Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is set to attend a meeting with other city leaders from Southeast Asia in the upcoming C40 Cities SEA CAI Regional Academy to be held in the locality this week.
“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,” she said.
“I am confident that our collaboration will inspire new strategies and strengthen our commitment to combating climate change without leaving anyone behind,” she added.
Freetown’s (Sierra Leone) Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr will lead the high-level dialogue on integrating Inclusive Climate Action into city governance and climate actions in the Global South.
The Regional Academy running from Sept. 2 to Sept. 6 is part of the Climate Action Implementation Programme supported by the UK government’s Urban Climate Action Programme.
Apart 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.
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, and has pioneered the prohibition of single-use plastics while pushing for a circular economy.
These included the creation of over 25,000 good, green jobs, and the integration of the informal waste workers in the solid waste management system of the city government.
C40 is a global network of nearly 100 mayors from the world’s leading cities, united in action to confront the climate crisis.
