Recent Activities
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May 1, 2012 -- Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia -- Mayor Parker presented Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia with honorary citizenships. Their Royal Highnesses were in Houston to receive the Virtuosi of Houston Achievement Award for their outstanding humanitarian and educational efforts in Serbia. Proceeds of the 2012 Virtuosi gala supported youth programming in Houston and the Lifeline New York Humanitarian Foundation, patronized by Crown Princess Katherine.
May 1 -- Consul General of the Netherlands -- The Honorable Simone Filippini, consul general of the Netherlands in Miami, visited with Mayor Parker. Consul General Filippini attended the Offshore Technology Conference and National Day reception for the Netherlands. The consulate general in Miami covers Texas as part of its jurisdiction.
April 25 -- President of Mexico -- Mayor Parker presented His Excellency Felipe Calderón, president of Mexico, with the Key to the City. During his visit to city hall, President Calderón also met with local elected officials and community leaders.
April 25 -- Mayor of Zhanjiang, China -- The Honorable Wang Zhongbing, mayor of Zhanjiang, China, signed a memorandum of understanding with Mayor Parker. The two-year agreement will promote cooperation related to business/trade, petrochemical industry development, environmental protection and tourism.
April 18 -- Vice Mayor of Chongqing, China -- Mayor Parker met with the Honorable Wu Gang, vice mayor of Chongqing, China. Mr. Wu led a delegation to Houston to learn about our medical center. Council Members Adams, Costello, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez also participated in the meeting.
April 9 -- Mayor of Guangzhou, China -- The Honorable Chen Jianhua, mayor of Guangzhou, China, signed a memorandum of understanding with Mayor Parker. The two-year agreement’s objective is to conduct exchanges and seek best practices in fields such as economy, biomedicine/healthcare, science/technology, urban construction and city administration.
March 22, 2012 -- Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association -- On March 22, 2012, Chief Development Officer Andy Icken signed a Cross-Promotional Memorandum of Understanding with Mr. Chen Qiwei, standing member of Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association. Mr. Chen was a member of the delegation led by Mr. Feng Guoqin, Chairman, Shanghai's People Political Consultative Committee and President & Secretary General of Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association. Mayor Parker and Consul General Xu Erwen were witnesses to the agreement signing. The memorandum's objective is to promote and expand communication, coordination and mutual understanding between Shanghai and Houston as partner cities. Each city will show the other's tourism videos in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
March 1, 2012 -- Shanghai Sports Administration -- Mayor Parker met with Mr. Li Yuyi, director of the Shanghai Sports Administration Bureau, on March 1, 2012. Mr. Li led a delegation to Houston to learn about our sports industry.
February 27, 2012 -- Consul General of Qatar -- The Honorable Faisal Al-Henzab, consul general of Qatar, met with Mayor Parker shortly after assuming his post. Mayor Parker and Consul General Al-Henzab discussed ways to increase Houston’s already strong ties to Qatar. Doha and Houston are both members of the World Energy Cities Partnership.
February 15, 2012 -- Consul General of Russia -- Mayor Parker welcomed the Honorable Alexander Zakharov, consul general of Russia, to his posting in Houston. Among the many ties between Houston and Russia is our sister city relationship with Tyumen and a cooperation agreement with Moscow, both of which are coordinated by the Russian Chamber of Commerce of Texas. Consul General Zakharov assumed his post in February 2012.
February 15, 2012 -- Ambassador of Tunisia -- Mayor Parker met with His Excellency Mohamed Salah Tekaya, Ambassador of Tunisia. Ambassador Tekaya was in Houston as part of a three-city tour of the United States. While in Houston, he spoke at a breakfast briefing hosted by the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce.
February 9, 2012 -- Harbin, China -- Council Member Wanda Adams met with students and teachers from the Heilongjiang Provincial Experimental High School in Harbin, China. The students were accompanied by their host students and faculty from the Houston Academy for International Studies. Council Member Adams shared stories and impressions of her recent visit to China. Following the meeting the students toured city hall.
February 2012 -- Dalian, China -- Mayor Parker met with students and teachers from the Dalian #24 School from Dalian, China. The Dalian group is part of an annual exchange between the school and Lamar High School. Mayor Parker greeted the students and talked to them about her job as mayor of the city.
2012 -- Japanese Garden in Hermann ParkDalian, China --Since 2006, landscape architects and gardeners from Houston’s sister city Chiba have traveled to Houston to advise Hermann Park staff on maintenance and care of the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park. This year, Ms. Aya Nakamura, Mr. Hiroshi Iwasaki, and Mr. Taiki Iwasaki worked to make the Japanese Garden more closely reflect true Japanese gardening principles. As a gesture of friendship and good will, Mr. Joe Turner, director of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, presented the landscape architects and gardeners with welcome certificates from Mayor Parker. Representatives from the Houston Office of Protocol and International Affairs and the Hermann Park Conservancy attended the presentation ceremony which took place inside the Japanese Garden.
December 8, 2011 -- Holidays Around the World -- First Lady Kathy Hubbard served as honorary chair of the Holidays Around the World Event, hosted by the Houston Office of Protocol & International Affairs and the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Consular Corps and local multicultural organizations decorated holiday trees to reflect the culture or heritage of various regions. Proceeds from the event benefited Child Advocates.
December 5, 2011 -- Holiday Reception Honoring Spouses of Consular Officials -- For the second year First Lady Kathy Hubbard and the Houston Office of Protocol & International Affairs hosted a holiday reception honoring the spouses of consular officials and the women in Houston’s Consular Corps. The event, chaired by Shara Fryer, was held at Rienzi, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, which is a house museum for European decorative arts and paintings. At the event Consular Ladies Club President Sonia Mykletun presented a donation to Ms. Hubbard for the Houston Food Bank.
November 18, 2011 -- National Day of Equatorial Guinea -- Houston City Council Member Jarvis Johnson presented a proclamation to the Honorable Domingo Mba Esono in honor of the 43rd national day of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. The country has had consular representation in Houston since 2007.
November 12, 2011 -- Consulate General of India Opens New Office -- The government of India inaugurated its new consular offices on November 12. Mayor Parker participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with (left to right) the Honorable Sanjiv Arora, Consul General of India; Houston City Council Member Mike Sullivan; Her Excellency Nirupama Rao, Ambassador of India, and Mr. Sudhakar Rao.
November 10, 2011 -- Mayor Parker Introduces HOPIA -- Mayor Parker introduced the services of the Houston Office of Protocol & International Affairs to the international community of Houston. Representatives of the consular corps, cultural organizations, the Texas Medical Center, and the corporate community were in attendance.
November 2, 2011 -- Consul General of Ireland -- Mayor Parker met with the Honorable Aidan Cronin, Consul General of Ireland from Chicago. Consul General Cronin was appointed to his office in August 2011 and traveled to Houston for the first time as consul general. While in Houston, he met with local business and community leaders. His visit was arranged by the Honorable John Kane, honorary consul general of Ireland in Houston.
August 2011 -- Student Delegation from Sister City Chiba Japan -- The Houston-Chiba Sister City Committee of Japan American Society Houston hosted four middle school students and their teacher from Chiba City, Japan. During their visit, the group from Houston’s Japanese sister city lived with host families and attended classes with their host siblings at Johnston Middle School. A highlight of their trip was a visit to City Hall, where Mayor Annise Parker greeted the visiting students and their hosts.