This document represents a significant milestone as it marks the first-ever pan-European Master Plan dedicated to walking. The Master Plan was adopted by the THE PEP Steering Committee in its twenty-second session October 28-30, 2024.

The development of a pan-European Master Plan on Walking is embedded in the Vienna Declaration to put the promotion of walking, due to its numerous benefits for health, environment, local economy, and social inclusiveness, at the forefront of mobility policies.

The Ministers responsible for transport, health, and environment of the countries in the pan-European region met at the Fifth High-level Ministerial Meeting on Transport, Health, and Environment in Vienna in May 2021. They adopted the ‘Vienna Declaration: Building forward better by transforming to new, clean, safe, healthy and inclusive mobility and transport’ with the ambitious vision of "clean, safe, healthy, active and inclusive mobility and transport for happiness and prosperity for all".

The Master Plan on Walking was developed under THE PEP (Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme) and EHP (European Environment and Health Process) collectively "THE PEP/EHP Partnership on Healthy Active Mobility". The Partnership is led by Austria, France and Netherlands (Kingdom of the), with support from Walk21, while UNECE and WHO provide support and secretariat services. Along with the pan-European Master Plan on Cycling Promotion (May 2021), the two documents will form the pan-European Master Plan on Active Mobility.

The process brought together the experience and expertise of walking experts from 22 countries2 from across the pan-European region, for which valuable insights and contribution we are sincerely grateful.