Türkiye can turn climate pledges into action at COP31, officials say

Türkiye's hosting of the COP31 climate summit this November presents a critical opportunity to translate international climate promises into concrete, measurable action, officials said following a three-day preparatory retreat in Istanbul. The meeting, organized by the Zero Waste Foundation and chaired by foundation president and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion Samed Agirbas, brought together UN advisers and key stakeholders to chart a roadmap for the summit on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast.

Moving Beyond Talk to Action

Lara van Druten, a member of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, emphasized that past COP summits have struggled to convert discussions into tangible results. "One of their main vulnerabilities has been the difficulty of translating discussions into concrete, scalable projects with meaningful impact, ensuring real change on the ground rather than just talking about it," she told Anadolu. Druten highlighted the link between zero waste and climate change, noting that at least one-third of global food production is wasted while millions go hungry—reforming food value chains could both reduce emissions and advance COP31 priorities on waste, water, and resource management.

Türkiye's Bridging Role

Former UN-Habitat chief of staff Neil Khor emphasized that climate challenges require collective action. "No matter how strong, large or wealthy a country may be, it cannot tackle this challenge alone," he said, expressing confidence in Agirbas's efforts to unite private sector and civil society stakeholders. Khor noted that Türkiye can leverage its hospitality tradition in Antalya to bring together diverse parties and announced a digital platform to enable global participation. Atif Ikram Butt, former chief of the Public Advocacy and Communication Section at the UN Environment Programme, stressed that "the entire global community" must find common ground, adding that "Türkiye can play a bridging role between North and South at COP31 by bringing parties together to agree on a course to achieve the goals set in Paris."

Zero Waste Leadership

Butt highlighted that COP31 offers Türkiye an opportunity to showcase international leadership in zero waste, building on First Lady Emine Erdogan's advocacy. Khor described this approach as bringing "a new way of thinking, a new way of working that will not only look at the environment from the perspective of nature, but more importantly highlight the philosophy and teachings of first lady Emine Erdogan—that this is about living and life." With the world entering the decisive implementation phase of the Paris Agreement, officials expressed confidence that Türkiye's presidency can help deliver transformative outcomes aligned with 2030 targets.