Asian Circular Cities Declaration grows to 43 cities in Yokohama

Yokohama’s inaugural Asia-Pacific Circular Cities Forum added 17 new signatories to the Asian Circular Cities Declaration and unveiled the network’s first action plan. The expansion brings the declaration to 43 cities in 11 countries as Asian cities push harder on circular economy policy, markets and regional cooperation.

Why it matters: - The Asian Circular Cities Declaration is becoming a larger regional platform for cities trying to shift from waste-heavy systems to circular economies. - The expansion to 43 cities across 11 countries gives the network more reach, more population coverage and more policy weight. - The first action plan is aimed at turning city commitments into practical steps, especially on market creation, public procurement and repair and reuse systems.

What happened: - The City of Yokohama and ICLEI Japan hosted the inaugural Asia-Pacific Circular Cities Forum on Sept. 3-4 in Yokohama. - The forum brought together 52 local governments and organizations from Japan and abroad, plus businesses, students and other stakeholders. - Fifteen sessions were held at Pacifico Yokohama on the transition toward circular cities in Asia. - At the closing session on Sept. 4, Deputy Mayor Jun Matsuura said the forum produced concrete outcomes, including new signatory cities, a concrete action plan and a new youth project. - ICLEI Japan announced 17 new signatory cities to the Asian Circular Cities Declaration. - The declaration now covers 43 cities in 11 countries, up from 26 cities in 7 countries. - The network’s combined population has grown to more than 82 million, from more than 57 million.

The details: - The 17 new signatories are Barishal City, Cebu Province, Damauli City, Danao City, Dhankuta Municipality, George Town, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City, Jayapura City, Kushtia Municipality, Kobe City, Kochi Municipal Corporation, Pokhara Metropolitan City, Probolinggo City, Rawalpindi City, Sreepur Municipality and Tilottama Municipality. - Before the forum, ICLEI Japan surveyed ACCD signatory cities and found that all responding cities already have circular economy goals, strategies and awareness-raising initiatives. - The same survey found market creation is a common challenge for many cities. - Local regulations, public procurement and incentive schemes emerged as the weakest policy areas. - Repair, reuse and secondary-material markets were identified as the biggest shared gap. - Kazuhiko Takemoto, chair of ICLEI Japan, announced the first ACCD action plan, called ACCD Action 2026. - The action plan creates three working groups. - One group will collect and share best practices from cities across Asia. - One group will promote adoption of private-sector solutions by cities. - One group will develop methods for monitoring progress under the ACCD framework. - Takemoto said the 43 signatory cities will continue advancing ACCD activities toward a circular society across Asia. - Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN under-secretary-general and ESCAP executive secretary, said city-led initiatives such as the ACCD and the forum can help accelerate circular urban efforts across the region. - Mike Josef, lord mayor of Frankfurt am Main, backed the ACCD as a bridge between Europe and Asia and pointed to Frankfurt’s zero-waste work. - Cebu City Mayor Nestor Dionson Archival said Cebu City, as a founding ACCD city, wants to keep contributing to collaboration, knowledge-sharing and practical solutions.

Between the lines: - The ACCD is trying to move beyond declarations and into implementation, which is why policy tools, market-building and monitoring now sit at the center of the agenda. - The participation of a European circular city leader suggests the ACCD is also being positioned as part of a wider international network, not only a regional initiative. - The inclusion of students signals that Yokohama wants circular economy policy to connect with the next generation ahead of future global forums.

What's next: - The student-led project will gather additional student groups to develop policy recommendations for presentation at APUF-9 in 2027. - Yokohama said next year’s APCC-Forum will be held on a larger scale during GREEN × EXPO 2027. - The city plans to designate Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, 2027 as Yokohama Circular Week. - The broader ACCD network is expected to keep building working groups, shared practices and monitoring tools under ACCD Action 2026. - More information is available in the APCC-Forum 2026 website.