The Pre-COP Summit, held in the Pacific ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), brought together climate and energy ministers and representatives from around the world, with the 1.5-degree target, climate finance, the ocean-climate nexus and the Pacific’s place on the global climate agenda emerging as key priorities.

COP31 President and Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum chairs Pre-COP meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu ahead of the climate negotiations in Antalya later this year.

Speaking at a Pre-COP stakeholder meeting in Fiji, Kurum presented Türkiye’s COP31 Action Agenda to representatives of Pacific island nations and highlighted the region’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change.

Kurum said the aim was to draw global attention to the Pacific islands’ struggle against the climate crisis, noting that Fiji is hosting the Pre-COP Summit for the second time.

He warned that communities in Pacific island nations could face the possibility of their homes and cities becoming unlivable as climate impacts intensify.

"We hear the voice of Tuvalu, Fiji and the Pacific, and I want to state here, both on behalf of our Australian friends and as the COP31 presidency, that we will fight this battle with all our strength,” Kurum said.

Kurum said COP31 would be built around dialogue, consensus and action, stressing that countries must move beyond setting climate targets and commitments toward delivering measurable results.

"We should no longer be satisfied with simply setting out our targets and commitments; we need to focus more on how these targets will be put into practice,” he said.

Kurum described COP31 as an "implementation COP” and said the Action Agenda was designed as a framework for turning climate targets into concrete outcomes rather than simply serving as a list of events.

"We have built our Action Agenda around 10 priority themes, six global targets, 11 initiatives and 13 supporting outcomes. Our goal is to bring all these elements together within a holistic implementation architecture that delivers concrete results,” Kurum said.

The 10 themes cover areas including energy, industry, urbanization, food, oceans and health, which Kurum said should be addressed as interconnected elements of climate and development.

The agenda also sets six implementation targets for 2035. These include increasing the share of electricity in final energy consumption to 35%, cutting the projected increase in municipal waste generation by at least half, reducing energy intensity in buildings by 25% and increasing the global circular material use rate to at least 15%.

The agenda also emphasizes climate literacy and education and aims to expand the "Climate Implementation Bridge,” known as Bridge, through 2035 to support implementation through initiatives, mechanisms, commitments and partnerships.

Kurum said the agenda had received positive and constructive feedback from countries, international organizations, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society following its official launch in New York.

Pacific priorities shape COP31 discussions

The Pre-COP meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu place the concerns of Pacific island nations at the center of discussions ahead of the Antalya negotiations.

For many Pacific nations, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, ocean warming and threats to coastal communities have made climate action an urgent issue, while access to climate finance remains a key concern.

The 1.5-degree Celsius target, climate finance and the relationship between the health of oceans and the climate are among the issues expected to shape discussions as countries prepare for COP31.

Kurum also renewed his call for international cooperation to ensure the success of the negotiations in Antalya.