1998: International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) identified five principles that were seen to characterize the LA21 initiative worldwide:

• environmental objectives are linked with economic and social objectives
• all groups in society are to be involved
• measures and projects are based on ling-term objectives
• impacts of local on global are measured
• utilization of natural resources is based upon the rate at which new resources are formed

1994: At the European level, the Aalborg Charter (emanating from the that year’s European local government LA21 conference in Denmark, at which the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign was established) The commitments also represent a statement of intent by the signatory municipalities to work towards local sustainability. Municipalities both participate in the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign, and adopt the 13 Commitments of the Charter

• Notion and principle of sustainability
• Local strategies towards sustainability
• Sustainability as a creative, local, balance-seeking process
• Resolving problems by negotiating outwards
• Urban economy towards sustainability
• Social equity for urban sustainability
• Sustainable land-use patterns
• Sustainable urban mobility patterns
• Responsibility for the global climate
• Prevention of eco-systems toxification
• Local self-governance as a precondition
• Citizens as key actors and the involvement of the community
• Instruments and tools for urban management towards sustainability