AYV News, September 30, 2024
Mayor of Freetown, Her Worship Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr took center stage at a high-level panel organised by the Rockefeller Foundation and Goals House, where she addressed the urgent need for action to protect public health amidst the growing challenges posed by climate change.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said: “On the third day of my participation in UNGA 2024, I spoke on a panel on Harnessing Public-Private Collaboration for Climate-Resilient Cities. I then delivered the keynote address at the Climate Mobility Summit before giving the closing remarks at a roundtable dialogue ‘The Road from the Summit of the Future to COP30: Intergenerational Leadership’ held at the United Nations Headquarters.
“I joined a high-level panel hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation and Goals House, which focused on critical actions needed to protect health in the face of climate change. I then participated in a panel – “Growing solutions: Local actions for people, planet and peace” held at the United Nations Headquarters. The other panelists were Anacláudia Rossbach, Undersecretary-General and Executive Director, UN-Habitat and David Miller, Former Mayor of Toronto and Managing Director C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. I started the day with a fireside chat at a MasterCard Centre for Inclusive Growth which focused on digital transformations and urban mobility. I ended the day with the delivery of a closing keynote address at the Climate World Biodiversity Summit”.
The discussion highlighted the importance of investing in heat resilience, as Mayor Aki-Sawyerr emphasised the necessity of financial support for cities to effectively combat extreme heat and other climate-related issues.
Later in the day, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr participated in a panel titled “Growing Solutions: Local Actions for People, Planet, and Peace” at the United Nations Headquarters.
Joining her were Anacláudia Rossbach, Undersecretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and David Miller, former Mayor of Toronto and Managing Director of C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who contributed a submission to the session, was also in attendance.
The mayor’s day began with a fireside chat at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, where the conversation centered on the role of digital transformation and urban mobility in sustainable urban development.
She concluded her day by delivering the keynote address at the Climate World Biodiversity Summit, where she once again called for decisive global action to tackle climate and biodiversity challenges.
