On Wednesday (April 29), C40 Cities announced Mayor LaToya Cantrell as one of the 11 mayors confirmed to participate in the newly launched Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, to drive forward a sustainable, equitable economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Other members of the task force are: Mayor Giuseppe Sala (Milan, Italy); Mayor Yvonne Aki Sawyerr (Freetown, Sierre Leone); Secretary KS Wong (Hong Kong, China); Mayor Fernando Medina (Lisbon, Portugal); Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (Rotterdam, Netherlands); Mayor Daniel Quintero Calle (Medelllín, Cololumbia); Lord Mayor Sally Capp (Melbourne, Australia); Mayor Valérie Plante (Montréal, Canada); Mayor Jenny Durkan (Seattle, Wash.); and Mayor Won-soon Park (Seoul, South Korea).
The task force, representing the geographic reach and diversity of the C40 network, will convene at regular intervals in the coming weeks and months. Mayor Giuseppe Sala today chaired the first meeting of the Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force. The Task Force will explore ways for the economic recovery from COVID-19 to get people back to work, while ensuring climate breakdown doesn’t become an even bigger crisis for the global economy and the lives and livelihoods of communities worldwide.
C40 Cities connects 96 cities from across the world to take bold climate action. Representing more than 700 million citizens and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level. The current chair of C40 is Los Angeles Mayor Mayor Eric Garcetti. Michael R. Bloomberg, former three-term mayor of New York serves as President of the Board.
“In both matters of climate change and this global pandemic, mayors and their cities are gravely impacted and (must) be at the forefront of finding ways to rebuild our economy, particularly in ways that can advance our climate change goals. As we get New Orleanians back to work, we need to focus on creating job opportunities in emerging green and blue sectors — such as urban water management, local manufacturing, coastal restoration, solar, and energy efficiency,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Not only are we creating sustainable jobs for today and tomorrow, we will also improve the long-term health and stability of our city.”
“When the time comes to reopen and rebuild, our efforts will define our cities for decades to come –– and as Mayors, it’s our responsibility to lay the foundation for the fair society and healthy planet our residents deserve,” said C40 Chair and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Cities worldwide led the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will marshal all of our local resources to advance a robust global recovery –– to get people back to work and accelerate action to address the climate crisis.”