By Janet Ekstract, ANTALYA- As the 31st U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) COP31 got underway on November 9, the main theme Towards a Sustainable Resilient and Equitable Future is the central focus, with 102 leaders from 95 countries and six continents along with seven international organizations participating, according to the Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry. It is Turkiye’s first time hosting a COP summit with Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum serving as COP31 president. The goal for Turkiye is to support collective efforts to transform decisions and commitments made at previous climate summits into concrete action and to strengthen COP31 as a platform that is able to deliver permanent global impact. Turkiye has defined its COP31 vision as an “Implementation COP,” guided by three principles: dialogue, consensus and action.
The driving focus for this year’s climate summit includes climate finance, a just transition, adaptation, emissions reduction and solutions for keeping the global temperature stable. As Turkiye’s partner for COP31, Australia will be leading climate negotiations The reason The Conference of the Parties (COP) is so significant is that it’s the top decision-making body of the UNFCC that was adopted in 1992. All parties to the convention are represented at COP meetings to review the implementation of the convention and related legal concerns while assessing global progress and adopting decisions to guarantee an effective and coordinated response to climate change. What is specifically significant is that decisions are accepted by consensus of all parties not a majority vote.
COP31 will turn out to be one of the most influential climate summits with 37 heads of state, 35 heads of government, eight vice presidents, seven deputy prime ministers, two crown princes, one prince, one parliamentary speaker and four special representatives. Major international organizations participating include the European Commission, the UN, the UN General Assembly, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). A plethora of African countries, Turkic Republics, European, Asian and Southeast Asian countries are participating. For decades, COP meetings have produced major firsts in global climate action, including the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol that have been instrumental in directing international climate policy.
