The sister city movement

The Sister City Movement helps to establish friendship links between diverse communities throughout the world, with the aim of increasing understanding and fostering world peace. Other benefits include tourism, technical and professional collaborations, investment, trade, educational and cultural exchanges.

Formal recognition of Sister City affiliations began after World War II when US President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the 'People-to-People' program at a White House conference in 1956.

His intention was to involve individuals and organised groups at all levels of society in 'citizen diplomacy', with the hope that personal relationships, fostered through sister city, county and state affiliations, would lessen the chance of future world conflicts.

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