Turkey's COP31 President outlines summit agenda at UN

COP31: COP31 is the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference hosted by Turkey in Antalya. The summit runs from November 9 to 20 and features an action agenda aimed at implementation rather than new pledges. Australia leads formal negotiations while Turkey handles the presidency and action-focused elements. Turkey: Turkey is the Republic of Türkiye, serving as host of the COP31 climate summit under a unique arrangement with Australia leading negotiations. As COP31 president, it is responsible for developing and advancing the action agenda focused on implementation of existing climate commitments. Murat Kurum, the Turkish Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister, presented this agenda at the United Nations in New York. Murat Kurum: Murat Kurum is Turkey's Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change and serves as COP31 President. He presented the summit's action agenda at a UN event in New York, emphasizing dialogue, consensus and action to convert commitments into measurable projects across ten themes. Kurum highlighted initiatives including the Green Industrialisation Facilitation Mechanism and the broader Climate Implementation Bridge. COP31 President: The COP31 President is the role held by Turkish Minister Murat Kurum, who oversees development of the summit's action agenda. This position focuses on advancing implementation mechanisms and launching new initiatives ahead of the Antalya meeting. Kurum presented the agenda at the United Nations on September 22. Climate Implementation Bridge: The Climate Implementation Bridge is a proposed initiative under COP31 to transform national climate plans into investment-ready projects. It supports access to finance, technology and capacity building for implementation. The Bridge complements specific mechanisms like the Green Industrialisation Facilitation Mechanism. Green Industrialisation Facilitation Mechanism: The Green Industrialisation Facilitation Mechanism, also known as LDC-GIF, is a new initiative to connect least-developed countries' industrialisation needs with technology, expertise and financing. It aims to move projects from identification to investment without creating new funding structures. The mechanism forms part of COP31's broader implementation efforts. Summit Priorities: COP31 will address the climate impacts of artificial intelligence, including data centre energy use and promotion of climate-responsible AI applications. Preparatory Process: Consultations on the COP31 action agenda will continue at a pre-COP meeting in Fiji next month. International Engagement: The agenda launch in New York involved ministers from around 20 countries along with international financial institutions and other stakeholders.