Third Letter from the COP31 President-Designate to Parties

The challenges before us are considerable, but so are the opportunities

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, and dear friends,

Since our previous letter, Parties have convened at the Sixty-Fourth sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn at a pivotal moment for the global climate process. We extend our sincere appreciation to all Parties, the Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Subsidiary Bodies, co-facilitators and co-chairs, observers and the UN Climate Change Secretariat for their steadfast dedication, constructive engagement and tireless efforts throughout the session.

As the first major milestone of the Türkiye–Australia Partnership Modalities, the SB64 demonstrated the strength of mutual trust, close cooperation and an unwavering commitment to multilateralism. Through open, respectful and constructive dialogue, Parties advanced substantive work across the agenda, laying a strong foundation for the months ahead and reaffirming confidence in the effectiveness of the UN climate process.

We are encouraged by the growing momentum beyond the formal negotiations.

Over the past few months, various engagements during London Climate Action Week underscored the increasing determination of governments, the private sector, business, finance institutions, and civil society to strengthen partnerships and accelerate the implementation of ambitious climate action. These open conversations informed the development of the COP31 Action Agenda, which we were pleased to launch during the SB64 sessions in Bonn.

In this letter, we outline how the COP31 Action Agenda will support Parties and stakeholders in accelerating implementation, strengthening international cooperation and mobilizing practical solutions on the road to Antalya. We provide an overview of our priority themes, the advancement of the Global Climate Action Agenda, the planned Thematic Days, and key engagement moments in the lead-up to COP31.

I am deeply grateful to all Parties and stakeholders whose engagement and expertise have shaped the Action Agenda.

This year in Bonn marked an important innovation in the COP process. During the launch of the Action Agenda to the sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies, for the first time, a COP Presidency invited Parties to deeply engage from the outset in shaping both its priorities and its implementation. This approach reflects our conviction that a successful COP must be built through openness, inclusiveness, and continuous dialogue. By presenting our vision at an early stage, we sought to establish a genuinely Party-driven process and foster a shared sense of ownership.

As we enter the second decade of the Paris Agreement, the need to translate collective ambition into practical action has become increasingly urgent. The Action Agenda complements and provides mutual reinforcement to the formal negotiations by mobilizing voluntary initiatives, partnerships and coalitions that can accelerate implementation and deliver tangible results.

Designed as a practical implementation platform, the Action Agenda aims to strengthen partnerships, advance scalable solutions, mobilize finance and investment and deliver tangible benefits for people, economies and ecosystems. By identifying priority areas supported by clear, action-oriented targets, it seeks to help mobilize investment towards practical, scalable and country-owned solutions with a strong focus on high-impact areas.

I am deeply grateful to all Parties and stakeholders whose engagement and expertise have shaped the Action Agenda. Their contributions have helped ensure that it reflects diverse perspectives while reinforcing the principles of inclusiveness, balanced participation and shared ownership.

The strong interest and positive response received during Climate Week-3 in Yeosu, Petersberg Climate Dialogue, Copenhagen Climate Ministerial, SB64, London Climate Action Week, and numerous bilateral consultations have strengthened our confidence that the Action Agenda can serve as an effective platform for accelerating implementation and fostering collaboration across governments, business, finance, civil society, academia and international organizations.

As we move toward Antalya, we remain committed to refining the Action Agenda together with Parties and stakeholders. Working closely with our esteemed Australian colleagues, we will ensure that it complements and reinforces the Party-driven consultations and continues to support transparent, inclusive and practical cooperation with Parties and stakeholders on the road to Antalya.

We have put forward targets that represent a global call to unite, build coalitions and accelerate action

In developing the COP31 Action Agenda, we have built on the legacy of previous COPs and the 5-Year Vision for the Global Climate Action Agenda launched at COP30 Belém, ensuring continuity across Presidencies while bringing an implementation-oriented contribution to the next phase of global climate action.

The COP31 Action Agenda is structured around ten priority themes that respond to today’s most pressing climate and geopolitical challenges. These themes are anchored in the six axes of the Global Climate Action Agenda, providing a coherent structure for the COP31 programme and ensuring continuity and alignment with the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake. The COP31 Action Agenda will support and promote the efforts of the Activation Groups across the six axes, while connecting the Presidency’s priorities with existing workstreams under the Marrakech Partnership, as described in its 2026 Work Programme.

The ten priority themes are: (1) Clean Energy Transition and Electrification, (2) Zero Waste and Methane Reduction, (3) Climate-Resilient Cities, (4) Green Industrialization, (5) Youth and Education, (6) Food Security, (7) Oceans and Seas, (8) Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems, (9) Rio Synergies, and (10) Climate Implementation Bridge. Finance, technology and capacity building will serve as cross-cutting enabling conditions across all priority themes, supporting their translation into practical and scalable implementation pathways. We have mobilized a broad team across ministries to steer the delivery of these priority themes and the development of initiatives to reach our ambitions. The priority themes have been identified through a science-based, evidence-driven and implementation-oriented approach. Building on the current evidence base, we first identified the most pressing global challenges at the intersection of climate action and sustainable development. We then focused on areas where collective action can generate the greatest impact, translating these challenges into a set of measurable global implementation targets capable of delivering tangible outcomes by 2035.

