Turkey's COP31 Presidency Unveils Action Agenda Focused on Delivery

Turkey's COP31 presidency on Monday introduced an action agenda designed to shift climate diplomacy from pledge-making to delivery, with a set of measurable targets to be pursued through the Antalya summit later this year.

Presented at a United Nations event in New York by COP31 President and Turkish Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum, the plan seeks to raise electricity's share of global energy consumption to 35% by 2035. It also aims to halve the projected increase in municipal waste and cut energy-use intensity in buildings by at least 25% over the same period.

A further goal is to lift the global circular-material-use rate to at least 15% by 2035. According to Kurum, the combined targets could reduce global emissions by 8.5 to 10 gigatons of CO2 by 2035.

Kurum said the agenda rests on "dialogue, consensus and action" and covers 10 themes, among them clean energy and electrification, zero waste and methane reduction, climate-resilient cities, green industrialisation, youth and education, food security, oceans, health systems, biodiversity and land-use synergies, and the implementation of national climate plans.

"For us, implementation is not simply announcing more commitments, but turning existing commitments into measurable results on the ground," Kurum said. He added that the approach would focus on easing access to finance, strengthening capacity, connecting technology and investment with real needs, and deepening cooperation to speed up implementation.

As part of the push, Kurum outlined plans for a Green Industrialisation Facilitation Mechanism for least-developed countries (LDC-GIF). The mechanism is intended to link the industrialisation needs and project opportunities identified by least-developed countries with available technology, technical expertise and financing. Kurum said it would not create a new financing structure but would help move projects from needs to projects, then to technology and finance, and onward to investment and production capacity.

The LDC-GIF would follow COP31's proposed broader Climate Implementation Bridge, which is aimed at turning national climate commitments into investment-ready projects.

Kurum said the summit will also launch initiatives covering green freight corridors, industrial decarbonisation, least-developed countries, artificial intelligence and clean technologies, circularity, energy-efficient buildings, oceans, food security and climate-resilient health systems.

Consultations on the agenda are set to continue at a pre-COP meeting in Fiji next month.

The COP31 climate summit will take place in Turkey's southern province of Antalya from November 9 to 20. Under the arrangement, Turkey holds the presidency and responsibility for the action agenda, while Australia leads the formal negotiating process.