Makati Mayor Abby Binay has been appointed to the Board of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), the world’s biggest alliance for city climate leadership with more than 10,500 member cities and local governments.
“It is a great honor to be selected as one of the board members of GCoM. I look forward to being a champion for mayors in Southeast Asia and around the world as we work together to implement actionable solutions for a more resilient and sustainable future,” she said.
Binay will represent over 80 cities in the GCoM Mayoral Board, which is co-chaired by former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who is the UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, founder of charitable organization Bloomberg Philanthropies and software company Bloomberg L.P., and Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal.
“We’re glad to welcome Mayor Binay to the board of the Global Covenant of Mayors. Cities play a central role in confronting climate change, and Mayor Abby will provide an important perspective, especially as Southeast Asia faces severe risks. Together, we will help lead the charge on city climate action,” said Bloomberg.
Timmermans also congratulated the mayor on her appointment and lauded her for being a strong advocate for climate action in Southeast Asia.
“Mayor Binay is a strong advocate for climate action in Southeast Asia and we warmly welcome her to the Global Covenant Board,” he said. “Cities are at the forefront of the fight against the climate crisis, and drive many of the changes we need to succeed in our green transition. I congratulate Mayor Binay on her appointment and look forward to working together,” he added.
As a board member, Binay vowed to serve as a critical voice toward meeting the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCC) Race to Resilience campaign, which aims to help communities build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change like extreme heat, drought, flooding, and sea-level rise.
The mayor will launch the Cities Race to Resilience campaign at the Asia Pacific Climate Week on July 8 to encourage cities to join the global movement and commit to undertaking risk and vulnerability assessments.
A graduate of human ecology and law, Binay has implemented sustainable development efforts in Makati by upgrading and distributing equipment to disaster response teams, City Hall employees, and residents.
She also innovated programs in the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, restore rivers and creeks, prevent the use of plastic bags in households and establishments, and preserve green spaces.
Under her watch, Makati has become one of the top-performing cities in Metro Manila in complying with the Supreme Court mandamus to local government units on cleaning up Pasig River and its tributaries and managing solid and liquid waste, which is aimed at rehabilitating the Manila Bay.
Makati was also awarded the top prize for the West Zone Category in Sanitation and Sewerage Services by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in 2019 and the Best Performing LGU in NCR in terms of Water Quality Surveillance by the Department of Health.
GCoM is a coalition that represents 900 million people in 142 countries or more than 10% of the global population. The cities and partners of GCoM share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary action to combat climate change.
GCoM serves cities and local governments by mobilizing and supporting ambitious, measurable, planned climate and energy action in their communities by working with city/regional networks, national governments, and other partners.