PIP: This article describes the objectives, preamble, declarations, specific issues, and follow-up of the World Conference on Local Initiatives for Sustainable Cities. The conference was held in the City of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, during November 2-4, 1995. Participants included representatives from 192 local authorities from 62 countries. Other participants included national/international governments and organizations, as well as nongovernmental organizations. The conference aimed to describe sustainable cities, to clarify problems faced by cities, and to develop local networks of cooperation. The Federal Minister of Regional Planning, Building, and Urban Development in Germany, presented the keynote address on "Toward Sustainable Cities." The Rector of the UN University spoke about the links between urbanization and sustainability in developing countries. Special sessions were devoted to industrial pollution, consumption patterns, the scale and nature of cities, energy, transportation, Local Agenda 21, and decision-making. Participants adopted the Kanagawa Declaration. The Declaration recognizes the role of local government in assuming responsibility for social welfare, environmental protection, and the threat to the global environment and human society from rapid population growth. Local authorities need to solve urban environmental problems. Sustainable cities are those that implement sustainable development. Local governments need to provide environmental information and education, form partnerships, seek international cooperation, and seek a strategy for securing sustainability on a global scale through research studies.