Freetown Mayor-Elect Yvonne Aki Sawyerr Advocates for SDG Localization at UN Summit

Freetown’s Mayor-Elect, Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, took to her Facebook page to share her reflections on her recent participation at the UN summit.

In her post, she began by acknowledging her current status: “Introduced as the Mayor-Elect of Freetown, and with full acknowledgment that I have yet to be sworn in due to the current political impasse in Sierra Leone.”

Aki Sawyerr went on to discuss the core theme of her participation, highlighting the urgency of localizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during the UN SDG Summit Mobilization Day. She noted, “I shared my thoughts on the urgent need for localization of the SDGs at the UN SDG Summit Mobilization Day.”

As a key member of the Local2030 Coalition Steering Committee, Aki Sawyerr proudly mentioned her collaboration with the co-chair, UN-HABITAT Executive Director H.E. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, and other notable speakers. Together, they passionately called for an acceleration of efforts aimed at achieving the SDGs, given the limited seven years remaining until the 2030 deadline.

Furthermore, she underscored their collective emphasis on the pivotal role of local and regional governments in the global pursuit of the SDGs. Aki Sawyerr stated, “Together, we emphasized the fact that Local and Regional government efforts are critical to this global endeavor, a view that is strongly held by UN Deputy Secretary-General H.E. Amina J Mohammed, a champion of SDG Localization.”