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With climate disasters intensifying and vulnerable communities bearing the heaviest costs, the upcoming UN climate conference COP31 faces a crucial test of whether global commitments can be translated into concrete action and restore public trust in climate diplomacy.
The challenge was highlighted at a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters, where representatives of the presidencies of three successive climate summits discussed how to accelerate implementation, improve access to climate finance and strengthen support for countries most exposed to global warming.
Opening the meeting, UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman pointed to the devastation in Nepal as a stark reminder of the human cost of climate change.
He described scenes of floodwaters rushing down mountain valleys, sweeping away people, homes and entire communities, despite scientists having warned that such disasters were becoming increasingly likely.
Rahman also warned that a strengthening El Niño could rank among the strongest since at least 1950, while current climate policies put the world on course for approximately 2.8 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels, far exceeding the goals of the Paris Agreement.
“Behind these figures are families uprooted, children missing, schoolchildren walking farther for water, and communities confronting losses they cannot bear,” he said.
The task for world leaders at COP31, he added, was to turn commitments into action and promises into trust.
“COP31 must be more than another negotiating milestone. It must demonstrate that multilateralism delivers,” he said.
Türkiye will host COP31 in Antalya from November 9 to 20, with Australia leading the negotiations under an unprecedented arrangement that divides responsibilities between the two countries.
Türkiye outlined plans to accelerate clean energy deployment, reduce methane emissions and strengthen climate resilience. A key initiative is the Climate Implementation Bridge, developed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to turn national climate commitments into investment-ready projects and connect them with financing.
Türkiye’s Ambassador to the UN, Ahmet Yıldız, said the challenge was not merely the total amount of climate finance available, but also whether it was accessible, affordable and predictable.
“The issue is not simply the overall volume of finance. It is also whether finance is available, accessible, affordable and predictable,” he said.
For vulnerable island nations in the Pacific, the consequences of climate change are already threatening homes, livelihoods and critical infrastructure through rising sea levels and extreme weather.
Australian Ambassador James Larsen stressed the importance of listening to vulnerable communities, working with countries in need and accelerating practical climate initiatives to rebuild confidence in international cooperation.
He called for more accessible climate finance and stronger adaptation plans based on scientific evidence and local needs.
Brazil, which hosted COP30 last year, identified three priorities for the Antalya conference: making the new just transition mechanism operational, improving the measurement of countries’ progress on climate adaptation, and expanding climate investment in developing countries struggling with heavy debt burdens.
Brazilian Ambassador Sérgio França Danese warned that limited fiscal space and high indebtedness were undermining the ability of many developing countries to invest in climate action.
“In a world of States with severe fiscal constraints and high indebtedness, the [finance] talks need to lead to viable solutions for expanding fiscal space for climate investment,” he said.
The question of climate finance is particularly pressing for Africa, which contributes only around three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but faces some of the most severe impacts of climate change.
Ethiopia, which will host COP32, urged the international community to recognise the growing costs of delayed action.
Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma Sabo said the gap between existing national plans and what science requires remained substantial, while access to finance and technology increasingly determined which countries could benefit from the global transition to cleaner energy.
He warned that delays in climate action would impose mounting costs on developing countries, leaving the most vulnerable communities at greater risk.
World leaders are expected to gather for a special summit in Antalya on November 11 and 12, while negotiations will test whether governments can move beyond declarations towards measurable progress.
For Rahman, however, the ultimate measure of COP31’s success will be the protection it delivers to people facing the consequences of climate change.
“Let COP31 be judged not by promises we repeat, but by the people we protect. That is how we restore trust,” he said. Source: UN News