The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (Dutch: Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten or VNG) was established in 1912 by 28 Dutch cities, at a time when the number of tasks delegated to municipalities saw a rapid increase. As a result of this increase, there was a greater need for information, exchange of experiences, as well as for an organisation that could represent the interests of its members at a central government level.
Its Organisation for International Co-operation, VNG International, seeks to strengthen democratic local government in the world and implements projects in more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.