Her Worship Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, Mayor of Freetown and Co-Chair of C40 Cities, from 14-15 June joined fellow municipal leaders, policymakers, and climate advocates at the 2026 World Cities Summit in Singapore.
The Summit brought together government representatives, mayors, sustainability leaders, development partners, and other global stakeholders to explore solutions for building greener, more resilient, and sustainable cities.
During a series of high-level engagements and bilateral meetings, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr delivered keynote remarks at the Executive Climate Leadership Dialogue, co-hosted by C40 Cities, the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), and Temasek Shophouse. The dialogue convened mayors, senior city officials, philanthropic organisations, and mission-aligned partners to accelerate practical climate action in cities.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr also delivered opening remarks at the Mayoral Convening on Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Heat, where city leaders exchanged experiences and strategies on using nature-based approaches to address rising urban temperatures.
As part of the Summit programme, she participated in a panel discussion on Providing Reliable and Efficient Municipal Services, sharing lessons from Freetown’s efforts to improve service delivery while advancing sustainability goals.
At the Resilient and Regenerative Leadership Plenary, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr spoke on how cities can be designed in harmony with nature through regenerative urban development. She advocated for greater and more direct access to climate finance for cities in the Global South and highlighted Freetown’s progress in urban resilience, waste management, and inclusive development.
She also attended the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Lecture and held bilateral discussions with city leaders and partners, including Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece, to strengthen collaboration on urban innovation and climate action.
Reflecting on the Summit, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said: “The climate crisis knows no borders, and neither should our solutions. The World Cities Summit provided a vital opportunity for cities to learn from one another and build stronger partnerships. When more than 250 cities come together to share what is working on the ground, we can turn isolated success stories into global standards and accelerate the action needed to address our shared challenges.”
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s participation in this Summit and other global engagements are helping to directly unlock additional investments for Freetown. Through engagements with philanthropic organisations, development finance institutions, and city networks, discussions always focused on expanding support for climate resilience, sustainable infrastructure, urban services, and innovative financing mechanisms to accelerate Freetown’s capacity to deliver climate and development outcomes.
Media Contact
John Baimba Sesay
Senior Manager, Communications
Freetown C40 Co-Chair Office
Email: jbaimba@c40.org
