COP31, the world's most important organization in the fight against climate change, held in Antalya, continues.
Al-Khatib stated to the AA correspondent that South-South cooperation at COP31 is based on countries benefiting from each other's experiences, knowledge and good practice examples in order to achieve development goals.
Underlining that cooperation between countries is of critical importance in combating the climate crisis, as it is a global problem that knows no geographical boundaries, Al-Khatib said, "We are trying to bring to the agenda solutions that suit the needs of the Global South countries by cooperating with our different partners in Antalya. As you know, the UN Technology Bank is an organization hosted by Türkiye and supported by the Turkish government. By cooperating with the United Nations Technology Bank, we aim to match technological solutions related to climate change with the requirements determined in the technological needs assessments of the countries." he said.
Al-Khatib stated that they cooperate with space agencies in Europe and emphasized that the use of geographical data in reducing disaster risks, combating climate change and adaptation processes is important in shaping climate policies based on scientific data.
Explaining that they are also carrying out joint studies with research institutions in the Gulf, Al-Khatib stated that with this cooperation, they aim to make the solutions developed for climate change more visible and to be implemented on a larger scale.
Al-Khatib pointed out that they contributed to the initiatives aimed at supporting the green industrialization of developing countries within the scope of COP31, and explained that they aim to share the climate solutions developed with these studies among the countries of the Global South and implement them on a larger scale.
Pointing out that climate actions must be supported by concrete financing instruments and financial commitments in order to make progress in the fight against climate change, Al-Khatib said that these resources can be provided from the countries' own resources or international support mechanisms.
Al-Khatib pointed out that although the Global South countries are among the countries that contribute the least to the climate crisis, they are most severely affected by the effects of the crisis, and emphasized that problems such as lack of financing, debt burden and lack of capacity increase the fragility of these countries, and that collaborations can play an important role in overcoming these difficulties through experience sharing and capacity building.
Giving examples of climate projects that have been successfully implemented among Global South countries, Al-Khatib said:
"There are many successful initiatives supported by the United Nations System and carried out at the regional level. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is also carrying out important work in this field. We are an organization operating under UNDP. UNDP plays a leading role in supporting countries in preparing their national contribution declarations (NDC). In addition, it supports programs and initiatives that enable more than one country to work together."
"TIKA's activities contribute to strengthening the sharing of experience between countries"
Regarding how Türkiye, which hosts COP31, can be a bridge between developed and developing countries, Al-Khatib said, "Turkey is already assuming this role through the development cooperation organization Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). TIKA's activities in different countries and regions contribute to the development of solution proposals and good practice examples, as well as strengthening the sharing of experience between countries and regions." made his assessment.
Al-Khatib concluded his words as follows:
"I absolutely support the goal of COP31 to be a practice-oriented summit. We saw many initiatives implemented within the scope of the summit. My wish is that different development partners can come together and support the countries of the Global South to overcome the challenges they face. As we know, small island developing states are also in an extremely critical situation. Climate change is an existential issue for these countries.
