[Yokohama City] A Historic Step Toward a Circular Society: 'Asian Circular City Declaration' Officially Launches with 21 Cities

Regarding the international framework 'Asian Circular City Declaration' (ACCD) (*2) launched by ICLEI Japan (*1) in November last year upon the call of Yokohama City, Yokohama City recently made a joint announcement with ICLEI Japan and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration that 21 cities from 7 countries (with a population exceeding 53 million) have become founding cities (*3), officially starting the declaration system.

At the same time, Mayor Yamanaka jointly announced with ICLEI Japan that the 'Asia-Pacific Circular City Forum (APCC-Forum)', to be held in Yokohama from September 2 to 4, 2026, will serve as an opportunity for ACCD declaration cities to gather and share knowledge. Furthermore, as the initiating city that called for the establishment of the ACCD, Mayor Yamanaka proposed the following joint initiatives, which received endorsement from ICLEI Japan:

1. Formulating an 'ACCD Action Plan' to promote the transition to circular cities unique to Asia. 2. Compiling the 'Asian Circular City Action 50 (tentative name)' as a mechanism for ACCD declaration cities to share practical examples refined in their respective fields and enhance mutual policy capabilities. 3. Formulating 'policy recommendations' to national governments and international organizations in order to deliver the voices of Asian cities to the world and generate collaboration with diverse actors.

The total population of the founding cities exceeds 53 million. Moving forward, it is expected to create a significant international impact through expanding the number of new declaration cities and through cross-border joint actions by these cities. In conjunction with the announcement of the ACCD founding cities, Mayor Yamanaka and Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two cities for the transition to circular cities in Asia, updating the memorandum of understanding for inter-city collaboration. Going forward, they aim to realize a circular society throughout Asia while sharing inter-city practices.

In addition, Mayor Yamanaka spoke at the 'Sustainability We...