Statement from AFAD regarding the events to be held at COP31

Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) will carry out various activities on disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change at the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) to be held in Antalya on 9-20 November.

According to the statement made by AFAD, at the summit to be hosted by Türkiye, under the auspices of the Presidency and under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, panels, interviews, presentations and awareness activities will be held on disaster preparedness, risk reduction and integrated disaster management.

AFAD will organize two sessions titled "Strengthening Governance Approaches for Climate Resilient Cities" and "Putting Comprehensive Risk Management into Practice: Strengthening Implementation Capacity for Climate Resilient Development" in the Blue Zone, the official conference area of ​​the summit.

In the sessions where AFAD President Ali Hamza Pehlivan and United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Head Kamal Kishore will make opening speeches, the integration of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies with local dynamics, improving urban resilience capacity and multi-stakeholder governance models will be discussed.

The integration of scientific data and risk assessments into public decision-making processes, the equivalent of comprehensive risk management in the field and institutional capacity building will be evaluated.

AFAD will establish a pavilion of approximately 100 square meters in the Green Zone, which is the meeting point of the summit with non-governmental organizations, academics and citizens.

In the pavilion, joint projects carried out with universities, public institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector will be introduced. In addition to panels, interviews and technical presentations, interactive quizzes will be held twice a day to increase the disaster awareness of the participants.

Education and awareness activities will be held for children, young people and volunteers in the 1600 square meter open area in the Green Zone. The aim of the training and application areas to be established will be to explain the relationship between climate hazards and disaster risks and to strengthen awareness of disaster volunteering.

During the summit, AFAD will share its work on creating climate-resistant cities, strengthening early warning mechanisms and increasing social resilience against disasters with international stakeholders and the public.

The summit aims to develop new collaborations with international organizations, especially UNDRR, countries, local governments and universities, strengthen policies for disaster risk reduction and transfer scientific knowledge into practice.