By John Baimba Sesay, Senior Comms, Manager, C40 Freetown Office
This week, Freetown Mayor and C40 Cities Global Co-Chair, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE participated in London Climate Action Week 2026, championing the vital role of cities in delivering climate solutions.
Key engagements included a closed-door roundtable with the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on accelerating local climate action, a keynote at the Mayoral Dialogue on urban resilience, and keynote remarks at the ODI Global and LAGO Collective convening on women-led green innovation.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr also attended an invitation-only reception at St James’s Palace, where she engaged with King Charles III, highlighting C40 Cities’ work on climate action and clean air. She further supported youth climate advocacy, held strategic bilateral meetings, including with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, and shared insights on the BBC Climate Question podcast, slated to air this weekend.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr met with the Executive Director of Breathe Cities and explored opportunities for increased investment in initiatives that will improve air quality, public health, and quality of life for Freetonians.