Türkiye plays an increasingly active and leading role in regional and global climate action under its international climate commitments, a senior United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) official said.
Meral Mungan Arda, UNDP Türkiye’s climate change and environment portfolio manager, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Tuesday that Türkiye has strengthened its role in climate action in recent years and is making significant contributions to global efforts to address climate change.
“We observe that Türkiye holds a highly effective position in the region on climate-related issues and has assumed a leadership role in climate action,” Arda said.
Her remarks came as part of the ongoing "EU Partnership for Local Climate Action in Türkiye" project, financed by the European Union, implemented by UNDP Türkiye and with the Presidency of Climate Change as the final beneficiary. Within the scope of the project, the “Post-COP30 Climate Action Awareness Conference in Türkiye” was held to assess outcomes of the latest U.N. climate talks.
Arda said two key themes dominated discussions at COP30. The first was the inadequacy of existing national commitments to sufficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Even if countries continue to fulfill their current pledges, it has become clear that these efforts are not enough,” she said.
Arda noted that in the 10th year of the Paris Agreement, the global community remains far from meeting the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), underlining that COP30 emphasized the need for concrete action rather than further planning.
The second major theme was climate finance, she said, stressing that funding remains essential both for reducing emissions and for adapting to the impacts of climate change.
“As we move toward COP31, these issues will also be high on Türkiye’s climate agenda,” Arda said.
She added that one of the main objectives of the project is to mobilize climate action at the local level, highlighting the importance of integrating mitigation and adaptation efforts into local governance.
Arda also referred to the Amazon Summit held in Belem, Brazil, saying it demonstrated the continued importance of multilateral cooperation in a changing global context.
She said Türkiye’s contributions to climate action are increasingly visible internationally, adding that the planned hosting of COP31 in Türkiye would provide an opportunity to share these experiences and inspire other countries.
“The prospect of COP31 being held in Türkiye is extremely encouraging,” Arda said, noting that it would further strengthen the country’s role in global climate diplomacy.
