Türkiye is set to host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) starting Monday in Antalya, bringing world leaders, negotiators and climate experts together as the country seeks to move international climate commitments toward practical implementation and measurable results.

Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum has framed Türkiye’s approach around three priorities: "dialogue, consensus, action.”

"Recognizing the problem, understanding it is important and talking is also important. But these are not enough. Now is the time for implementation,” Kurum said at a gathering with COP31 volunteers in Antalya on Friday.

The summit, running from Nov. 9-20, comes as countries face mounting pressure to reduce emissions, strengthen resilience to extreme weather and mobilize the funding needed to protect vulnerable communities.

Türkiye aims to make COP31 an "Implementation COP,” focusing on areas ranging from clean energy and climate-resilient cities to food and water security, industrial transformation and ocean protection.

"The borders on the map are different, but the sky, water and climate have no borders. Therefore, the solution must also go beyond borders,” Kurum said.

What is COP, why does it matter?

COP stands for the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international treaty adopted in 1992 to provide a framework for global cooperation on climate change.

The annual conferences bring together representatives of nearly 200 parties, including governments, alongside scientists, international organizations, businesses and civil society groups. They provide a forum for negotiating agreements, reviewing progress and determining how countries can collectively address global warming.

The first COP took place in Berlin in 1995. Since then, the conferences have helped shape the international climate framework, producing landmark agreements that established emissions targets, reporting requirements and mechanisms for international cooperation.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol introduced legally binding emissions-reduction targets for industrialized countries under the agreement’s first commitment period. The 2015 Paris Agreement marked a broader shift by bringing nearly all countries into a common framework to combat climate change.

Under the Paris Agreement, countries submit and periodically strengthen national climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions, while working to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees.

Türkiye’s road to COP31

Türkiye secured the right to host COP31 following an agreement with Australia on the hosting arrangements. A compromise announced during COP30 in Belem, Brazil, in November 2025, divided responsibilities between the two countries.

Türkiye will host the conference, hold the presidency and lead the COP31 Action Agenda, while Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will lead the formal negotiations.

The arrangement also placed the Pacific region at the center of preparations, with Fiji hosting the Pre-COP ministerial meeting and Tuvalu hosting a leaders’ event in October. The initiative highlighted the vulnerability of Pacific island nations to rising sea levels and other climate impacts.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan provides political leadership for Türkiye’s climate diplomacy, while first lady Emine Erdoğan brings moral leadership to COP31’s climate action efforts through her internationally recognized Zero Waste Project, launched in 2017, which promotes waste reduction, resource efficiency and sustainable consumption.

Kurum, as COP31 president, is responsible for guiding the presidency’s priorities and seeking consensus among participating countries.

The summit will mark Türkiye’s first time hosting the U.N. climate conference, placing the country at the center of international negotiations over climate policy, finance and implementation.

What will countries discuss?

Climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer and assistance for countries facing climate-related losses and damage are expected to remain central to the negotiations.

Developing countries have repeatedly called for greater financial support to help them cut emissions, prepare for extreme weather and protect communities facing rising climate risks.

At COP29 in Baku in 2024, countries agreed on a new climate finance goal under which developed countries would take the lead in mobilizing at least $300 billion annually for developing countries by 2035. The broader agreement called for scaling up finance from public and private sources to $1.3 trillion annually by the same year.

The challenge will be turning these commitments into accessible funding and projects, particularly for countries with limited financial resources and growing adaptation needs.

Kurum emphasized climate justice, saying that "the burden of the climate crisis is carried by societies that have the least responsibility for it.” He added that such an arrangement could never be sustainable.

He also linked climate action to everyday concerns, pointing to how drought affects agricultural production and drives up food prices, with consequences for economic stability and social well-being.

Turning pledges into action

Türkiye’s COP31 Action Agenda was designed to complement the formal negotiations by encouraging governments, businesses and other stakeholders to translate climate commitments into practical initiatives.

The agenda is organized around 10 priority themes, six global implementation goals, 11 initiatives and 13 supporting outputs. Its priorities include zero waste, clean energy, food security, climate-resilient cities, green industrialization, oceans and seas, youth and education and resilient health systems.

Its 2035 targets include increasing electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35%, reducing energy-use intensity in buildings by at least 25%, raising the global circular material use rate to 15%, and halving the projected increase in municipal waste generation.

These targets are intended to accelerate electrification, improve resource efficiency and reduce emissions. They are voluntary goals rather than new legally binding obligations under the Paris Agreement.

The Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE) is another initiative aimed at helping countries turn climate priorities into investment-ready projects and connect them with potential sources of financing.

The agenda’s effectiveness will ultimately depend on whether these initiatives attract investment, produce measurable outcomes and help countries overcome barriers to implementation.

From negotiations to action

COP31 will operate through two main zones. The Blue Zone will host official negotiations and meetings for accredited participants, while the Green Zone will showcase climate solutions, innovation and public engagement activities.

The World Leaders’ Summit is scheduled for Nov. 11-12, bringing heads of state and government together during the conference’s first week.

The wider program will address food, agriculture and health on Nov. 9, followed by energy and transport on Nov. 10. Subsequent thematic days will cover zero waste, resilient cities, finance and trade, youth and education, science and technology, oceans and nature and human development before the conference concludes with final negotiations on Nov. 20.

Youth participation is another focus of the Turkish presidency. Kurum said the COP31 volunteer program received more than 45,000 applications from different countries, reflecting interest among young people in participating in climate action.

"Climate action is your right. It is your right to demand faster steps. It is your right to ask that promises be kept,” he told the volunteers, adding that young people should have a place in decisions affecting their future.

Kurum said the presidency would also defend the principle of fairness in international climate diplomacy, arguing that economic development and environmental protection should not be treated as competing objectives.