Bonn, 13 November 2017 – At a day dedicated to cities and climate change, UN-Habitat’s Deputy Executive Director highlighted the importance of engaging women in climate action.

The first high-level day of the UN’s COP23 climate change summit focused on Sustainable Development Goal 11, an opportunity to promote the linkage between cities and climate change.

Chairing the Women Leaders in Climate Change meeting at the Bonn summit, Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, who is also a UN Assistant Secretary-General, said well-managed urbanization was key to achieving the commitments made in the Paris Agreement.

“If we proactively plan and lead cities to get us where we want, [urbanization] will be probably the most affordable tool to get us there,” said Mrs Kacyira. She went on to talk about the climate development nexus and to emphasise the importance of making sure women leaders are at the centre of climate action.

#WeAreClimateChange

Mrs Kacyira also presented the prize for UN-Habitat’s #WeAreClimateChange competition; a social media competition that challenged young people to show what their city was doing to mitigate or adapt to climate change.

Hanna Pintusava, an urbanist from Belarus, was awarded the prize above several hundred contestants or her image of floating gardens in the Netherlands.

On receiving the certificate from the organization’s Deputy Executive Director, Ms Pintusava said that she was honoured to receive the accolade and delighted to be able to attend the world famous meeting which had been an educational experience.

As the prize for first place in the competition, Ms Pintsuva was awarded a trip to the COP23 meeting and her photo was displayed, along with those of the other finalists, in the hall of the main high-level meeting to promote the importance of urban issues in climate action.