The Dunkerque 2010 conference will offer a unique opportunity to assess and push forward the progress and achievements of European local governments in the field of sustainable development, using the Aalborg commitments as fundamental instrument. It will also explore how local sustainability can represent an answer to the current economic, social and climate crisis and how it can be further implemented at the European level under the actual financial and political frameworks.

• Assess the progress made in local sustainability in Europe, 15 years after the Aalborg Charter and 5 years after the Aalborg Commitments.
• Engage in a political and strategic reflection as to how local sustainability offer chances to overcome the impacts of the global economic and social crisis at the local level.
• Break-down in a thematic analysis of such local government fields of action and policy making that contribute to sustainability, also with a spotlight on industrial urban areas, port areas, small towns and the interaction between several levels of government.
• Jointly examine how local governments can work together with their citizens and stakeholders to stimulate sustainable behavior.
• Highlight what solutions European and global policy processes offer to local governments in these fields in the coming years, with a particular emphasis on the outcomes of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 15) Copenhagen 2009 and how it can impulse local sustainable development.
• Conclude with a reflection on further action within the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign; the tools, methods and partnerships required for local sustainability.

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