Agenda 21 is a set of environmental action plan and commitment outlined by the United Nations with an objective to promote sustainable development. Being situated in the heart of Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain holds a great responsibility to conserve its nature and save its great biodiversity with a common purpose to highlight environment improvement actions.

The idea of carrying out a policy initiative of the cities towards sustainable development emerged from the meeting of political leaders, scientists and scholars held in Rio de Janeiro on June 14, 1992. A total of 178 countries voted and adopted the programme and pledge for its implementation.

This conference which called “Earth Summit” discussed major environmental and socioeconomic problems that beset our planet including the current model of economic development. The “Agenda 21” was intended to be effectively implemented by international, national and local levels.

In the 1994 the European Conference of Sustainable Cities and Towns, the earlier pledge was reiterated when European cities spearheaded the process towards sustainability. It laid down the principles and actions to be pursued for achieving sustainable development in European cities, as embodied in a document called “Aalborg Charter”.

Since then, cities willing to adhere to these commitments develop planned processes of action. And their local agendas 21 get technical and financial support from European Union to implement numerous programmes in the field of sustainable management of water and energy, strategic use of land, maintenance of a quality environment, along with awareness campaign for the same.

In order to achieve a sustainable development model, the Chapter-28 of Agenda 21 highlights the importance of local authorities. It says that each local administration should enter into a dialogue with its citizens, local organizations and private enterprises to adopt “a local Agenda 21”. This is the reason that Marbella, too, came out with its own local agenda.

Marbella signed its commitment to the Charter of Aalborg on November 30, 2001 and joined the project coordination and aid that the European Union was created to support municipalities to develop agendas 21, on June 4, 2002. Since then, the Marbella Town Hall launched its Local Agenda 21 conducting a series of actions in order to achieve a sustainable economic development.

Through public awareness and concrete actions under environmental policies and guidelines, it is aimed at generating constructive public response towards sustainable development. Marbella being a key destination of southern Spain with tourism and real-estate as key development prospect, an integrated development plan with due concern to environmental was essential.