Newsletter: Houston MOTIA May 2021 Highlights

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

The month of May was an eventful month for the city, as Houston celebrated World Trade Month and Houston's international trade relationships with more than 200 countries. In addition to Houston's more than 90 consulates, there are 15 foreign governments that maintain trade and commercial offices in Houston, and 41 active foreign chambers of commerce. We also take pride in our relationships with friends and partners abroad, this month working with Denmark and Belgium on climate action oriented agreements and programs.

We also organized our 4th annual Houston Africa Day celebration, where we welcomed Ambassadors from 10 African nations and the Africa Union to a full day of business programs and a cultural reception. Our success was made possible by the incredible support of our Houston community and the valuable friendships brought to our city by our international partners.

As Houston's city’s global presence and influence continues to grow, the Mayor’s Office of Trade and International Affairs (MOTIA) is proud to serve as the link between Houstonians and the world. Whether welcoming heads of state, building international diplomatic ties, attracting foreign direct investment, or assisting Houston businesses seeking markets abroad, MOTIA's core mission is the preservation, promotion, and continued growth of Houston's standing as a premier international city.

Sincerely,

The City of Houston marked its 4th annual Houston Africa Day celebration on May 27 by hosting Her Excellency Hilda Suka-Mafudze, African Union Ambassador to the United States, and Ambassadors from 10 African nations to Houston at a business forum and cultural reception in Houston.

"Houston Africa Day is a way to celebrate business and trade opportunities along with the vibrant art, culture, and food of our African diaspora in Houston," said Mayor Turner. "Houston takes great pride in our rich diversity, and Africa day is a chance to showcase Houston's ties to the African continent."

The Africa Day celebrations opened with a Houston Africa Business Forum sponsored by Chevron, welcoming African officials, Houston business leaders, and finance professionals to discuss opportunities to build even more robust business ties between Houston and Africa. Houston is already the second busiest gateway for U.S.-African trade and MOTIA will ensure that our relationship with this rich and diverse continent will continue to grow.

Africa Day concluded with a reception to celebrate Houston's diverse African community, and commemorate the civic and cultural contributions of the African diaspora in Houston. MOTIA welcomed the African ambassadors, elected officials, city council members, members of the Houston Consular Corps, and our Houston community to local African cuisine, performing arts, and a special art exhibition that highlighted the different regions of Africa. Thank you to our event sponsors including Houston First, Chevron, Wazobia, Houston Airports System, the Office of Business Opportunity and food vendors Peli Peli, Zoa Moroccan Kitchen, Lucy's Ethiopian, and Who's Who for your valued contribution to the success of this year's event. View the event photos.

Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed Her Excellency Lone Wisborg, Ambassador of the Embassy of Denmark in the U.S., and the Consul General of Denmark in Houston T.H. Morten Siem Lynge to increase cooperation between Houston and Denmark. Following a day of working group meetings supported by Houston Public Works and the Recovery and Resilience Office, Houston and Denmark signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Letter of Intent focused on sharing knowledge, best practices, and water management solutions as they relate to climate mitigation and resilience, environmental restoration, and efficient water and wastewater management.

Houston has been working alongside the city of Esbjerg as part of the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP) for many years, and through this MOU our city strives to further strengthen our cooperation with all of Denmark on climate action, resilience, and water/wastewater management. We look forward to our current and future work with the Government of Denmark and the cities of Esbjerg and Copenhagen to achieve the long term strategy for global climate action.

Countering climate change requires the development of innovative technology as well as a sustained global commitment for a clean energy economy. Mayor Sylvester Turner and MOTIA Director Chris Olson joined representatives from the City of Houston, Greater Houston Partnership, City of Antwerp, Flanders Investment and Trade, and Port of Antwerp for a 2-day virtual trade mission on May 19-20 on powering the cleantech revolution.

As two of the world's major petrochemical clusters cities, Houston and Antwerp have set the energy transition at the top of their list of priorities. Together with industry, work is underway to reduce CO2 emissions and accelerate the transition to alternative energy sources through ambitious transition projects, to include generating renewable energy, using residual heat, and importing, storing and converting hydrogen into sustainable building blocks for the chemical sector.

The Greater Houston Partnership hosted an in-depth conversation on business and tourism opportunities between Houston and Mexico, with remarks from the Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs Director, Chris Olson and HoustonFirst Vice President for Tourism Jorge Franz. Director Olson highlighted Houston's strong relationship with Mexico, Houston's second largest trading partner, and the wide ranging economic impact this brings to Houston. Texas is the largest transit point for cross border trade with Mexico, which generates enormous economic activity that is captured in not only in the direct trade data but also in Houston's tourism, in our restaurants, through shopping in our stores, and adding economic value to our communities that is not always captured in our trade data.

The event highlighted Houston First Corporation's "Hola Houston" campaign in honor of International Business Month, shedding light on the region's internationality and strength in connecting businesses to all corners of the world. View the recording.

Houston’s growth as a global innovation hub was on full display during the Houston Tech Rodeo, a festival that celebrates the convergence of popular culture and innovation in Houston. The event is an essential destination for founders (future and present) and talented individuals to spur new connections and ideas while highlighting all that Houston has to offer. The Houston Tech Rodeo proves that the most impactful discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.

The “Born Global” day, a full 12 hours of programing covering Houston’s relationships with every region of the world, highlighted Houston’s position as a leader in building startups and growing a world class innovation ecosystem. Director Chris Olson was a keynote speaker,, and the day celebrated a wide range of Houston leaders driving forward Houston innovation. Thank you to Houston Exponential for the incredible weeklong event, and to ZLab and Sunny Shuoyang Zhang for the Born Global day. For more information visit the Tech Rodeo website here.

As the summer kicks off and international travel one again restarts, our partners at the State Department want to remind everyone to check the validity of your passport well in advance of any planned travel. Passport applicants may now apply for routine service and should expect to receive their passport in 10-12 weeks. Visit travel.state.gov for tools to find a passport acceptance facility or make an appointment at an agency for urgent/immediate travel.

Acceptance facilities managed by the City of Houston include:

Harris County District Clerk
City of Houston Municipal Courts – Lubbock *New as of Feb 2021
City of Houston Municipal Courts – Westside *New as of Feb 2021
Park Place Regional Library
Henington Alief Regional Library
McGovern – Stella Link Library
Collier Regional Library
Houston Public Library - Central

The State Department provides travel updates and information via Facebook and Twitter. Follow them at: @TravelGov facebook.com/TravelGov or contact the National Passport Information Center 1-877-487-2778 TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793. *Please note that MOTIA does not provide any passport services.