Clean Energy Transition and Electrification seeks to reduce emissions while strengthening energy security, improving affordability and supporting sustainable development. Accelerating electrification, alongside renewable energy, energy efficiency and universal energy access, can deliver emissions reductions across sectors including buildings, transportation and industry. Despite its central role, electricity currently accounts for only around 23% of global final energy consumption, while 666 million people still lack access to electricity and nearly 2 billion people remain without access to clean cooking. At the same time, global electricity demand is projected to grow by an average of 3.6% annually between 2026 and 2030, reflecting the accelerating pace of economic development, digitalization and electrification. Assessments by the IPCC, TÜBA, IEA, IRENA and others consistently identify electrification and power sector decarbonization as mutually reinforcing drivers of emissions reduction and indispensable components of pathways consistent with net-zero emissions and limiting warming to 1.5°C. Against this scientific backdrop, increasing electricity’s share of final energy consumption to 35% by 2035 represents an ambitious yet achievable implementation goal, which will support to accelerate deployment of clean electricity, modern grids and end-use electrification while aligning near-term action with long-term net-zero pathways.

Zero Waste and Methane Reduction aims to ease pressure on natural resources, ecosystems, and the climate by minimizing waste and reducing reliance on linear production and consumption models. Rapidly increasing waste generation and the continued dominance of linear production and consumption patterns are placing growing pressure on natural resources, ecosystems and the climate. Without stronger action, growing volumes of municipal solid waste will lead to higher methane emissions from landfills, increased resource depletion and rising environmental pollution. According to the Global Methane Assessment (UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition), methane is responsible for around 30% of current global warming, and reducing methane emissions is among the fastest and most effective strategies for slowing near-term temperature rise. The waste sector therefore represents a critical opportunity for delivering immediate climate benefits through improved waste prevention, circular resource use and better management of organic waste. Furthermore, the IEA estimates that improving material efficiency, expanding recycling, strengthening waste management and increasing the use of organic waste for biogas and biomethane could reduce energy-sector greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1.5 GtCO₂-eq annually by 2035. Against this scientific backdrop, reducing the projected increase in global annual municipal solid waste generation by at least 50% by 2035 provides a science-based and measurable implementation milestone. By prioritizing waste prevention alongside methane reduction and circular economy approaches, the target tackles emissions at their source while improving resource efficiency, strengthening resource security and reducing pressure on ecosystems.

Climate-Resilient Cities aims to reduce cities’ exposure to climate risks including heatwaves by accelerating resilient infrastructure, sustainable housing, and low-carbon urban systems. As urbanization accelerates, buildings and urban infrastructure will play a decisive role in determining both emissions trajectories and the resilience of communities. According to the UNEP Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025–2026, the buildings and construction sector accounts for more than one-third of global CO₂ emissions, while operational emissions reached 9.9 GtCO₂ in 2024, leaving the sector approximately 3.5 GtCO₂ above the pathway required under the IEA Net Zero Emissions Scenario. At the same time, global cooling capacity is projected to more than triple, from 22 TW in 2022 to 68 TW by 2050, placing unprecedented pressure on electricity systems unless buildings become significantly more energy efficient. Against this scientific backdrop, reducing energy use intensity in the building sector by at least 25% by 2035 provides a science-based and measurable implementation milestone. As buildings typically remain in use for decades, accelerating efficiency improvements over the next decade is critical not only to avoiding long-term carbon lock-in, but also to strengthening urban resilience against rising temperatures, reducing cooling-related energy demand and protecting vulnerable populations from climate impacts.

Green Industrialization aims to accelerate competitive, resilient, low-carbon industrial production through international cooperation, investment, and technology deployment across hard-to-abate sectors, requiring countries to simultaneously reduce emissions, strengthen competitiveness and build more resilient value chains. Hard-to-abate sectors account for approximately 34% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while industry consumes around 40% of global final energy, underscoring the need to transform both production processes and resource use. Yet despite growing recognition of the circular economy as a key enabler of industrial decarbonization, the global circular material use rate remains only 6.9%, highlighting a substantial gap between current practices and the level of resource efficiency needed to support the net-zero transition. According to the International Resource Panel, global material extraction has more than tripled since 1970 and is projected to continue increasing without decisive action, making resource efficiency and circularity indispensable for achieving long-term climate and sustainable development goals. Against this scientific backdrop, increasing the global circular material use rate to at least 15% by 2035 provides a science-based and measurable implementation milestone. Expanding the use of secondary materials reduces demand for virgin resource extraction, lowers energy consumption and industrial emissions, and strengthens supply chain resilience in an increasingly resource-constrained world. Beyond its climate benefits, greater circularity enhances industrial competitiveness, stimulates innovation and supports sustainable economic growth.

