Southeast Asian cities unite in Quezon City for inclusive climate action

Three C40 cities with ambitions to accelerate inclusive climate action (ICA) have come together to share their best practices, advocate for change and inspire other cities to follow in their footsteps.

C40's UCAP CAI Southeast Asia Regional Academy aims to showcase Global South perspectives and experiences in incorporating ICA into cities' climate governance. This work is essential as cities face up to the challenges of putting inclusivity at the heart of climate policies in order to build cities' capacity to adapt and thrive. This week-long event is part of the Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme, supported by the UK government's Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP).

The Regional Academy takes place from September 2 to 6 in Quezon City, in the Philippines, gathering city leaders, policymakers, and delegates from Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Quezon City. The Academy will also serve as a venue for city representatives to share experiences, engage in discussions, and learn from one another to stimulate collaboration and accelerate the implementation of policies.

Municipal delegates and representatives will participate in active learning activities, through hands-on exercises, site visits, lectures and presentations designed to help them turn knowledge into actions

Mayor of Freetown and C40 Cities Co-Chair, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, said: "In building resilience, we can only do this with communities. In addressing climate change and climate impact we can only do this with leadership, involvement and the commitment of our communities. Inclusive climate action is something that C40 has valued and understood that is the answer to the frontline change that we need. Climate change is a global crisis but the response to it is incredibly local - led by cities and led by their communities, communities as yourselves here in Quezon City."

Mayor of Quezon City, Joy Belmonte, said: "It is crucial to recognise that climate change has further exacerbated inequality in our society with our most vulnerable citizens bearing the brunt of this impact. For them, climate change is not merely an environmental issue; it is a matter of survival. Here in Quezon City we have decided to embrace this challenge with a bold plan that waives sustainability and environmental stewardship in our overall vision towards inclusivity. C40 Cities has been an invaluable partner in this regard; with its support we've been able to carry out key initiatives that put climate action at the core of our collective lives here in Quezon City."

Quezon City has taken several significant steps to make ICA a core part of their climate governance. These measures include the development of good green jobs through an informal waste worker programme, providing training on equity and inclusion across city departments to build competencies and greater support for the employment of people with disabilities. In 2022, Mayor Joy Belmonte joined global cities in calling for a common effort to create 50 million good, green jobs by the end of the decade during the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The city is also currently developing interactive storybooks for young people and children with disabilities through the Inclusive Climate Action Cities Fund (ICA Fund), administered by C40 Cities. These will be inclusive and child-friendly versions of the City's Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan for 2021 to 2050, allowing all segments of society to understand and participate in Quezon City's climate actions.

Laure Beaufils, British Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau, said: "Climate action is obviously about science, mitigation, and all of those aspects. But it is also about human rights, social justice, and also about inequality. Those conversations cannot be separated if we want a just future. Ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change cannot be addressed independently. The UK government is proud to be contributing to C40 Cities because the organisation is really committed to engaging communities and having a grassroots approach to climate action that complements all the work that needs to be done on mitigation, drastically reducing greenhouse gas and so on."

The C40 Regional Academy is part of C40's Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Southeast Asia Programme, funded by the UK Government's Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP). This initiative supports 15 cities across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia in implementing impactful climate actions and integrating climate strategies into their urban plans.

In Southeast Asia, the programme collaborates closely with Quezon City, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur in addressing the climate crisis through transformational climate action implementation to enhance energy efficiency and expand the adoption of renewable energy in buildings given it is the largest emitter in the cities. UCAP CAI also focuses on equipping cities with fundamental transformation on ways of working through mainstreaming - a process to embed climate, inclusivity and governance considerations into daily processes and decision-making for long-term sustainability.

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