AYV News, September 3, 2024
Mayor of Freetown and C-40 Cities Co-Chair, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer has joined city leaders and policymakers from Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America at this year’s Southeast Asia CAI Regional Academy in Quezon City, Philippines to discuss the achievements and ongoing climate action implementation of C-40 Cities in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Mayor Aki-Sawyer said: “Ensuring financial investments for climate action, particularly in the Global South, is crucial to meeting our global commitment to addressing the climate emergency. In the next days, my engagements will focus on mainstreaming equitable, just, and inclusive climate action and also participate in a gender dialogue on transformative climate action for women and by women as well as delivering a keynote address on the challenges and opportunities for urban climate action finance”.
The Mayor said her engagements at the Summit will help foster Sierra Leone’s cooperation and share lessons on its diverse climate resilience interventions.
Supported by UK government funding through the Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP), C40’s UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme expands support for 15 C40 cities in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia in implementing ambitious climate action plans.
Between January 2022 and December 2025, C40 is providing tailored technical assistance and capacity building to support city-led efforts and projects to develop low-emission public transport systems, sustainable urban mobility planning, sustainable waste management, renewable energy efficiency in buildings, climate-smart buildings codes, and incorporate climate action into city governance, planning and decision-making structures.
From 2018 to 2021, C40 provided technical assistance and resources to 35 cities to develop climate action plans that effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate resilience. Through UCAP CAI, we support cities in prioritising fairness and inclusivity in climate policies and urban decisions. C40 helps cities integrate equity and inclusion by involving marginalised groups in decision-making and ensuring benefits are distributed equitably. Examples include supporting Bogotá’s electric bus fleet operated mostly by women, improving worker engagement in waste management in Dar es Salaam, and ensuring accessibility criteria are considered when selecting public buildings in Jakarta.
