Palatine to host regional Sister Cities conference

People involved with the Sister Cities program throughout the Midwest will descend onto Palatine this spring.

The suburb is hosting the first Midwest regional conference for the organization, which promotes international citizen diplomacy.

The conference starts April 18. Visitors will come from neighboring states, as well as France, South Africa and Belgium.

"We are really excited about this," said Marg Duer, president of the village's Sister Cities Association. "It creates a lot of good networking opportunities."

Palatine's sister city is Fontenay, France, and the two have been paired since 1995. In Illinois, 43 towns are involved with the program, including many in the Chicago suburbs.

The international Sister Cities group was formed in 1956 under President Dwight Eisenhower and at the height of the Cold War.

Illinois Sister City communities have been participating in state conferences for decades, but this year the event is branching out beyond the state, said Duer.

Representatives from Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin will be invited.

"The bottom line of these relationships is to promote peace," said Duer.

Visit palatinesistercities.org for more information.