One Brooklyn
BOROUGH PRESIDENT AND CLAC-NY SIGN COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATE ON BUSINESS, CULTURAL, AND ECONOMIC MATTERS, AS WELL AS EXPANDED COMMUNITY OUTREACH
BROOKLYN, NY, December 26, 2017: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams hailed a landmark agreement between the Borough of Brooklyn and the Coalition of Latin American Consuls in New York (CLAC-NY), an association of local consulates representing 18 nations from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; CLAC-NY’s membership includes consuls general from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) that they signed at a ceremony in the Courtroom of Brooklyn Borough Hall last week launched a commitment to collaborate on business, cultural, and economic matters, as well as expanded community outreach to a population of more than 500,000 Brooklynites of Latino origin, according to data from the US Census Bureau. Borough President Adams and Carlos Castillo, consul general of the Dominican Republic in New York, spoke about the new partnership and the importance of Brooklyn’s growing Latino community.
“Our Latino community’s roots in Brooklyn are strong and growing,” said Borough President Adams. “Working with CLAC-NY, we will engage in vibrant collaboration on the local level that strengthens our borough and countries across our hemisphere. International partnerships are essential for municipalities as diverse as Brooklyn, as we capitalize on the values that bring us together and learn from each other’s unique experiences.”
“With this innovative partnership with the Borough of Brooklyn, the first of its kind, CLAC-NY reaffirms its desire to work hand-in-hand with the authorities of New York on behalf of our communities, which altogether represent the largest immigrant group in this city,” said Consul General Castillo.
As part of the newly signed MOU, the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President will act as a liaison between key governmental agencies and departments impacting culture, education, law enforcement, and other relevant matters. All CLAC-NY members will show a welcome message featuring Borough President Adams in their respective offices and make available a calendar of local events. Additionally, they will assist in translating informational resources into Spanish for Brooklyn residents from Latin America. Efforts will be also made toward creating an online program for international student exchange and educational development, as well as identifying new opportunities for sister city exchange.
Under Borough President Adams’ leadership, several international agreements have been executed to expand foreign partnerships with Brooklyn, including business collaborations with the Dutch capital of Amsterdam and the German capital of Berlin as well as sister city arrangements with the Azerbaijani city of Baku’s Sabail District, the Chinese cities of Beijing’s Chaoyang District and Yiwu, and the Turkish city of Istanbul’s Üsküdar District.
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