The Nagano Declaration on Partnershipfor Collaborative Action for Sustainable Development
There is no doubt that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
Hence, we endorse the outcome of COP24 as an urgent call to increase our ambition andto galvanize efforts to mitigate climate change with irreversible consequences.
Therefore, it is imperative to perform adaptation actions given that the results of climatechange, such as extreme weather, are becoming more frequent than ever. Simultaneously,
it is significant to share and diffuse regional best practices through adaptation work
programs that arose from the 2017 G20 Hamburg summit.
Another burning issue closely linked to climate change is the conservation of the land andmarine ecosystems, including their biodiversity. Researchers have emphasized the dangerof ecosystem and its biodiversity collapse in the discussion of the “Planetary Boundaries”,
only within which humanity -and all other life- can continue to develop and survive in future.
Regarding the protection of the land and marine environment, an emerging problem is thewaste of plastic. Plastic waste may have a serious impact on life below water as well as life
on land.
In that sense, energy and resource efficiency, comprising materials, must be furtherenhanced for humanity to thrive while keeping energy and resources consumption within“Planetary Boundaries”. This is a necessary condition for sustainable development.
There should be ways to solve these problems. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demand of us to pursue
environmental improvements, social inclusion and sustainable economic growth in theharmonious integrality. The SDGs present comprehensive framework for shifting the world
onto a sustainable and resilient path. When localizing and accomplishing the SDGs, ouruniversal actions across all levels of governments are indispensable.
A paradigm shift is essential for us to this end, namely, a shift away from linear and oneway development onto circular and harmonious one.
There is a key concept. In order to achieve the integrated improvement over theenvironment, economy and society, it is significant that regions, cities, towns and villages
cooperatively reach an autonomous decentralized society. Therein are utilized andcirculated renewable resources, including materials and energy, human resources andfinancial capital. This leads to symbiosis and exchange with neighboring areas inaccordance with the unique characteristic of each area.
That is to say, partnership is expected amongst the rural areas, blessed with renewable
resources and energy, and urban areas, full of human and capital resources. This paradigmof an autonomous decentralized society is named “Circulating and Ecological Economy”.
Regions, cities, towns and villages will play the key role to realize Circulating and Ecological
Economy, which contributes to the integration of a low-carbon society, circular and bio
economy, and a society in harmony with nature.
In view of the above, and inspired by the ICCA 2019 Partnership Declaration on
Collaborative Climate Action, the 2019 Urban 20 Tokyo Mayors Summit Communiqué andthe S20 Japan 2019 Joint Statement, we hereby announce thatWe join hands and indicate our strong will to act in collaboration to support and accelerate
national governments’ policies for realizing a low-carbon, circular and resilient society with ahealthier environment.

We local governments
1. Commit ourselves to fight against climate change and pursue Circulating and Ecological
Economy across public and private activities in regions, cities, towns and villages;
2. Join forces to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation and at thesame time making regions, cities, towns and villages more resilient, livable and healthier;
3. Support the implementation of national climate policies and frameworks and create
complementary subnational frameworks and programs, which enable regions, cities,towns, villages to set up mitigation and adaptation strategies and programs;
4. Elaborate local climate strategies and action plans and respond to available support andmainstream climate mitigation and adaptation, including mutually supportive policies;
5. Unite our efforts with all sectors and stakeholders in order to add local and regionalvalue;
6. Enhance mutual approaches by sharing and learning best practices through ICLEI, C40,
and other international networks.
We local governments call the G20 governments to collaborate with us in the following
actions:
1. Providing positive financial and technical support for developing a pathway toward a lowcarbon, circular and resilient society with a healthier environment;
2. Building capacities to realize Circulating and Ecological Economy;
3. Involving local governments in the implementation of national climate policies,
frameworks and action plans and thereby help to evolve local strategies, programs andactions, while systematically allocating resources and capacities to them;
4. Promoting locally based renewable energy and energy efficiency businesses to ensure asustainable energy system transition;
5. Increasing resource efficiency and promoting bio economy so as to reduce GHG
emissions from the consumption and to achieve renewable resource circulation;
6. Building and disseminating local level models for further development of Circulating andEcological Economy through providing incentives;
7. Reducing single-use plastics, a great source of marine pollution, and implementing the3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) and proper waste management through capacity
building, cooperation amongst all stakeholders and science-based target settings and theachievement;
8. Supporting local governments to engage in networks, initiatives and coalition such asGreen Circular Cities Coalition (GCCC), which advance dialogue, knowledge exchange
and cooperation for a low-carbon, circular and resilient society with a healthierenvironment ;9. Offering incentives for the development of innovative solutions and actively assisting

local governments to follow existing best practices that captures the essence ofCirculating and Ecological Economy.
14 June 2019
Governor of Nagano Prefecture

Chair of ICLEI JapanABE Shuichi

HAMANAKA Hironori