Promoting active and healthy ageing has been a key priority for AGE Platform Europe (AGE) since the organisation was established in 2001. In 2008, to support this objective AGE signed an agreement with WHO GNAFCC and since has actively promoted the WHO holistic approach which seeks to support longer and healthier lives through the promotion of age-friendly environments in its work and among EU institutions.

In 2010, as a member of the Steering Group of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA) AGE managed to include the WHO concept of age-friendly environments among the key actions of the EIP-AHA. In the framework of the EIP-AHA, AGE committed to set up a thematic network on age-friendly environments and to build support for a European Covenant on Demographic Change that will support the scaling up of age-friendly environments across the European Union (EU).

From Since February 2014 to January 2016, AGE coordinated a large consortium of 29 stakeholders composed of local and regional authorities and other stakeholders in the framework of the AFE-INNOVNET thematic network on age-friendly environments. This thematic network is now established as a legal entity under the name “European Covenant on Demographic Change”.