Youth and Education aims to equip current and future generations with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities needed to drive climate action and support a just, resilient, and lasting transition. Children and young people are among those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, while also representing the generation that will drive the transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon future. According to UNICEF, climate-related shocks interrupted the education of at least 242 million students across 85 countries in 2024 alone. At the same time, the transition to sustainable economies requires climate knowledge and green skills. Against this scientific backdrop, ensuring climate action education for all by 2035 provides a clear implementation milestone, strengthening climate literacy, adaptive capacity and informed decision-making while preparing future generations for the green economy. Beyond raising awareness, universal climate education will help build the skilled workforce, informed citizens and institutional capacity needed to translate climate ambition into sustained implementation and long-term resilience. This theme builds on the objectives of the Presidency Youth Climate Champion, recognizing the importance of the meaningful engagement of children and young people in climate decision-making and policy processes.

Food Security aims to accelerate the transition to resilient agriculture to safeguard livelihoods through resilient farming systems, stronger water management, and integrated approaches across the climate–water–food nexus. Climate change is increasingly threatening food systems through rising temperatures, droughts, water scarcity, land degradation and extreme weather events, undermining agricultural productivity, supply chains and rural livelihoods. Against this backdrop, accelerating the transition to climate-resilient agriculture provides a practical implementation milestone for strengthening global food security. Climate-smart farming, better water management and sustainable land use can strengthen resilience, protect ecosystems and sustain productivity. Building resilience across the climate–water–food nexus is therefore essential to safeguarding food production, rural livelihoods and long-term food security in a changing climate.

Ocean and Seas aims to strengthen marine and coastal resilience through coordinated action on blue carbon, ocean observation, data sharing, finance, and implementation partnerships. The ocean and coastal ecosystems are increasingly under pressure from climate change through warming waters, ocean acidification, sea-level rise and more frequent marine heatwaves. These impacts threaten biodiversity, fisheries, coastal livelihoods and the ecosystems that help regulate the global climate. Against this backdrop, strengthening marine and coastal resilience is a key implementation priority for protecting ecosystems and coastal communities while enhancing the ocean’s contribution to climate mitigation and adaptation. Stronger international cooperation on blue carbon, ocean observation, data sharing, finance and implementation partnerships can accelerate ecosystem restoration, improve sustainable ocean governance and strengthen the resilience of the blue economy, delivering long-term environmental, social and economic benefits. The majority of coastal and island countries have put forward blue actions in their NAPs and NDCs; our shared goal is now to turn ocean-climate ambition from paper into blue action.

Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems focuses on developing climate-resilient and equitable health systems that can respond effectively to climate-related shocks. Rising temperatures, deteriorating air quality, changing disease patterns and more frequent extreme weather events are placing growing pressure on health systems worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change could cause hundreds of thousands of additional deaths annually between 2030 and 2050 from malnutrition, malaria, diarrheal disease and heat stress alone. Against this scientific backdrop, developing climate-resilient and equitable health systems represents a science-based implementation priority. Strengthening preparedness, surveillance, resilient health infrastructure and equitable access to healthcare can reduce climate-related health risks while improving the capacity of health systems to anticipate, respond to and recover from future climate impacts. Investing in health resilience therefore delivers significant social, economic and development benefits alongside improved climate adaptation.

Rio Synergies aims to build on the momentum of previous COPs to strengthen coherent actions across climate, biodiversity, and land agendas through coordinated ecosystem restoration, carbon-sink protection, sustainable land management, and cross-convention cooperation. Addressing these challenges separately can reduce effectiveness and overlook important synergies. The IPBES–IPCC Joint Workshop Report highlights that integrated solutions can simultaneously strengthen climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience, while avoiding unintended trade-offs. Against this backdrop, strengthening cooperation across the Rio Conventions provides a practical pathway to enhance policy coherence, mobilise more efficient investment and accelerate implementation at national and international levels. A stronger Rio Synergies approach can therefore help advance progress across all three global environmental conventions while supporting sustainable development.

The Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE) aims to close the gap between national climate ambition and implementation by helping countries translate climate and development priorities into finance-ready project portfolios. While countries continue to strengthen their climate ambitions, the primary challenge is increasingly shifting from target-setting to implementation. Recent UNFCCC analysis shows that 89% of submitted NDCs now include economy-wide mitigation targets, while 73% incorporate adaptation components, demonstrating growing ambition alongside increasing demand for implementation support. At the same time, many developing countries continue to face significant barriers in accessing climate finance, preparing bankable projects and strengthening institutional capacity, limiting their ability to translate commitments into action. For these reasons, scaling up the BRIDGE by 2035 provides a practical mechanism for closing the implementation gap. Strengthening project preparation, institutional capacity and access to finance will expand investment-ready project pipelines and accelerate the delivery of mitigation and adaptation actions across priority sectors. By connecting ambition with implementation, the BRIDGE can help ensure that national climate plans translate into measurable outcomes and sustainable development benefits.

The targets we have put forward above, together with the rationale behind them, are neither prescriptive nor intended to create new obligations for individual countries. Rather, they represent an open global invitation to strengthen cooperation, and build coalitions.

We have worked closely together with a broad range of international organizations on advancing the priority themes, operationalizing the targets and developing initiatives. Furthermore, we have also worked closely with the Climate High-Level Champions to help strengthen engagement, visibility and coalition-building, including in areas where youth leadership can add value, such as youth and education and selected implementation themes.

I invite you all to join the COP31 Thematic Days and help turn shared priorities into partnerships and concrete action.

Complementing the formal negotiations in Antalya, the COP31 Thematic Days will provide a platform to advance the Presidency’s priority themes through dialogue, partnerships, and practical implementation. Bringing together leaders, practitioners, and communities, the thematic programme will help translate political commitment into concrete action. We invite all Parties and stakeholders to engage actively, align their efforts around shared priorities, and contribute their expertise. You can find the detailed calendar for the thematic days on the COP31 Presidency website https://cop31.tr. Throughout COP31, dedicated space will also be available for the six axes of the Global Climate Action Agenda to showcase implementation, foster collaboration and highlight innovative solutions. Alongside Presidency-led events, partner organizations and stakeholder groups will have opportunities to present initiatives, share best practices and build partnerships that accelerate climate action, with space provided throughout the Thematic Days.

The Leaders’ Summit, to be held on 11-12 November, will convene Heads of State and Government to provide political momentum for the implementation of the Presidency’s priority themes and to strengthen international cooperation. It will offer leaders a platform to align national priorities, catalyze partnerships and reinforce confidence in multilateral climate action.

Recognizing the importance of knowledge and innovation in delivering climate action, we have also convened various forums, bringing together policymakers, educators, students, youth, universities, civil society and the private sector to advance skills and capacity building for a just, inclusive and climate-resilient transition. On this occasion, I would also like to invite all of you to the Istanbul Climate Finance Summit, to be held in Istanbul on 4–5 September 2026, and the Ocean and Seas Summit, to be held in Trabzon on 10–11 September 2026.

On the road to COP31, a series of Business Forums will mobilize private sector leadership, finance and innovation in support of the Paris Agreement. The first forum, held during London Climate Action Week, launched this engagement pathway with international business and finance leaders. A second forum, planned for New York Climate Week, will deepen collaboration around priority themes and help connect solutions with the partnerships and finance required for implementation. The series will culminate in the COP31 Business Forum in Antalya on 12-13 November, showcasing partnerships, investments and practical solutions that support implementation and long-term climate ambition.

Together, let us build a shared roadmap from ambition to implementation.

In the weeks and months ahead, the Presidency will continue to pursue an open, inclusive, and predictable consultation process. I invite all Parties and stakeholders to contribute to the further development of the Action Agenda through thematic consultations and key milestones, including the Istanbul Climate Finance Summit, Climate Week-4 in Baku, New York Climate Week and the Pre-COP meeting in Fiji.

These milestones will progressively deepen the understanding of the Presidency’s Action Agenda initiatives on the road to Antalya. The announcement of the Presidency initiatives will strengthen partnerships, advance pathways for implementation, and build momentum towards COP31.

As 2026 marks an important year for the submission of the second Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), we encourage all Parties to submit their BTRs, noting that they are due by December 31 of this year. We also encourage Parties that have not yet submitted their post-2030 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to do so as soon as possible, recognizing that ambitious and transparent national commitments are essential to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. We further encourage the submission and implementation of effective National Adaptation Plans, which are central for countries to build resilience and adapt to the immediate and long-term impacts of our changing climate.

As COP31 approaches, the Presidency will continue consultations with all Parties in a spirit of openness, transparency and inclusiveness, fostering trust, facilitating dialogue and supporting balanced and consensus-based outcomes. The challenges before us are considerable, but so are the opportunities. By working together with ambition, flexibility and a shared sense of responsibility, we can strengthen confidence in multilateral climate cooperation and deliver practical, inclusive and ambitious outcomes that respond to the urgency of the climate crisis.

I sincerely thank Parties, observers, international organizations and other non-Party stakeholders for their continued partnership and constructive engagement. I look forward to working closely with all of you, alongside Minister Bowen, in the months ahead and to welcoming the international community to a successful COP31 in Antalya.