Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today delivered the keynote address at the New York City Global Partners summit "Governing a Diverse City in a Democratic Society" held at Columbia University.  The summit was the inaugural event for New York City Global Partners, formerly the Sister City Program of New York. Civic leaders and government officials from around the world gathered for panel discussions and other events to discuss strategies for meeting the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities of globalization. The summit was sponsored by the Office of the Mayor, New York City Global Partners, Columbia University World Leaders Forum, and the New York Immigration Coalition.

"New York City has always been a place where immigrants have come to pursue their dreams - it is what has made our city so great," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The City recognizes its role as a world leader in advancing economic opportunity, democratic values, creativity, and cultural diversity. We don't claim to have all the answers, so we want to learn from the rest of the world and also share what steps New York is taking." 

"The purpose of New York City Global Partners is to forge relationships among the world's great cities and to promote cooperation by sharing best practices," said New York City Global Partners Acting President Marjorie Tiven. "Through Global Partners the leadership of the world's great cities will be given the opportunity to work together on their common agendas to ensure they will continue to be places of freedom and opportunity."

"Columbia is proud to collaborate with Mayor Bloomberg's Administration, New York City Global Partners and the New York Immigration Coalition in hosting this important event where our City's leaders can join with their counterparts from around the world to share ideas and solutions to the critical urban issues we face in an era of globalization," said Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger. "Mayor Bloomberg's policies reflect the understanding that new immigrants have always been essential to New York's dynamism and success - to our very identity as a City that's an engine for new ideas and economic opportunity for people from across the world."

"We are delighted to work with the City of New York, New York City Global Partners, and Columbia University to address critical issues facing immigrant communities throughout the world," said New York Immigration Coalition Director Chung-Wha Hong. "I hope the conference will further our thinking on government-community partnerships and municipal policies that foster and harness the tremendous talents and energy that immigrants bring to local communities."

This summit brought together governmental leaders and policy professionals from nearly 20 nations.  Cities represented at the summit include Beijing, Bombay, Budapest, Cairo, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Rome, Santo Domingo, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Calgary, Copenhagen, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Edmonton, Gothenburg, The Hague, Istanbul, Luxembourg City, Lyon, Milan, Oslo, Ottawa, Paris, Stockholm, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Vienna, and Winnipeg.

The summit's program featured the leadership of key agencies of the Bloomberg administration including Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, Youth and Community Development Commissioner Jeanne B. Mullgrav, Human Resources Commissioner Verna Eggleston, and Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, MD, to discuss programmatic solutions that have been implemented to address the needs of immigrant communities. New York City Global Partners is working to forge strong relationships among all global cities to ensure that global cities will continue to be place of freedom and opportunity.