CEBU, Philippines – Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, who was at ground zero when the world's most strongest typhoon Yolanda devastated his city and killed thousands of his constituents, attended the United Nations Climate Change Summit 2014 in New York City, where he spoke of his experience and shared inputs in managing disasters and calamities.
Alfred left for New York with his wife, Tacloban Councilor Cristina Romualdez who said, via a phone call, that the mayor was one of the panelists in a forum where he talked on the Yolanda disaster as well as the signs of climate change he observed in his city.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who hosted the first summit of its kind, invited Romualdez and other mayors and leaders around the world to discuss climate change and responses in defining issues of the times.
The Summit, held last Tuesday, was a gathering of world leaders and voices from the climate change front liners who talked on how to catalyze various actions and raise political ambitions to a meaningful global legal agreement by 2015, said Ban in his invitation.
Ban said the "actions made today will define our ability to achieve the vision laid out in the UN charter, from establishing the conditions for peace and justice, to ensuring dignity and equality for all people and nations in promoting social progress and better standards of life for all."
The UN official also said today's world leaders have the opportunity "to reach a meaningful life agreement and take actions on the ground" towards sustainable prosperity and a universal legal agreement in 2015.
"It is up for the leaders from all levels of government, civil society and private sector to scale up their actions and commitments to make it possible," said Ban in his letter.
Mayor Romualdez has been attending several international events, such as in Singapore, Japan, Israel and the World Bank, among others, to talk on the November 8, 2013's tragic experience that killed thousands of his people. – TISAT