Mayor Joy Belmonte discussed Quezon City’s green and sustainable initiatives with Freetown Deputy Mayor Kweku Melvin Lisk Esq and some officials of the United Nations Environment Programme during their visit to the Nairobi National Park and Cultiva farm in Kenya.
Among the programs the mayor discussed include the city’s Urban Farming program that have created 25,000 good green jobs to QCitizens, the transition of the city’s free bus ride program to electric fleet, and the vote to tote program that provides livelihood opportunities to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) by turning campaign tarpaulins into fashionable bags.
Team QC and UNEP also visited the Nairobi National Park, a 181-kilometer park in the middle of the city.
Mayor Belmonte expressed admiration for the Kenyan Government for preserving the park, which is home to 400 species including endangered animals.
According to the Mayor, the government was able to demonstrate that urban development can occur without destroying nature and depleting biodiversity.
In 2023, the UNEP has recognized Mayor Belmonte as one of the UN Champions of the Earth for her leadership and effective climate actions to eliminate plastic pollution in the city.
Mayor Belmonte, Coun. Vito Sotto Generoso and Kristine Lea Sy-Gaon of Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department (CCESD) are attending the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in Nairobi, Kenya.
