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Türkiye’s new Mediterranean Climate Center in Istanbul will become operational in 2026 after delegates at COP24 approved its mandate, budget and work program during meetings held Dec. 2–5 in Cairo.
The 24th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention also adopted two major policy frameworks, the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) 2026–2035 and the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Framework (RCCAF) 2026–2035, along with the Convention’s 2026–2027 budget.
Türkiye was re-elected as a full member of the Convention’s Compliance Committee, completing the final step toward establishing the center under the host-country agreement.
The center aims to coordinate regional climate-resilience efforts, lead implementation of the RCCAF across coastal states and contribute to protecting at least 30% of the Mediterranean Sea by 2030.
Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Fatma Varank said the center would reinforce Türkiye’s leadership and support a new generation of climate-resilience projects under a strengthened institutional framework.
“In the coming years, Türkiye will be at the center of climate action both nationally and internationally,” she said.
Türkiye will host and chair COP31, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in 2026, following negotiations led by Minister Murat Kurum at COP30 in Belem, Brazil.
The center will oversee the Coastal Area Management Programme (CAMP) Izmir Project, a pilot initiative aimed at developing integrated coastal and marine management models for the Mediterranean.
The project will focus on climate adaptation, coastal risk management, sustainable blue-economy practices, integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning along the Izmir coastline.
Ministers at the COP24 session adopted the Cairo Declaration, reaffirming commitments to protect Mediterranean biodiversity and combat marine pollution.
The declaration sets targets to protect at least 30% of marine and coastal areas by 2030, accelerate sustainable blue-economy practices and reduce plastic pollution.
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