The fundamental objective of the Sustainable Cities Programme is to promote environmentally sustainable local development to more fully realize the vital contributions that urban areas make to over-all social and economic development by: (1) enhancing efficiency in the use of local environmental resources, reducing environmental risks, and strengthening application of environmental conventions and agreements with growing regard to the Climate Change Protocol; (2) reducing poverty by promoting more equitable access to resources and environmental services; (3) mobilizing and strengthening local capacities to plan, co-ordinate, and manage sustainable local development in partnership; and (4) combining the complementary strengths of UN-HABITAT, UNEP, and other partners in support of Agenda 21, and the Habitat Agenda sustainable development commitments including improved local environmental governance.