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A senior United Nations Development Program (UNDP) official said Türkiye is playing a leading role in regional climate action, with climate finance and implementation emerging as key priorities ahead of the COP31 climate summit.
Meral Mungan Arda, UNDP Türkiye Climate Change and Environment portfolio manager, said Türkiye is making significant contributions to global climate action under its climate commitments.
“On climate issues, we observe that Türkiye is in a very active position in the region and has taken on a leadership role in climate action,” Arda said.
The EU-funded EU Partnership for Local Climate Action in Türkiye project, implemented by UNDP Türkiye with the Climate Change Presidency as the final beneficiary, is ongoing.
As part of the project, the “Raising Awareness on Climate Action in Türkiye After COP30” conference was held, bringing together stakeholders to discuss global and local climate priorities.
Arda said two major themes stood out at COP30.
The first was that current national commitments are insufficient to achieve the necessary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
She noted that even if countries continue to meet their pledges, global efforts remain inadequate.
She added that nearly a decade after the Paris Agreement, the world is not close to meeting the 1.5-degree Celsius target, underscoring the need to move from planning to concrete action.
The second major theme, Arda said, was climate finance.
“Financing needs for both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change are among the key issues,” she said, adding that these topics are expected to remain high on Türkiye’s agenda as COP31 approaches.
Arda said one of the main goals of the EU Partnership for Local Climate Action project is to mobilize climate action at the local level.
She said both mitigation and adaptation efforts are expected to feature prominently in Türkiye’s climate agenda.
Arda said Türkiye’s climate engagement has been strengthened by its active participation in international forums, including the Amazon Summit held in Belém, Brazil.
She said the summit highlighted the continued importance of multilateral cooperation in a changing global context.
Arda also said hosting COP31 in Türkiye would provide an opportunity to share the country’s contributions with the international community and inspire other nations.
She added that the prospect of hosting the summit has generated strong enthusiasm and optimism.
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