Creating Lasting Ties
Who We Are
Global Ties San Francisco connects global changemakers with the San Francisco Bay Area to foster trust and mutual understanding between people and nations and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous world. We facilitate impactful international exchange programs with the invaluable support of our program partners and the local community.
Established in December 2013 as a division of World Trade Center Northern California and member of the Global Ties U.S. Network, Global Ties San Francisco implements professional and diplomatic exchange programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are international exchange and public diplomacy professionals dedicated to building lasting relationships that lay the foundation for trust and collaboration. Integral to our success is an extensive and diverse network of regional business leaders, government officials, community-based organizations, home hospitality hosts, and local citizens.
Exchanges Impact
Global Ties San Francisco is the only organization of its kind in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving all nine counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sonoma — as well as Monterey. On an annual basis, we host over 700 international visitors in the Bay Area for short-term professional and diplomatic exchanges, bringing approximately $1.1 million to the local economy. Through these visits, current and emerging foreign leaders exchange cutting-edge information with their professional counterparts, experience local culture, and cultivate lasting relationships with American citizens. In addition to arranging professional itineraries, Global Ties San Francisco secures hotel rooms, charters transportation companies, and books various cultural activities in the local community, bolstering tourism in the region.
San Francisco at a Glance
Noted for its picturesque beauty and open hospitality, the city of approximately 882,000 residents rests on steep rolling hills at the end of a narrow peninsula bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. Both a city and a county, San Francisco is the financial capital of the Pacific Coast, a major corporate headquarters location, and the gateway to Silicon Valley, America’s premier high-technology center. The wider San Francisco Bay Area is a global trade hub and one of the largest exporting regions in the United States, as well as a world-renowned center for the arts and sciences with several leading educational and cultural institutions. The region is also home to the wine country of Napa Valley in the north, and in proximity to Sacramento, the capital of California.
The birthplace of the United Nations, San Francisco is one of the few truly international cities in the United States. One can find a taste of many cultures in The City by the Bay, from Chinatown and Little Italy to Greek-inspired architecture at the Palace of Fine Arts. At every turn, the city celebrates a range of international influences for a feel that is distinctly San Franciscan.
The city’s character — innovative, laid-back, and unconventional — derives in large part from its historic beginnings as a rugged mining and trading town that attracted to its shores the most adventurous and hardened types from around the world. Its heterogeneous population, iconic fog, mild climate, eclectic architecture, historic landmarks and neighborhoods, fine restaurants, fashionable stores, sidewalk flower stands, and clanking cable cars make San Francisco unusually charming. Learn more about what San Francisco has to offer.
Explore Our Community
Global Ties San Francisco engages an extensive network of globally-minded individuals, families, nonprofits, businesses, academicians, and government officials. Our members and community partners meet with visitors from around the world to share experiences, learn from each other, and create lasting relationships and memories.
Citizen Diplomacy
Business and other local leaders open their workplaces to discuss business operations, industry challenges and successes, effective methods for creating policies, and current affairs. Extending hospitality to our visitors, Global Ties San Francisco members host dinners to share conversation, exchange stories, and engage visiting groups on a more personal and informal level. We thank these Citizen Diplomats for their invaluable contributions to the success of our programs.
Fostering Community Engagement
Everyone can be a Citizen Diplomat! There are many opportunities for community members of all ages to become globally connected and involved through our international exchanges, speaker series, internship programs, and more.
Explore Our Community
Global Ties San Francisco engages an extensive network of globally-minded individuals, families, nonprofits, businesses, academicians, and government officials. Our members and community partners meet with visitors from around the world to share experiences, learn from each other, and create lasting relationships and memories.
Citizen Diplomacy
Business and other local leaders open their workplaces to discuss business operations, industry challenges and successes, effective methods for creating policies, and current affairs. Extending hospitality to our visitors, Global Ties San Francisco members host dinners to share conversation, exchange stories, and engage visiting groups on a more personal and informal level. We thank these Citizen Diplomats for their invaluable contributions to the success of our programs.
Fostering Community Engagement
Everyone can be a Citizen Diplomat! There are many opportunities for community members of all ages to become globally connected and involved through our international exchanges, speaker series, internship programs, and more.
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