Press Releases
Kansas City - Karlovac Cooperation and Support to Local Development
For Immediate Release
September 6, 2005
ZAGREB, SEPTEMBER 5, 2005 - City officials from Kansas City are visiting city officials in Karlovac September 5 - 9 as part of the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) local government project. Representatives from the two cities will work together to develop a plan to expand tourism in Karlovac. Together, they will also design a public-private partnership plan to transform the former military barracks to residential housing in the center of Karlovac.
Karlovac and Kansas City began cooperating in November 2004, through the 'City Twinning' program. Pairing cities to exchange ideas on common issues related to local government is known as 'twinning'. This is part of USAID's Local Government Reform Project that provides technical assistance to strengthen local governments' ability to address citizen's needs more efficiently and provide more transparency and accountability in local affairs.
There are presently four such partnerships between Croatian and American local governments: Karlovac-Kansas City; the Istrian cities of Rovinj and Umag matched with Port Townsend, Washington; Buzet, Labin and Pazin partnered with the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District (which includes the cities of Pendleton and La Grande, along with Union County in Oregon), and Dubrovnik linked with the City of Monterey in California.
USAID is the primary assistance organization of the United States Government. Since 1992, the United States has provided over $407 million to Croatia (much of it through USAID programs) to strengthen democratic institutions and assist in postwar reconstruction and the return of refugees, to support de-mining and economic development, and to provide educational and training opportunities. The U.S. has also provided guidance and support to the Croatian judicial and military sectors to further Croatia's integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions.