what are sister cities

Sister cities, also known as twin towns, are a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. A sister city relationship is a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities in two countries, officially recognized after the highest elected or appointed official from both communities sign off on an agreement to become sister cities. Each sister city organization is independent and pursues the activities and thematic areas that are important to them and their community including municipal, business, trade, educational, and cultural exchanges and projects with their sister city. Sister city organizations promote peace through people-to-people relationships, with program offerings varying greatly from basic cultural exchange programs to shared research and development projects between cities with relationships. Sister cities can have any number of sister cities, with community involvement ranging from a half dozen to hundreds of volunteers. The goal of the sister cities program is to involve people and organized groups at all levels of society, establishing productive, people-to-people relationships.