Minister Kurum presents COP31 Action Agenda and targets in New York

Minister Kurum, who traveled to New York for General Assembly week, outlined 10 priority themes, six global targets and 11 initiatives at the launch of the COP31 Action Agenda. Kurum announced targets to raise electricity’s share of final energy consumption to 35 percent and cut the projected increase in municipal waste by at least half by 2035.

Scraper SystemSeptember 22, 2026, 11:08 AM

Minister Kurum presents COP31 Action Agenda and targets in New York

Minister Kurum, who traveled to New York during the week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, launched the COP31 Action Agenda at an event held in the Economic and Social Council chamber at the United Nations Headquarters. Opening the event as COP31 president, Kurum said they had discussed how to accelerate the transition from climate action targets to implementation.

Kurum said a shared understanding had emerged about the urgency of the climate crisis and that viable solutions were available in different parts of the world. He said challenges including access to finance, capacity gaps, and matching technology and investment with needs stood out in bringing these solutions to life.

Priorities of the COP31 Action Agenda

Kurum said the COP31 Action Agenda was built around the principles of “Dialogue, Consensus and Action” and that they aimed to turn existing commitments into measurable results on the ground. He outlined the agenda’s 10 priority themes, six global targets, 11 initiatives and 13 supporting outputs to representatives of countries party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Bakan Kurum, New York'ta COP31 Eylem Gündemi'ni ve hedeflerini tanıttı

Kurum said a comprehensive consultation process had been conducted with countries, international organizations, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society to prepare the agenda. He said they had established an “implementation architecture” to move from targets to action. The priority themes include energy, industry, cities, food, oceans and health.

Energy and waste targets for 2035

Kurum announced a target of increasing electricity’s share of final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. He said the COP31 Global Electrification Initiative aimed to accelerate electrification worldwide.

Under the zero-waste targets, the aim is to reduce by at least half the projected increase in municipal waste generation by 2035 and raise the global circular material use rate to at least 15 percent. Kurum also outlined targets for climate-resilient cities, oceans and seas, food security and resilient health systems.

Preparations for the conference in Antalya

In his closing remarks, Kurum said participants’ views on barriers to implementation, needs and areas for joint work would inform preparations leading up to Antalya. He said they did not view Antalya merely as a final destination. Kurum said they wanted the city to become a turning point where implementation accelerated in a visible and measurable way.

Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Selwin Hart; COP30 President Andre Aranha Correa do Lago; Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister and COP29 Lead Negotiator Yalçın Rafiyev; Australian Assistant Minister and COP31 Executive Director Kushla Munro; and World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo also spoke at the launch. The event was attended by ministers and deputy ministers from around 20 countries, as well as representatives of international financial institutions.

COP31, under Türkiye’s presidency, will be held at the Expo Center in Antalya from November 9 to 20, 2026.

Minister Kurum presents COP31 Action Agenda and targets in New York