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U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen said she looks forward to building “deep cooperation” with Türkiye as the country prepares to co-host next year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP31).
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Andersen discussed the opening of the U.N. Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, global climate challenges and Türkiye’s upcoming COP31 presidency.
Andersen said she hopes UNEA will reinforce that “environmental multilateralism is still strong,” leading to decisions that show a clear commitment to protecting the planet while supporting economic growth and jobs.
Pointing to the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, she said progress has been made but more is needed, adding: “Next year in beautiful Türkiye, we will make further progress. The next step is Türkiye leading the roadmap toward a gradual phaseout of fossil fuels with its Australian partners.”
She noted that around 80 countries have already backed the push for fossil fuel phaseout.
The UNEP chief emphasized that Türkiye offers significant cooperation opportunities: “Türkiye is a strong country… a real bridge between east, west, north and south. It has every type of ecosystem. We look forward to deep cooperation because Türkiye shows strong will.”
She highlighted first lady Emine Erdogan’s leadership on the zero-waste agenda, calling it directly tied to pollution and chemical management efforts.
Andersen described the joint COP31 hosting by Türkiye and Australia as a significant development: “This may be a new page in multilateral leadership. Their cooperation actually covers the entire region.”
She noted that both countries have strong coal industries and that the transition away from high-emission energy sources will be complicated by employment concerns. “COP31 presents an opportunity,” she said, adding that the world will closely examine Türkiye’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) during its presidency.
“Türkiye will be under more global scrutiny, as is always the case for COP presidents,” she noted.
Andersen stressed that Türkiye and Australia now have a chance to demonstrate clear roadmaps for phasing out fossil fuels: “Both countries can show their pathways. I hope they see this as a real opportunity.”
She underlined that emissions reduction remains the most urgent global priority, but it must be addressed together with pollution and biodiversity loss.
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