COP31 President Murat Kurum has called on countries to translate climate commitments into practical measures that improve lives, as the UN climate conference opened in Antalya, Türkiye, on Monday, November 9.
Addressing delegates, Kurum said the climate crisis is closely connected to conflict, debt, food insecurity and mounting economic pressures, and must be tackled alongside those challenges.
“Climate policy today is also development policy. It is food policy. Energy policy. Urban policy. Health policy,” he said.
Describing the summit as an “Implementation COP”, Kurum said the presidency would prioritise bridging the divide between decisions taken at international negotiations and meaningful change in communities.
He reaffirmed the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, saying the target would continue to guide discussions. He also pledged an honest assessment of the scientific evidence.
The urgency of that task was reinforced by the World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate Update 2026, released on the conference’s opening day. According to the update, the past 12 years have been the 12 warmest on record, with the most recent four occupying the top four positions.
Kurum identified electrification and climate finance as major priorities for the presidency.
The proposed 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge seeks to increase electricity’s share of final energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035.
On finance, he highlighted the delivery of at least US$300 billion annually for developing countries by 2035, alongside efforts to scale up funding from all sources to US$1.3 trillion a year.
Australia’s Chris Bowen, COP31 President of Negotiations, said the conference offered an opportunity to demonstrate how international cooperation could advance climate action and strengthen global energy security.
He urged countries to narrow the gap between their commitments and delivery.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell also warned that the pace and fairness of progress remained inadequate. He cautioned that no single climate conference could resolve the crisis on its own.
Food, agriculture and health featured prominently on the opening day. The Antalya Initiative for Resilient Health Systems was launched in partnership with the World Health Organization to help countries prepare their health services for growing climate risks.
For Ghana and other African countries, a central question is whether the promises made in Antalya will deliver support to farmers, coastal communities and urban populations confronting floods, drought and rising temperatures.
COP31 runs from November 9 to 20, 2026.
By Kwame Appiah Kubi
