Cooperation between Belgrade and Chicago

 

The Chicago and Belgrade Sister Cities Agreement was signed on 7th June 2005, during a visit by a City of Belgrade delegation, led by Mayor Nenad Bogdanović, to the United States of America. The agreement contains provisions under which the two cities will develop sisterly relations founded on cooperation, equality and mutual benefit in order to improve and expand cultural and economic cooperation and trade ties. In addition to this, exchanges in the areas of tourism, education, medicine, science, technology and sport are also envisaged which will help to improve further the friendship between the two peoples and our countries. After the signing, Belgrade became the 25th city to be twinned with this metropolis of three million, alongside the likes of Athens, Birmingham, Hamburg, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Shanghai and Toronto.

A Sister Schools Agreement between Miloš Crnjanski Primary School and Ogden Elementary School in Chicago was signed in March 2007.

Radmila Hrustanović, assistant mayor for development and international cooperation, attended the Chicago Global Cities Forum from the 27th to the 29th of April 2009. The first day of the forum was dedicated to the leadership of cities in economic recovery, while workshops on urban planning and construction, sustainable cities and human resources, i.e. investment in citizens, were held over the next two days.

Ogden High School pupils, accompanied by the principal, Ken Staral, and teachers, visited Belgrade from the 8th to the 18th of May 2009. Radmila Hrustanović and Zoran Alimpić, deputy chairman of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade, received them in the Old Palace.

As part of the cooperation activities between the sister cities, a new programme was created: the Chicago Sister Cities Medical Initiative Program which was launched in conjunction with the 11th Annual Lynn Savage Breast Cancer Symposium, held from the 1st to the 4th of October 2009. One of the hosts was also the Belgrade Committee for Sister Cities Cooperation. Dr. Jasmina Mladenović, from the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, travelled from Belgrade to attend the symposium.

A City of Belgrade delegation, led by Mayor Dragan Đilas, made a bilateral visit to Chicago from the 26th to the 28th of October 2009. During the visit, besides a meeting with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, meetings were also held at O’Hare International Airport, the Chicago Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management, Centre for Urban Planning, the Streets and Sanitation Department and the Water Management department. A professional exchange, relating to the fields of urban planning, city waste disposal and street maintenance, was agreed on, as well as police cooperation.

In 2009, Miloš Crnjanski Primary School joined the World Art Chicago multimedia project which provides the opportunity for pupils to exhibit their works of art on specific themes online. Twenty Belgrade primary and secondary schools have registered to take part in the project next year.

Milan Vuković and Iboja Stojanović, secretary and deputy secretary in the Secretariat for Urban Planning, visited Chicago from the 2nd to the 4thof June 2010 and met with representatives from equivalent city departments in Chicago.

A Sister School Agreement between Third Belgrade Grammar School and Ogden High School in Chicago was signed on the 22nd of November 2010 in the premises of Third Belgrade Grammar School. On this occasion, Belgrade Assistant Mayor Tatjana Pašić welcomed the principal, teachers and pupils of Ogden High School.‚

Children and teachers from public schools "Ogden" in Chicago, with which elementary school "Milos Crnjanski" and Third Belgrade High School have several years of cooperation in the framework of town and schools twinning, visited Belgrade from May 6 to May 15, 2011. The children were accommodated in homes of their Belgrade peers, participated in the workshops in the twinned schools, went on sightseeing tours and had reception in the Belgrade City Assembly.

Deputy Mayor and President of the Committee on Belgrade's cooperation with Chicago, Ms.Tatjana Pasic, hosted a reception with the Deputy Secretary for Education Ms. Dragica Moro. The reception was attended by guests from Ohrid and Vienna, who visited Belgrade on the occasion of the project "Culture without Borders". For the eleven guests from Chicago, the City of Belgrade prepared a rich program for sightseeing of the Serbian capital, courtesy of the Belgrade Tourist Organization and "Lasta" Bus Company. Besides visiting the city, the children visited Smederevo, Golubac and Silver Lake.

Tesla's days in Chicago were held from 5 to 28 August 2011. They started by opening the exhibition "The spark of genius Nikola Tesla" (The Spark of Genius Nikola Tesla), The opening ceremony was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, and President of the Committee for Cooperation of the cities of Belgrade and Chicago Ms. Tatjana Pasic, and the director of the Museum of Nikola Tesla Mr. Vladimir Jelenkovic. On this occasion it brought together about 400 scientists, statesmen and diplomats, representatives of the City of Chicago administration and eminent guests.

In the honor of the great scientist, Chicago Mayor Ram Emanuel named 6th of August the Nikola Tesla Day, with the wish that all citizens of Chicago participate in the celebration and recognize the history of friendship and cultural and scientific exchange that unites Chicago and Belgrade.

The exhibition was organized by the Chicago Council on Science and Technology in partnership with the Museum of Nikola Tesla from Belgrade, Belgrade Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International and the Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in Chicago. More information about the event can be found on the web page www.teslaexhibitchicago.com.