Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs

12/24/2020

The Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs would like to wish you and your loved ones a safe and healthy holiday season. We look forward to working with you in the new year!

#MOTIA #Houston

12/21/2020

Congratulations to our interns Elisa Calderon and Augustine Egan for successfully completing MOTIA's Fall internship program! MOTIA has a long standing tradition of educating and training undergraduate university students in a broad range of trade and international affairs topics and skills. Interns that have completed our program are now working in different industries and government agencies throughout #Houston and around the world. Interns learn firsthand what makes Houston a global leader in international industry, culture, and diplomacy by participating in and contributing to MOTIA’s international programs and initiatives. We wish our 2020 fall interns the best of luck as they continue to excel in their educational and professional careers!
#internship #MOTIA

12/18/2020

The Houston Consular Ball exemplifies Houston’s spirit of vitality and global engagement, as well as its tireless commitment to progress, whether it is in the fields of space exploration, technology, medicine, energy, or the arts. Normally held each year as a white-tie gala, today Mayor Sylvester Turner honored the more than 90 consulates with representation in Houston by hosting a virtual Consular Ball and Grand March. We welcomed remarks by the Vice Dean of the Consular Corps, our Consular Ball Underwriters Chevron and Houston First, and concluded with Mayor Turner providing a toast to commemorate the occasion. Thank you to the Houston Consular Corps for all that you do to enrich the lives of #Houston and our city’s residents.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/BWsMvMjWKUE

Canadian Consulate, Houston
Consulmex Houston
Consulate-General of Japan in Houston
India in USA (Consulate General of India, Houston)
Norwegian Consulate General in Houston
UAE Consulate in Houston
QatarCons_Houston
Consulado del Ecuador en Houston
Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Houston
Consulate General of Pakistan, Houston
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú
Cyprus in USA
German Embassy Washington
REPSOL
Greater Houston Partnership

#MOTIA #HoustonConsularBall

12/18/2020

Happy #NationalDay to #Qatar! This day commemorates Qatar's unification in 1878.

Houston has a strong relationship with Qatar, and Qatar has supported Houston residents during times of crisis, from relief after Hurricane Harvey, to donating PPE supplies to first responders and the HER Task Force, to funding Thanksgiving meals for Houston families. Additionally, the University of Houston Clear Lake recently signed an MOU with Qatar to open the Diplomacy Institute to help train our next generation of global leaders.

Houston and Qatar continue to have good trade relations as well. From 2017 to 2018, trade increased from $637.3 million to $1.02 billion, a 60% positive change signifying the development of economic collaboration.

Before the onset of the pandemic, on February 25, 2020 Mayor Turner formally welcomed Consul General Al Dehaimi to his new posting in Houston.

Photo taken pre-COVID (25/02/2020)

QatarCons_Houston

12/14/2020

Mayor Sylvester Turner

This evening, I had the honor and privilege of joining Council Members Kamin and Peck, Rabbi Traxler and Bobby Lapin for the 25th Annual City Hall Chanukah Menorah 🕎 Lighting Ceremony hosted by Chabad Outreach of Houston.

As we light the candle, let’s vow to make our City and our country radiate with hope, love ❤️ and faith. Wishing our entire Houston Jewish community a bright & Happy Hanukkah! #Hanukkah

12/11/2020

Sister Cities of Houston

For today's #ThrowBackThursday, we remember when Kham Vargas represented Sister Cities Houston as a Guest of Honor

 for the sending off ceremony of gifts from Houston to Karachi. The event was co-hosted by Houston Karachi Sister Cities Association (HKSCA).

http://houstonkarachisistercityassociation.com/karachi-floods-relief-efforts/

#sistercitieshouston #HoustonKarachiSisterCityAssociation #KarachiFloodRelief

12/10/2020

Houston’s trade with #Japan continues to grow. This week, Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs together with the Greater Houston Partnership (#GHP) and the Japan External Trade Organization (#JETRO) hosted a bi-lateral, virtual trade mission to Japan lead by Mayor Sylvester Turner and GHP President Bob Harvey. The virtual trade mission focused on the themes of energy transition, resiliency, and economic development to align with Mayor Turner’s city priorities.

Leadership meetings with the Mayor of #Chiba, All Nippon Airways, #JETRO, #Mitsubishi, #Toshiba, and the Japan America Society of Houston highlighted the robust partnership between Houston and Japan. Trade with Japan is valued at $9.2 billion, and this invaluable trade mission further cultivated Houston’s relationship to Japan and explored new opportunities for expansion to enhance the local Houston economy, creating jobs and investments across the city.

Greater Houston Partnership
The Japan-America Society of Houston, Inc. - JASH

#TradeMission #EconomicDevelopment #GlobalHouston

12/08/2020

Governor Abbott Announces Hewlett Packard Enterprise Global Headquarters Relocation To Texas

#MOTIA welcomes Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to Houston! The company will relocate its global headquarters from San Jose, California to the Houston area, specifically its new Springwoods Village campus in north Harris County.
Who will be next?

