Türkiye on Wednesday called for stronger global cooperation and faster implementation of climate commitments as Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum outlined Ankara’s priorities for the upcoming COP31 climate summit during high-level talks in Copenhagen.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Climate Ministers Meeting, Kurum said the world must move beyond negotiating new frameworks and instead focus on translating existing climate targets into tangible national policies and investments.
“Today, the fundamental need is not to create new frameworks; it is to rapidly implement existing targets and produce concrete results,” Kurum said while chairing the “Building Resilience and Accelerating Adaptation” session. “That’s why we call it the ‘Implementation COP.’”
Türkiye is set to host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP31, in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in November under a joint framework with Australia. The summit is expected to focus heavily on climate adaptation, financing and implementation of commitments made under the Paris Agreement.
Kurum said climate change was no longer a distant threat but a reality directly affecting economies, infrastructure, food systems and daily life worldwide. He pointed to rising droughts, floods, wildfires and water shortages as evidence of mounting climate pressures, particularly in developing countries and vulnerable communities.
“Adaptation to climate change now centers not only on climate policies but also on development policies, economic planning and societal resilience,” he said.
The minister emphasized that adaptation investments also create economic opportunities by reducing losses, improving investment security and generating employment.
Recent international efforts, including the adaptation indicators agreed during COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and growing calls to expand climate financing, show that global momentum is shifting toward implementation, he added.
Kurum also highlighted initiatives such as the National Adaptation Plans Implementation Alliance as important mechanisms for delivering practical outcomes.
COP30 outcomes are expected to shape much of the Antalya agenda, especially discussions on climate finance, adaptation and the implementation of national climate plans.
Kurum identified three key priorities for COP31: implementing adaptation targets more effectively, increasing adaptation financing and strengthening coordination among governments, international institutions and private stakeholders.
“We must all work together to increase awareness,” he said. “As this awareness increases, governments and countries will not be able to remain indifferent to this demand.”
The Copenhagen meetings also focused on the “Global Implementation Accelerator” and the “1.5 Degree Belém Mission,” initiatives launched after COP30 to help countries translate emissions reduction and adaptation goals into practical national strategies.
Speaking during a separate COP Chairs briefing alongside COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, Azerbaijan climate representative Mukhtar Babayev and Australian Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen, Kurum said the initiatives aimed to connect international targets with real-world implementation.
“The success of the Paris Agreement depends both on the decisions taken in negotiations and on our determination to translate them into national policies,” he said.
He described the Belém 1.5 Degree Mission as “a transparent and participatory meeting point where we can all contribute” toward strengthening national climate action plans and adaptation strategies.
Türkiye has increasingly positioned itself as a central actor in global climate diplomacy ahead of COP31, promoting themes such as resilience, sustainable urban transformation and practical implementation. Earlier this month, officials gathered in Hatay for a regional forum on resilient cities as part of the “Road to COP31” process.
The Copenhagen talks also came as the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Wednesday backing a landmark International Court of Justice opinion affirming that states have legal obligations to combat climate change.
