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Türkiye Unveils COP31 Action Plan, Pushes for Real Climate Results
(MENAFN) Türkiye's Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum announced Monday that the country intends to convert global climate pledges into concrete, trackable action at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP31, set for November in Antalya.
Kurum formally launched the conference agenda while attending the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Addressing the "Launch of the COP31 Action Agenda — High-Level Event" at the UN Economic and Social Council Chamber, Kurum, serving as COP31 president, told attendees: "We are here today not only to introduce the COP31 Action Agenda, but also to discuss together how we can accelerate the transition from targets to implementation in climate action."
According to Kurum, global consensus on the severity of the climate emergency has never been stronger — targets are largely agreed upon, and viable solutions already exist across much of the world. The real challenge, he argued, lies in execution.
He identified major obstacles standing in the way, among them limited access to financing, gaps in institutional capacity, and a mismatch between available technology and actual needs — issues he said COP31 will directly confront in Antalya this November.
"Our approach in this process is based on three fundamental principles: Dialogue. Consensus. Action. Through dialogue, we listen to different needs and priorities. Through consensus, we identify areas for joint action. Through action, we want to turn this partnership into concrete results," Kurum said.
He emphasized that the goal isn't to pile on new promises, but to convert commitments already made into measurable, on-the-ground outcomes.
"Our Action Agenda brings common priorities together with measurable targets, concrete initiatives and implementation tools," he said.
Kurum walked representatives from nations party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change through the Action Agenda's core structure: 10 priority themes, six global targets, 11 initiatives, and 13 supporting outputs — all anchored in the framework of "Dialogue, Consensus, Action."
He noted that an "implementation architecture" has been built to bridge the gap between ambition and delivery, shaped through months of consultation with governments, international bodies, financial institutions, private-sector players, and civil society groups.
"We want to turn climate targets into measurable, actionable steps through our Action Agenda," he said.
Those 10 priority areas span sectors from energy and industry to urban planning, food systems, oceans, and public health, Kurum said, while global targets for 2035 have been established covering energy use, waste management, recycling, and carbon dioxide cuts.
"We aim to increase the share of electricity in final energy consumption to 35% by 2035. Through the COP31 Global Electrification Initiative, we will accelerate electrification on a global scale," he said.
Additional targets outlined by Kurum touch on building climate-resilient cities, protecting oceans and seas, strengthening food security, and developing adaptive, resilient health infrastructure.
Following a Q&A session where attendees offered feedback, Kurum closed the event by saying: "We did not only introduce our Action Agenda here. We listened to you. We assessed the barriers to implementation, the needs and the areas where we can move forward together. We will reflect the views and recommendations you put forward today in our work in the process leading up to Antalya."
He extended an invitation to all participants to join in Antalya come November — but was careful to frame it as a beginning, not an end. "However, we do not see Antalya as the final destination. We want Antalya to be a turning point where implementation accelerates in a visible and measurable way," he said.
The launch event drew a high-profile lineup of speakers, including UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, UN Assistant Secretary-General Selwin Hart, COP30 President Andre Aranha Correa do Lago, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister and COP29 Lead Negotiator Yalcin Rafiyev, Australian Assistant Minister and COP31 Executive Director Kushla Munro, and World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Representatives from international financial institutions and ministers or deputy ministers from roughly 20 countries also attended.
COP31 will run Nov. 9–20 at the Expo Center in Antalya under Türkiye's presidency.
Separately, Kurum met in New York with European Commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra to discuss Türkiye-EU climate cooperation and joint preparations ahead of the summit.
"We see COP31 as an important opportunity to take Türkiye-EU climate relations to a more strategic and results-oriented level. We are ready to work closely with the European Commission for a COP31 that translates our climate targets into implementation and commitments into concrete action," Kurum said.
"We would like the European Union to make an active contribution to COP31, the initiatives we have developed under our Action Agenda, and our Global Implementation Goals. I hope our meeting will further strengthen our cooperation," he added.
Kurum formally launched the conference agenda while attending the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Addressing the "Launch of the COP31 Action Agenda — High-Level Event" at the UN Economic and Social Council Chamber, Kurum, serving as COP31 president, told attendees: "We are here today not only to introduce the COP31 Action Agenda, but also to discuss together how we can accelerate the transition from targets to implementation in climate action."
According to Kurum, global consensus on the severity of the climate emergency has never been stronger — targets are largely agreed upon, and viable solutions already exist across much of the world. The real challenge, he argued, lies in execution.
He identified major obstacles standing in the way, among them limited access to financing, gaps in institutional capacity, and a mismatch between available technology and actual needs — issues he said COP31 will directly confront in Antalya this November.
"Our approach in this process is based on three fundamental principles: Dialogue. Consensus. Action. Through dialogue, we listen to different needs and priorities. Through consensus, we identify areas for joint action. Through action, we want to turn this partnership into concrete results," Kurum said.
He emphasized that the goal isn't to pile on new promises, but to convert commitments already made into measurable, on-the-ground outcomes.
"Our Action Agenda brings common priorities together with measurable targets, concrete initiatives and implementation tools," he said.
Kurum walked representatives from nations party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change through the Action Agenda's core structure: 10 priority themes, six global targets, 11 initiatives, and 13 supporting outputs — all anchored in the framework of "Dialogue, Consensus, Action."
He noted that an "implementation architecture" has been built to bridge the gap between ambition and delivery, shaped through months of consultation with governments, international bodies, financial institutions, private-sector players, and civil society groups.
"We want to turn climate targets into measurable, actionable steps through our Action Agenda," he said.
Those 10 priority areas span sectors from energy and industry to urban planning, food systems, oceans, and public health, Kurum said, while global targets for 2035 have been established covering energy use, waste management, recycling, and carbon dioxide cuts.
"We aim to increase the share of electricity in final energy consumption to 35% by 2035. Through the COP31 Global Electrification Initiative, we will accelerate electrification on a global scale," he said.
Additional targets outlined by Kurum touch on building climate-resilient cities, protecting oceans and seas, strengthening food security, and developing adaptive, resilient health infrastructure.
Following a Q&A session where attendees offered feedback, Kurum closed the event by saying: "We did not only introduce our Action Agenda here. We listened to you. We assessed the barriers to implementation, the needs and the areas where we can move forward together. We will reflect the views and recommendations you put forward today in our work in the process leading up to Antalya."
He extended an invitation to all participants to join in Antalya come November — but was careful to frame it as a beginning, not an end. "However, we do not see Antalya as the final destination. We want Antalya to be a turning point where implementation accelerates in a visible and measurable way," he said.
The launch event drew a high-profile lineup of speakers, including UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, UN Assistant Secretary-General Selwin Hart, COP30 President Andre Aranha Correa do Lago, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister and COP29 Lead Negotiator Yalcin Rafiyev, Australian Assistant Minister and COP31 Executive Director Kushla Munro, and World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Representatives from international financial institutions and ministers or deputy ministers from roughly 20 countries also attended.
COP31 will run Nov. 9–20 at the Expo Center in Antalya under Türkiye's presidency.
Separately, Kurum met in New York with European Commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra to discuss Türkiye-EU climate cooperation and joint preparations ahead of the summit.
"We see COP31 as an important opportunity to take Türkiye-EU climate relations to a more strategic and results-oriented level. We are ready to work closely with the European Commission for a COP31 that translates our climate targets into implementation and commitments into concrete action," Kurum said.
"We would like the European Union to make an active contribution to COP31, the initiatives we have developed under our Action Agenda, and our Global Implementation Goals. I hope our meeting will further strengthen our cooperation," he added.
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