#Houston

“HPE's move to Texas is hardly a new concept in the tech world. It's the largest — but just the latest — tech company to make the trip south: SignEasy, QuestionPro and DZS also moved from California to Texas.”

This announcement comes after last month’s virtual trade mission to Silicon Valley, where a delegation led by Mayor Sylvester Turner and GHP President Bob Harvey met with HPE CEO Antonio Neri and HPE's leadership team.

Read the governor's announcement: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-hewlett-packard-enterprise-global-headquarters-relocation-to-texas

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) will relocate its global headquarters to Spring, Texas from San Jose, California. The headquarters will be located in a new state-of-the-art campus that will open in early 2022, building upon the company's established presenc...

12/04/2020

Islamic Arts Festival 2020

This weekend, December 5 - 6, don't miss the Islamic Arts Festival 2020, which will be held online this year. For more information on how to attend the festival virtually, please visit https://islamicartssociety.org/2020-art-festival-online/

This online art festival will feature art from renowned #artists from all across the U.S. Visitors will have the opportunity to buy magnificent artwork from the comfort of their homes. In addition, there will be live interactive sessions on calligraphy, henna tattoo, Ebru, painting, Arabesque pattern coloring and lots of children's art activities. Enjoy the opening ceremony video below for remarks from Mayor Sylvester Turner, representatives from #IslamicArts Society, and community leaders.

Houston Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs
Islamic Arts Society

12/02/2020

United Arab Emirates’ $6.5 million gift will aid Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Houston area | UAE Embassy in Washington, DC

Happy #NationalDay to the United Arab Emirates! The National Day of the #UAE marks the day when emirates united together at Union House to form the United Arab Emirates in 1971. The UAE and Houston are strong trade partners. The Houston-Galveston Customs District is the busiest gateway for U.S.-United Arab Emirates trade by value. Trade between Houston and United Arab Emirates was valued at $3.9 billion in ’19. The UAE is represented by a Consulate General in Houston, and has been a tremendous partner with the City supporting the Houston community in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

UAE Consulate in Houston

https://www.uae-embassy.org/news-media/united-arab-emirates%E2%80%99-65-million-gift-will-aid-hurricane-harvey-relief-efforts-houston

- Recipients include Avenue CDC, Flores Neighborhood Library, the City of Houston’s Homeless Navigation Center and The Houston Health Department - 7 January 2019 – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Consul General in Houston, Saeed Al Mehairi, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced today that ...

12/02/2020

The Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs would like to honor the following countries with Consulate representation in Houston that are celebrating national days during the month of #December: Finland, Kazakhstan, Qatar (QatarCons_Houston), Romania, United Arab Emirates (UAE Consulate in Houston, Thailand

#NationalDays #NationalDaysMOTIA #ConsularCorps #Houston #MOTIA

12/01/2020

This Friday, December 4, from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM, don’t miss the 7th Annual Blood Drive hosted by Ms. Janice Weaver, City of Houston’s Director of Community Relations, at K-TSU Radio Station and give the gift of life. Sign up to donate here: https://www.commitforlife.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/328804

Address:
TSU Radio Station
3988 Tierwester
Parking Lot M in Donor Coach
Houston, TX 77004

#GiveBlood

11/25/2020

Houston Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs

Last week, Mayor Sylvester Turner, our office, and the Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs welcomed the Islamic Arts Society to City Hall! Catch the opening ceremony and the festivities of the 7th Annual Islamic Arts Festival ONLINE on December 5th and 6th! 🎉#IslamicArt #IslamicArtsFestival

11/18/2020

Cookies in Space

🚀🍪 Houston, We Have Cookies!

This year, a first-of-its-kind experiment took place over the course of several days as a result of a partnership with Zero G Kitchen, proprietors of the first space oven, Nanoracks, a leading provider of commercial access to space, and DoubleTree by Hilton. The the famous DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie became the first food baked in space!

#Houston continues to lead in space and #aerospace #innovation, and we are excited to see these kinds of developments pushing the boundaries of the possible.

For many, “getting away” means visiting the beach or an urban locale, but soon, there may be another popular destination: space. As the first hospitality brand to participate in research aboard the International Space Station (ISS), DoubleTree by Hilton, together with Scholastic, invited 50,000 ...

11/17/2020

Sister Cities of Houston

In celebration of the Guayaquil Space Society's first year anniversary, they, in partnership with Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano, are hosting a webinar about careers in space on November 24, 2020 at 8:30 PM (CST).

The event features 2 guest speakers from Houston, Steven Gonzalez who recently retired from NASA and Leonardo Guzman, a graduate student from University of Houston - Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture.

This event is free and open to the public.
https://zoom.us/j/5450787616

#SCH #GuayaquilSpaceSociety #NASA #SpaceCareers #UHSpaceArchitecture #CentroEcuatorianoNorteamericano

11/14/2020

Mayor Sylvester Turner

May the #FestivalOfLights fill your life with the glow of happiness and the sparkle of joy. #HappyDiwali

11/11/2020

Happy National Independence Day of Poland! The #nationalday of #Poland is celebrated on 11 November to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's sovereignty as the Second Polish Republic in 1918.

