Freetown’s Mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, who also serves as Co-Chair of C40 Cities, joined city leaders and policymakers from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America at the Southeast Asia CAI Regional Academy held in Quezon City, Philippines.
The event brought together global leaders to discuss the progress and ongoing implementation of climate action initiatives across these regions.
Speaking at the event, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr emphasized the critical importance of securing financial investments for climate action in the Global South, stating, “Ensuring financial investments for climate action, particularly in the Global South, is crucial to meeting our global commitment to addressing the climate emergency.”
She outlined her focus over the coming days, which includes mainstreaming equitable, just, and inclusive climate action.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr also highlighted her participation in a gender dialogue centered on transformative climate action for women, as well as her role in delivering a keynote address on the challenges and opportunities for urban climate action finance.
In a statement posted on her social media, the Mayor expressed her appreciation for the warm hospitality of Quezon City and the event’s host, Mayor Joy Belmonte.
“I truly appreciate my colleague, Mayor of Quezon City, Joy Belmonte, for the warm hospitality and Quezon City for co-hosting this year’s CAI Regional Academy with C40 Cities. I am confident that our engagements here will help foster our cooperation and share lessons on our diverse climate resilience interventions,” Aki-Sawyerr wrote.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s participation at the summit is expected to strengthen Sierra Leone’s collaborative efforts in climate resilience and share valuable insights from the nation’s diverse climate initiatives.
