Two women leaders from the Global South are leading the fight against the climate crisis as they meet with city leaders from Southeast Asia in the upcoming C40 Cities SEA CAI Regional Academy in Quezon City this week.

Quezon City’s (Philippines) Mayor Joy Belmonte and Freetown’s (Sierra Leone) Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr will lead the high-level dialogue on integrating Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) into city governance and climate actions in the Global South. The Regional Academy, running from September 2 to 6, is part of the Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme, supported by the UK government’s Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP).

“This is a testament to the city’s commitment in leading the fight against the climate crisis. Together with other cities in the Global South, as well as Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s leadership, we hope to strengthen our initiatives, policies, and programs in promoting and ensuring an inclusive and equal community for all. I am confident that our collaboration will inspire new strategies and strengthen our commitment to combating climate change without leaving anyone behind”, Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

“Addressing the climate crisis entails global collective effort from all players; national governments, urban leadership, development partners, and civil society. These concerted actions would significantly contribute to building resilient communities and promoting sustainable urban development. My visit to the Philippines as a representative of nearly 100 mayors facilitates and amplifies climate action peer learning which is a core objective of C40 Cities. The visit further demonstrates our collective commitment to forging a path that leads to concrete climate actions, resulting in green, good jobs accessible to all”, C40 Co-Chair Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said.

Aside from Mayor Belmonte and Mayor Aki-Sawyerr, British Ambassador to the Philippines, Her Excellency Laure Beaufils, and C40 Cities’ Regions and Mayoral Engagement Managing Director, Shruti Narayan, will also deliver their messages.
As the C40 Cities Co-Chair, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr represents and serves as the voice of Global South Cities in addressing climate emergencies, and plays a key role in raising the bar on climate ambition, she also champions youth engagement to advance climate action in cities. For this achievement, she was featured on TIME Magazine’s 100 Next list (2021) and on the BBC’s 100 Women’s list (2020).

Mayor Belmonte is the 2023 Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme. She strongly advocates for an inclusive and responsive climate action, ensuring that no resident is left behind. These include the creation of more than 25,000 good, green jobs, the integration of the informal waste workers in the solid waste management system of the city government, and has also pioneered the prohibition of single-use plastics while pushing for a circular economy.

The C40 Cities CAI Regional Academy will gather leaders, policymakers, and delegates from Jakarta, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Quezon City to discuss the integration of Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) into city governance and climate actions. Best practices in other CAI cities from Africa and Latin America will also be exchanged for shared learning in this area.

It will also serve as a venue for the participants to share their innovative ideas related to ICA by providing concrete examples and inspiration to implement similar measures in their own respective cities.

C40 is a global network of nearly 100 mayors from the world’s leading cities, united in action to confront the climate crisis.

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