From October 14 to 16, 2025, the 2025 International Mayors Forum was held in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, under the theme “Actions Today for a Sustainable Future – Localizing the SDGs and Advancing the Pact for the Future.” The event brought together mayors, city leaders and policymakers from around the world to share the latest insights and practical approaches toward sustainable urban development.
During the session titled “Circular Solutions, Resource Efficiency, and Sustainable Waste Management Towards Cleaner Cities,” Rieko Kubota from the World Bank’s Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) highlighted how waste management and flood resilience are closely interlinked. She introduced TDLC’s publication, Kitakyushu Model Subsector: Interplay between Solid Waste and Urban Flood Risk, which illustrates how inadequate solid waste management can exacerbate urban flooding—and how integrated approaches can turn this challenge into an opportunity for resilience building.
She pointed out that the growing volume of waste and inadequate waste management systems on the ground induces leaking waste into marine environment, while waste clogged drainage channels exacerbate urban flooding, causing severe impacts on people’s lives. These interconnected challenges, she emphasized, call for integrated and systemic approaches at the city level.
Rieko also shared lessons from Benin, where the World Bank supports efforts to enhance urban resilience through improved drainage and waste management. The project, featured in How Stormwater Drainage Helps Residents in Vulnerable Cotonou Neighborhoods, demonstrates how integrated infrastructure investments can protect lives and livelihoods in rapidly urbanizing areas facing both flood and waste management challenges. She further underlined the importance of data- and evidence-based policymaking to ensure the sustainability of such initiatives, emphasizing the World Bank’s role not only as a financial institution but also as a “Knowledge Bank” that supports data systems and practical policy development in client countries.
The session also featured mayors from Kigali, Rwanda and Kuching South City, Malaysia, who shared their cities’ efforts to achieve zero waste and advance circular and resilient urban systems. Their local experiences showcased the potential of replicating circular economy solutions at the city level across the globe.
Through the presentations and discussions, the session reaffirmed that advancing a circular economy is not merely an environmental agenda but a key to enhancing urban sustainability and inclusiveness. It also underscored the importance of peer-to-peer city knowledge exchange for sharing experiences and deepening partnerships to build cleaner and more resilient futures together.
