As part of the UN 81st General Assembly and New York Climate Week events between 20-27 September, a comprehensive promotional program was carried out in New York for Turkey to host the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the most important organization of the UN in the fight against climate change. Sharing a post about the events on his social media account, COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum said, "Turkey's difference on the global climate stage! Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we carried our COP31 vision to every corner of New York."
COP31 PROMOTION AT TURKEVİ AND TIMES SQUARE
In addition to diplomatic contacts, a detailed program was prepared in New York under the coordination of the Presidential Directorate of Communications and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change in order to make Turkey's COP31 hosting visible and to announce the action agenda to the world. COP31 promotional posters titled "The Future of the World is in Turkey" and "The World is Coming Together for the Climate in Turkey" with images of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were hung in the Turkevi building. COP31 themed LED screen trucks traveling along Times Square and the UN route attracted great attention. Throughout the week, dressed-up pickup trucks rolled COP31 promotional posters through the streets of New York.
COP31 MASCOT WELCOME AT TÜRKEVİ
Marbling artist Garip Ay made a presentation in Times Square. Exhibitions and presentations regarding Turkey's COP31 activities were held at the Turkish House. The exhibition themed “Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unheard: SCOPE as a Future Envisionment” offered a multi-layered experience ranging from artificial intelligence to sound and mapping applications, from immersive shows to art installations. The COP31 Türkiye exhibition, held under the title SCOPE, started with the Caretta AI – COP31 Mascot experience area on the ground floor. The artificial intelligence-supported LED application of Turkey's COP31 mascot Caretta, developed by artist Gökhan Doğan, created an interactive experience with visitors. In the Kaleidoscope – Photography Area, an interactive painting exhibition with visual content developed from Turkish marbling art was presented.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ANTALYA EXPO
In the 'COP31 Area 3D Model' section, the general structure and experience of the conference area in Antalya was conveyed to the visitors with the mapping application performed on the three-dimensional model of the COP31 area prepared by artist Gökhan Doğan. On the COP31 Action Agenda Wall, also located on the ground floor, the COP31 Action Agenda was explained with animated content on LED screens.
LET'S COP – TURKEY'S CLIMATE JOURNEY
In the Stethoscope Area on the 6th floor, Mehmet Ünal's sound and mapping work, based on the idea of "listening to the voice" of climate problems experienced in different geographies of the world, took place. In the final part of the exhibition at the Turkish House, Turkey's efforts to combat climate change were explained on a large LED wall in the LET'S COP - Turkey's Climate Journey Area. Images from the international work of President Erdoğan, First Lady Erdoğan and COP31 President Murat Kurum, as well as the Ministry's actions, were presented in this area.
CLIMATE AND NATURE IN GLASSHOUSE WITH 4 DIFFERENT NARRATIVES
An exhibition regarding the COP31 process was also held at the Glasshouse in New York. Again, Turkey's climate vision, studies carried out and Action Agenda were included in the entrance area. At the center of the exhibition, İlhami Atalay's work titled "The Return of the Birds - Tawaf" attracted attention. The work, brought to New York from the National Palaces, brings together the flawless and collective movement of birds in nature with the rhythm of circumambulation that meets around a common center. The "Sound of Water" exhibition, consisting of Ekrem Şahin's photographs, made climate change visible through water.
