(MENAFN) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that Türkiye is prepared to host the upcoming UN climate change conference, COP31, in November 2026, speaking at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Erdogan revealed that the conference will take place in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya and emphasized Türkiye’s ambitious energy targets. He noted the country plans to quadruple its solar and wind energy capacity by 2035, highlighting that renewables already account for more than 60% of Türkiye’s energy mix this year.

Describing Türkiye’s recently adopted Climate Law as a “milestone in achieving our goal of net-zero emissions by 2053,” Erdogan said it will encourage investments in clean technologies and support a fair transition across all sectors.

He also highlighted the Zero Waste Project, led by First Lady Emine Erdogan, describing it as “a global environmental movement with the support of the United Nations.” He pointed to a recent agreement with Australia as a significant achievement amid concerns about “the recent erosion of multilateralism.”

Erdogan praised South Africa’s efforts to strengthen food security and urged the G20 to intensify actions in this area. He stressed that despite the high economic costs, “a financing system that meets the needs of developing countries in particular must be implemented.”

Turning to reconstruction efforts, Erdogan outlined Türkiye’s massive post-earthquake construction campaign following the February 6, 2023 disasters. He said 350,000 housing units have been delivered, with the remaining 100,000 set to be completed soon, marking “one of the world's largest construction activities in less than four years” and showcasing the resilience of Türkiye’s economy.

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