Houston has a vibrant Polish community of approximately 65,000 in the Greater #Houston Area. Houston is home to several Polish organizations, including the Polish-American Congress-Houston Chapter; the Kosciuszko Foundation (cultural programs, film festivals, etc.); the Polish Ognisko (Polish school); and an active Polish Catholic Church, Our Lady of Czestochowa. Houston also has strong trade relations with Poland, growing from $400 million in 2017 to $729 million in 2018, an 81.6% increase. Houston companies like Conoco Phillips, Cheniere, Hewlett Packard, and Stewart Title Company all have strong relationships with Polish based companies.

As a demonstration of the strong relationship between the people of Houston and Poland, in 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed His Excellency Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland, to #Houston.

11/11/2020

Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs

Today is #Angola's Independence Day, celebrating 45 years of the country's independence on November 11.

Angola's strong ties with Houston are reflected through our shared city-to-city partnerships. In 2003, #Luanda, the capital city of Angola, became Houston's sister city and in 2004, Luanda became a member of the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP) for which Houston serves as the permanent secretariat.

Houston's trade relationship with Angola also continues to grow. In 2019, the Port of Houston was ranked as the #1 trading port with Angola with trade valued at $129.05 Million, and Houston International Airport ranked as #5 with value at $41.49 Million. Angola is sub-Saharan Africa’s second largest oil producer deep ties ties to Houston. Two of Sonangol’s most important partners are Chevron and ExxonMobil, which maintain corporate offices in Houston. Many other companies with local bases, such as Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Technip and VAALCO, have a significant presence in Angola.

In 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed His Excellency Joaquim do Espirito Santo, Ambassador of Angola to the U.S., during his visit to #Houston.

Mayor Sylvester Turner
Sister Cities of Houston
World Energy Cities Partnership

11/11/2020

Today is #Angola's Independence Day, celebrating 45 years of the country's independence on November 11.

Angola's strong ties with Houston are reflected through our shared city-to-city partnerships. In 2003, #Luanda, the capital city of Angola, became Houston's sister city and in 2004, Luanda became a member of the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP) for which Houston serves as the permanent secretariat.

Houston's trade relationship with Angola also continues to grow. In 2019, the Port of Houston was ranked as the #1 trading port with Angola with trade valued at $129.05 Million, and Houston International Airport ranked as #5 with value at $41.49 Million. Angola is sub-Saharan Africa’s second largest oil producer deep ties ties to Houston. Two of Sonangol’s most important partners are Chevron and ExxonMobil, which maintain corporate offices in Houston. Many other companies with local bases, such as Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Technip and VAALCO, have a significant presence in Angola.

In 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed His Excellency Joaquim do Espirito Santo, Ambassador of Angola to the U.S., during his visit to #Houston.

Mayor Sylvester Turner
Sister Cities of Houston
World Energy Cities Partnership

11/05/2020

This week we celebrate #Panama National Day!

The ties between Houston and Panama are strong, and exemplified by the trade that connects Houston and Panama, and that transits the Panama canal. In 2014, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the City of Houston and the City of #Colón, a city on the Caribbean coast at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, to further our cultural and economic ties. Texas remains the trading partner for Panama, and the Canal’s expansion will continue to further our connection with the country, and people, of Panama.

In 2005, the local Panamanian community established the
Houston Association of Panamanians, Inc. a non-profit business organization composed of volunteers who aim to preserve Panamanian culture, as well as promote the advancement of learning skills through educational and job opportunities.

Consulado de Panama Houston, Texas

11/01/2020

The Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs would like to honor the following countries with Consulate representation in Houston that are celebrating national days during the month of #November: #Albania, #Angola, #Barbados, #Latvia, #Lebanon, #Panama, #Poland

Consulado Geral de Angola em Houston - Texas
Consulado de Panama Houston, Texas

#NationalDays #NationalDaysMOTIA #ConsularCorps #Houston #motia

10/28/2020

NBSO Texas Events: Nov 16, 2020 - Digital Trade Mission: Energy 2.0

November 16-18 | This multi-day investment forum will bring together civic leaders, port authorities and subject matter experts to exchange knowledge and stimulate bilateral #investment, #trade, and #innovation between Houston and the #Netherlands in Energy 2.0.

As the Energy Capital of the World, Houston is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to a cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable #lowercarbonworld. The region is committed to working with our global partners on tackling this challenge head on and identifying solutions for the future. As a top investor to the region and an established alternative #energy user, the Netherlands is a natural partner for Houston.

Register: https://www.houston.org/events/houston-rotterdam-energy-20-trade-and-investment-forum

Mayor Sylvester Turner
Greater Houston Partnership
NBSO Texas

NBSO Texas Events: Nov 16, 2020 - - Digital Trade Mission: Energy 2.0 -