Laayoune Becomes Hollywood, Florida’s Sister City
On May 10, the cities of Hollywood, Florida and Laayoune, Morocco joined forces through the signing of a twinning agreement, enhancing their collaboration in the fields of business, culture, education, and tourism.
Laayoune has now been formally accepted into Hollywood’s sister cities program as a result of the arrangement.
Through local government collaboration, cultural understanding, and economic growth, the Sister Cities program aims to build and enhance linkages between American cities and communities throughout the world.
Josh Levy, mayor of Hollywood, and Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid, president of the Laayoune Community Council, signed the agreement in the Laayoune Municipality’s administrative center.
Both sides claim that the agreement offers bright opportunities for the establishment of partnerships across a range of industries, including tourism, the environment, culture, the arts, academic research, and sustainable development.
At the conclusion of the signing event, Levy stated that “this agreement marks the beginning of a closer relationship between the two cities in the economic and cultural fields.”
The mayor of Hollywood also stated his desire to further strengthen mutual connections by having delegations from both cities visit each other.
He pointed out that the priority industries in Florida and Laayoune are comparable and complimentary, highlighting in particular aviation, agriculture, and education.
Ould Errachid emphasized that the agreement seeks to strengthen bilateral collaboration in a number of areas and comes after Washington DC recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara.
Additionally, he indicated his openness to forge relationships with the American city that would be advantageous to both parties in all areas of shared interest.
The goal of Sister Cities International, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1956, is to advance peace through respect, understanding, and collaboration between sister cities, counties, and states around the US.
Last week, a group of House of Lords-level British Conservative MPs paid a visit to the city of Laayoune. They emphasized the region’s significant business potential, notably in terms of export and import, as it acts as a gateway for goods from all over the world.