Makati Mayor Abby Binay has been selected as a member of the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments. She is the only Philippine mayor in the prestigious assembly.

In his letter to Binay, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored the important time-bound role of the Advisory Group in strengthening the engagement of local and regional governments in intergovernmental and national planning processes.

"As an Advisory Group member, I trust that I can count on your knowledge and expertise in the field of multi-level governance to localize and align efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," Guterres stated.

"I look forward to the work you will undertake with fellow Advisory Group members to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda," the UN official further stated.

Binay has gladly accepted the appointment, noting the crucial role of local governance in global sustainable development.

"I am deeply honored to accept this crucial role and its responsibilities. I pledge to be the voice of cities throughout Southeast Asia, ensuring that our unique and shared challenges and aspirations echo in the corridors of global decision-making, driving meaningful change for a sustainable future for all," she said.

She added that the Makati city government understands that the majority of SDG targets cannot be met without the active participation of local and regional governments. "We are not just contributors, we are catalysts," she said.

On 6 October 2023, Binay joined the first hybrid meeting of the group among its 20 members presided over by Guterres. She pledged to work closely with the group to redefine the future of multilaterism from the grassroots up.

The Advisory Group will work over a one-year period and meet with the Secretary-General on three occasions to produce a set of recommendations with strategic guidance in the run up to the Summit of the Future in September 2024.

Also in the group is another Filipino, former undersecretary Marivel Sacendoncillo of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Other city mayors appointed to the UNSG advisory body include Eric Adams (New York), Valerie Plante (Montreal), Sadiq Khan (London), Anne Hidalgo (Paris), Asmaa Rhlalou, (Rabat) Sharon Dijskma (Utrecht), Fatma Sahin (Gaziantep), Yousef Shawarbeh (Amman), Atiqul Islam (Dhaka North City), Bernard Wagner (Belize), and Carolina Cosse (Montevideo).

Recently, Binay also accepted a seat on the COP28 Advisory Committee. The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28, will be the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference. It will be held from 30 November to 12 December 2023 at the Expo City, Dubai.

Binay is again the only mayor from the Philippines to be part of this exclusive committee.