São Paulo’s Sister Cities

As diplomatic instruments, Sister Cities bilateral agreements can provide for the exchange of knowledge on public policies and projects in various areas such as health programs, cultural policies, and other topics of mutual interest to cities.

More than that, sisterhood agreements represent a formal and legal basis for the establishment of eventual technical cooperation agreements, exchange and economic development programs, and serving the descendant community of the sister city's country or region.

In the wide range of cities associated with São Paulo, some are very active, such as Shanghai (China) and Seoul (South Korea). Therefore, it is realized that despite the geographical and cultural distance between these cities and São Paulo, these agreements serve as channels for strengthening the bonds of friendship between them.

Sister Cities agreements have been established over 5 decades, the first being signed in 1962, between São Paulo and Milan (Italy) and the last in 2017, with Huabei, in China.

In 2007 the Municipal Law 14.471 was published, which consolidates municipal legislation on sister cities in the city of São Paulo and reaffirms the sisterhood agreements that had been established until then.

Check here the complete table of São Paulo's Sister Cities agreements

 

Bilateral Cooperation Agreements

Bilateral cooperation agreements are signed when there is an interest on both sides in strengthening political and cultural ties to enable projects and initiatives in partnership.

Such agreements have a simple legal structure and a determined expiration date. They can either provide for topics of common interest, such as bilateral agreements in the areas of mobility and housing, or be generic, leaving room for cooperation on various topics.

Check here the bilateral agreements in force with the city of São Paulo