AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Environment and Urbanization Policies Nilhan Ayan made an evaluation to the AA correspondent regarding the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change, which Türkiye will host for the first time.
Underlining that COP31 will be the "implementation COP", Ayan said that the projects carried out under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are always implemented.
Ayan stated that they will explain at the meetings to be held within the scope of COP31 how the works carried out after the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş were coordinated, how the plans turned into action so quickly, and how 455 thousand residences, workplaces and village houses were delivered to their rightful owners in a short period of 2 years.
Stating that the issue of "resilient cities" is among the main topics of Türkiye's COP31 Action Agenda, Ayan said that this will be one of the issues to be discussed at the leaders' summit.
Ayan, who also serves as the COP31 Environment and Climate Change Ambassador, noted that he started his work within the scope of this duty 6 months ago and met with many parliamentarians and leaders within this framework.
In this context, Nilhan Ayan, describing the dialogues they have had so far, said, "We will move to a time when we will create a consensus and put it into practice with an agreement. It will be a busy period for us. We will have many guests from abroad, and we will host them." he said.
Stating that Türkiye's hospitality was also discussed in their meetings so far, Ayan stated that Türkiye will once again show its hospitality to the world at COP31.
Explaining that the "zero waste" issue will be one of the most important topics of COP31, Ayan said, "The zero waste issue has been widely adopted in Türkiye. We have recycled 90 million tons of waste since 2017. This is very valuable." he said.
Stating that the issue of "zero waste" has reached a very important point in the world under the auspices of Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ayan reminded that March 30 was declared "International Zero Waste Day" by the United Nations, with the decision prepared under the leadership of Türkiye and co-presented by 105 countries.
Nilhan Ayan said that "resilient cities" will be one of the most important issues to be discussed at COP31 and said:
"We showed that we actually have a very serious coordination and planning capacity with our construction works after the February 6 earthquake. We will also discuss the issue of 'What methods can we create' for cities affected by floods, disasters, drought and extreme heat. We will evaluate the global climate diplomacy of the whole world on this issue."
Stating that reaching an international commitment to increase the global electrification rate to 35 percent by 2035 and implementation plans for this will be among the important agenda items of COP31, which Türkiye will host, Ayan said, "We have started our work. We have put clean energy on Türkiye's agenda. During COP31, all countries of the world will likewise determine and implement roadmaps on electrification." made his assessment.
Noting that a calendar will be created with COP31 and an implementation plan will be created accordingly, Ayan said, "A road map will emerge as a result of the discussions and compromises of the whole world at COP31. With COP31, these commitments will now become practice." he said.
Referring to the title of "Climate Implementation Bridge" on the agenda of the COP31 Summit, Ayan said, "We will create a bridge between cities that face disasters and cannot access financing, and at the same time have ready projects." he said.
Pointing out the importance of this issue, Ayan said, "The aim of all meetings at COP31 is to be implementable. In order to implement it, you need to be able to access financing very quickly. In fact, this is the part that needs to be resolved. We have determined one of our main topics at the COP as an implementation bridge so that the commitments can be implemented and financing can be accessed." made his assessment.
Stating that pollution, environmental problems and climate crises in the world are problems caused by developed countries, Ayan emphasized that in this context, it is necessary to protect the rights and laws of small countries that have problems in these issues. Pointing to President Erdoğan's words, "A more just world is possible," Ayan said, "Our perspective on the environment and our perspective on climate change continue within the same framework." he said.
Explaining the work to be carried out by the AK Party Environment and Urbanization Policies Presidency within the scope of COP31, Ayan said:
"As the AK Party Environment and Urbanization Policies Presidency, we also have a pavilion at COP31. Here, we will host many national and international stakeholders, many academics and parliamentarians. Our pavilion is in the green area. We have an area where we can host all our young people. We invite everyone to our pavilion at COP31, we are waiting."
