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International Women's Day - Accelerating climate action

The climate crisis disproportionately impacts women. Too often, their voices are not heard due to lack of representation at decision-making levels. 

Enhancing women’s participation and leadership in climate action is critical. It will help secure a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future for us all.

From leading the way as the first female mayors of their cities to playing key roles in reforming climate policy, this International Women’s Day, we celebrate women working tirelessly to drive positive change. 

Meet 10 of the many women accelerating climate action around the world. 

Mayor of Freetown: Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr Freetown’s first elected female mayor and co-chair of C40 Cities. Yvonne is leading the charge for greener, more resilient urban spaces. Through her Freetown the Treetown project, she’s overseen the planting of 1.2 million trees. "Women must be included in decision-making processes."
Mayor Rmili was the driving force behind making Casablanca the 97th C40 city. In Casablanca, she prioritises environmental quality and urban sustainability, embedding her mandate in a vision of a greener, cleaner, and vibrant city.
Juliet is driving policy change that puts cities at the heart of climate action. She led Nairobi’s first Local Stocktake, ensuring its direct contribution to the Paris Agreement, and founded the Ufanisi Research Network to decolonise climate research and make it accessible to young people. "Together, let us be the change we wish to see in the world.”
Mayor of Kuala Lumpur: Maimunah Mohd Sharif A trailblazer as Kuala Lumpur’s first female mayor and Malaysia’s Special Envoy for Sustainable Urbanisation. Mayor Sharif has spent her career pushing for collaboration between governments, businesses, and financial institutions to create greener cities. “Let’s join hands to take climate action in cities now.”
Mayor of Quezon City: Joy Belmonte The first woman elected mayor of Quezon City, Joy is leading efforts to make the city more sustainable and inclusive. She’s a champion of climate action, economic empowerment, and the protection of women, children, and the LGBTQIA+ community. At the 2022 C40 World Mayors Summit, she joined global leaders in calling for 50 million good, green jobs by 2030.
Mayor of Paris: Anne Hildago Mayor Hildago’s vision is to turn Paris into a greener, more liveable city for all. Under her leadership, the city has built hundreds of miles of bike lanes. reclaimed the Seine’s riverbanks for people and made the Seine swimmable again. Mayor of Montreal: Mayor Valérie Plante Montréal’s first female mayor, Mayor Plante is shaping a more sustainable city. She’s championed access to green spaces and is helping create Canada’s largest urban park. “In the next year, I won't be slowing down. Just watch me."
Christiana Figueres - Climate Leader & Podcast Host As co-host of the Outrage + Optimism podcast, Christiana has presented nearly 300 episodes breaking down climate news and solutions. As Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC (2010–2016), she rebuilt the global climate negotiation process and was instrumental in delivering the Paris Agreement.
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