“Houston celebrated the 70th anniversary of the annual "Houston Consular Ball." Houston is a city anchored in our international relationships, both at the National and City levels. We are a strong believer in City Diplomacy, in building multi-layered partnerships to find pragmatic solutions to the complex problems facing our residents today. City Diplomacy facilitates trade and economic development, builds cultural ties, and creates opportunity for global innovation. City Diplomacy is also critical to maintaining relationships and dialogue in times of crisis. City to city, and people to people, diplomacy can sometimes be the only opportunity to build understanding and act on global challenges such as climate action, urban resiliency, and equitable development.”