RECALLING that in 1945 the leaders of 50 nations gathered in San Francisco to develop and sign the Charter of the United Nat ions; and

RECOGNIZING that today for the first time in history, the majority of the planet 's population lives in cities; and that this continued urbanization will result in one million people moving to cities each week, thus creating a new set of environmental challenges and opportunities; and

BELIEVING that as Mayors of cities around the globe, we have a unique opportunity to provide leadership to develop truly sustainable urban centers based on culturally and economically appropriate local actions; and

ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of the obligations and spirit of the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (UNCED), the 1996 Istanbul Conference on Human Settlements, the 2000 Millennium Development Goals, and the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development as critical milestones to advance sustainability, vibrant economies, social equity, and the planet 's natural systems; we see these Accords as a synergistic extension of these efforts.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, today on World Environment Day 2005 in San Francisco, we the signatory Mayors have come together to write a new chapter in the history of global cooperation and commit to promote this collaborative platform, to help build an ecologically sustainable, economically dynamic, and socially equitable future for our citizens; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call to action our fellow Mayors around the world to sign the Accords and collaborate with us to implement these actions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all of us, as Ambassadors of the Urban Environmental Accords, work with all due speed to implement the 21 actions contained in these Accords over the next seven years, recognizing that by working together and sharing best practices, our individual actions can result in a better world for all people and all creatures with which we share this planet.

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(Mayors' signatures)