In 1994, the City of Aalborg together with ICLEI and a number of other local government networks, took up the challenge of spreading the local sustainable development message across Europe in the period following the Rio Earth Summit.

The Charter can be considered as the European equivalent of the Earth Summit’s  Agenda 21. It also confirmed the creation of the Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign and commits cities and towns to work towards sustainability at the local level.

The Aalborg Charter states that municipalities and their citizens have a great responsibility in creating environmental, social and economically sustainable communities. Cities were invited to voluntarily sign the Charter, concretely expressing their desire to move towards a sustainable future. To date the Charter has over 3,000 signatories, making it the single most successful European effort in sustainable urban development.

Download the Aalborg Charter