Turkish president says UN climate summit in Antalya to focus on turning climate decisions into action

'Any proposal that we cannot reconcile with our climate targets and social and economic realities will be doomed to failure,' says Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Türkiye will host the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP31, in Antalya from Nov. 9-20, with efforts underway to make the summit an event where decisions on climate change are translated into action, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

Erdogan made the remarks at a high-level climate meeting convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Last year, you will remember, I stated here that Türkiye was bidding to host COP31. This year, we will hold COP31 in Antalya from Nov. 9-20, 2026,” he said.

He said Türkiye is working to ensure that the gathering focuses on implementing decisions taken on climate change.

Erdogan also pointed to planned meetings in the Pacific, saying the Pre-COP meeting in Fiji and the leaders’ gathering in Tuvalu would help ensure that the voices of Pacific island countries are heard.

“The last 11 years have been the hottest period on record,” Erdogan said, adding that floods in Nepal had demonstrated “in the most painful way” that there is no time to lose.

Erdogan said the first 10 years of the Paris Agreement were focused on establishing common targets, while important decisions were taken in the Brazilian city of Belem last year for the success of the agreement’s second decade.

“We must achieve much more in Antalya,” he said. “We must bring ambition and capability, and targets and implementation, closer together.”

Erdogan stressed that climate policies must take into account countries' social and economic circumstances.

“Any proposal that we cannot reconcile with our climate targets and social and economic realities will be doomed to failure,” he said.

He also said it was unrealistic to expect all countries to move at the same pace while inequalities persist in access to financing and technology.

“As inequalities in access to financing and technology persist, it is not realistic to expect all countries to progress at the same speed,” he said.

The president emphasized the relationship between climate action, development and prosperity.

“To the extent that we can establish a strong link between climate targets and development and prosperity, we can also make a just transition permanent,” he said.

Guterres convened the high-level meeting to focus on accelerating a just and orderly transition to renewable energy, mobilizing affordable financing and investment for developing countries, and strengthening adaptation and resilience amid rising climate risks.