcome Video