Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum said Monday that Türkiye aims to turn climate targets into measurable and actionable steps through the UN Climate Change Conference COP31, to be held in Antalya in November.
Kurum launched COP31 during his visit to New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Speaking at the "Launch of the COP31 Action Agenda -- High-Level Event" held at the UN Economic and Social Council Chamber, Kurum, in his capacity as COP31 president, said: "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."
There is now a strong common understanding of the urgency of the climate crisis, he said, noting that common targets have been set and that workable solutions are available in many parts of the world.
He stressed that the key issue was how these solutions could be put into practice.
Pointing to challenges, including access to finance, capacity gaps, and matching technology and investment with needs, Kurum said these questions would be addressed at the COP31 conference in Antalya in 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," he said.
Kurum stressed that their work was not simply about announcing more commitments, but about turning existing commitments into measurable results on the ground.
"Our Action Agenda brings common priorities together with measurable targets, concrete initiatives and implementation tools," he said.
Kurum briefed representatives of countries party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on the 10 priority themes, six global targets, 11 initiatives, and 13 supporting outputs of the COP31 Action Agenda, which is built around the principles of "Dialogue, Consensus, Action."
He said they had established an "implementation architecture" to move from targets to implementation, adding that the Action Agenda had been developed through an extensive consultation process involving countries, international organizations, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society.
"We want to turn climate targets into measurable, actionable steps through our Action Agenda," Kurum said.
He said 10 priority themes had been identified under the Action Agenda, ranging from energy and industry to cities, food, oceans and health.
Kurum also said global targets had been set for 2035 in areas including energy consumption, waste, recycling and carbon dioxide reductions.
"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.
Kurum outlined examples of COP31 targets, ranging from climate-resilient cities and action in oceans and seas to food security and dynamic, resilient health systems.
During the launch, participants also shared their views. In his closing remarks following the question-and-answer session, Kurum said: "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."
Kurum said they would be pleased to welcome everyone to Antalya in November, adding: "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."
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 also addressed the event.
Representatives of international financial institutions, as well as ministers and deputy ministers from around 20 countries, also took part in the launch.
COP31, under the presidency of Türkiye, will be held on Nov. 9-20 at the Expo Center in Antalya.
Kurum also met with European Commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra in New York.
He said they discussed Türkiye-EU climate cooperation and preparations for COP31 during the meeting.
“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.
"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.
