COP31 opens with food, agriculture and health focus and four top-level panels

COP31's opening day is focused on "Food, Agriculture and Health"; the Ministry of Health is holding four high-level panels and a roundtable in the Blue Zone. Before the opening, Minister Kurum held a trilateral meeting with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Stiell and Australian Minister Bowen, while the Directorate of Communications is preparing a series of events at the summit.

The first day of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which began today in Antalya, is devoted to the theme of "Food, Agriculture and Health" in the official program. Health Day, jointly organized by the Ministry of Health and the COP31 Presidency, is the main focus of the day in the Blue Zone, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is hosting sessions highlighting food security together with international organizations.

According to the program, the opening ceremony of the Food, Agriculture and Health Pavilion is scheduled for 9:40 a.m. at the Zero Waste Forum Stage in the Zero Waste Museum. Sessions organized by the Zero Waste Foundation at the museum will address preventing food waste before consumption, the cold chain, rescuing surplus food and composting at the source.

Four high-level panels on Health Day

Health Day begins at 10 a.m. in the Perge Hall in the Blue Zone with the panel "New Dimensions in Health: Climate-Responsive Health Technologies and Access" and continues with the panels "Strong Climate Action and Digital Health," "Humanitarian Aid and Health: Integration in Crisis Management" and "Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems: Country Experiences." The health program will conclude with a High-Level Roundtable from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. In the evening, a high-level roundtable jointly organized by the COP29 Presidency Azerbaijan, the COP31 Presidency and the World Health Organization will discuss the place of health on the global climate agenda.

According to the program, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu is scheduled to speak at a news conference today, visit the Türkiye Pavilion in the Blue Zone and attend the "Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems: Country Experiences" panel. Memişoğlu will also attend the High-Level Roundtable as its chair and deliver the opening and closing remarks.

Memişoğlu said health had entered the COP agenda as an independent area of action for the first time, describing its inclusion under the heading "Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems" as "an important achievement in terms of securing stronger international recognition that health is an integral part of the fight against climate change." Over 12 days, the ministry will hold 31 panels and sessions in the Green Zone featuring 124 speakers and moderators, and will showcase energy-efficiency projects at 809 health facilities and solar energy investments covering approximately 70 hospitals.

Joint report and dialogue with women farmers on food security

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are presenting their joint report, titled "Food Systems Under Pressure: Building Resilience from the First Mile," today at the Assos Hall in the Blue Zone. The technical report "The Unfunded Half" by IFAD will be presented to the public at the High-Level Women Farmers' Dialogue, jointly organized by the COP31 Presidency, the ministry and IFAD. The role of young people in agri-food systems will also be discussed at the COP31 High-Level Dialogue in the evening.

The Türkiye Pavilion will host sessions on international cooperation for climate-resilient food security, a partnership with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) on artificial intelligence in agriculture, and rural transformation. The relationship between water, food, energy and ecosystems will also be discussed at the Food, Agriculture and Health Center in the Green Zone within the framework of Türkiye's National Water Plan.

Delegations of Minister Kurum, Simon Stiell and Chris Bowen at a trilateral meeting before COP31

Trilateral meeting before the opening

COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum met one day before the opening with Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Chris Bowen, Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy, who will lead the negotiations. In a statement about the meeting, Kurum said, "Before COP31, which we will open tomorrow, we held a trilateral meeting with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Mr. Simon Stiell, Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Mr. Chris Bowen, and our delegations."

The COP31 Presidency also announced that the meeting had been held before the opening with the participation of the delegations. The logos of the United Nations Climate Change and COP31 Türkiye appeared on the screen in the meeting room. The model under which Türkiye assumed responsibility for hosting and presiding over the conference, while Australia took responsibility for leading the official negotiations, was adopted at last year's COP30 in Brazil.

Directorate of Communications' COP31 program

The Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic will organize a series of events throughout COP31 together with the London-based think tank Forward Thinking. The program's first panel will be held on November 10 at the Türkiye Pavilion in the Green Zone under the title "A Road Map for Parliaments: How Can Global Climate Commitments Be Implemented at the National Level?" with the participation of parliamentarians from European, Middle Eastern and Gulf countries. A closed roundtable on climate resilience and sustainable food systems in West Asia and North Africa will also be held in the Blue Zone on the same day.

Two more panels will be held on November 11, titled "From Awareness to Action: Empowering Women and Youth in Climate Leadership" and "Integrating Energy and Agriculture Policies with Climate Action." Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran said COP31 was a historic opportunity for Türkiye to share its experience in climate diplomacy, adding, "We will host numerous heads of state and government and senior representatives in our country at the Leaders' Summit to be held on November 11-12."

The video released by Director of Communications Duran for COP31 features sea turtles, post-flood debris removal efforts, the COP31 logo, international climate meetings and views of nature. Duran said they would host journalists from different countries in Türkiye as part of the Environment and Climate Media Tours, were carrying out the accreditation processes for national and international media members, and were contributing to preparations for the media center at the conference venue.

Cover and photo: COP31 Türkiye. Video: AA

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