ISTANBUL

The COP31 summit, set for November in Antalya, Türkiye, could provide a critical opportunity to advance climate action, officials said at a Zero Waste Foundation retreat.

Officials met with the Turkish delegation during a three-day preparatory retreat in Istanbul on Feb. 6-8, organized by the Zero Waste Foundation, to exchange views ahead of COP31, this year’s most significant climate summit under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will take place in Antalya on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast under Türkiye’s presidency and hosting.

Chaired by Samed Agirbas, president of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 high-level climate champion, the meeting brought together senior advisers, members of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, and key COP31 stakeholders to chart a roadmap to the summit.

Lara van Druten, a member of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board and CEO of the Netherlands-based Waste Transformers, Special Advisor for Cities and Local Governments to the COP31 High-Level Climate Champion Neil Khor, and COP31 Climate High-Level Champion Marketing, Communications, and Stakeholder Engagement Special Advisor Atif Ikram Butt spoke to Anadolu about their expectations for COP31.

Druten said the retreat gathered diverse perspectives to help ensure COP31 is as effective as possible.

She underscored the link between zero waste and climate change, saying efforts were underway to ensure the issue features prominently on the COP31 agenda.

Highlighting emissions linked to food waste, Druten said at least one-third of all food produced globally is wasted while millions go hungry. Reforming food value chains, she added, could both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and align with COP31 priorities on waste, water and resource management.

Druten also said Agirbas’ efforts to unite stakeholders from the private sector and civil society would be among COP31’s key strengths.

Sharing her outlook on COP31’s potential contribution to climate action, Druten said: “There have been many COP summits over the years, and one of their main vulnerabilities has been the difficulty of translating discussions into concrete, scalable projects with meaningful impact, ensuring real change on the ground rather than just talking about it.”

Neil Khor, former chief of staff of UN-Habitat, said discussions during the retreat focused on aligning the foundation’s goals with the COP process and identifying ways to support Agirbas ahead of COP31.

Having closely followed the COP process during his tenure at UN-Habitat, Khor said, “The key element of the process is translating climate policy into action on the ground.”

He added that the foundation aims to collaborate with local stakeholders worldwide to implement climate commitments, with zero waste serving as a driver of both mitigation and adaptation efforts ahead of COP31.

“Antalya is a beautiful city and provides a strong setting to bring together stakeholders, drawing on Türkiye’s long history and tradition of hospitality,” Khor said, referring to the country’s role as host.

Khor noted that while COP summits address issues affecting millions, not everyone can travel to Türkiye. A digital platform to be launched by Agirbas, he said, will enable broader participation and allow individuals worldwide to make climate commitments as part of COP31.

He also said Türkiye and Australia were discussing COP31’s agenda, adding: "I think Türkiye has an opportunity in the area of zero waste to bring a new way of thinking, a new way of working that will not only look at the environment from the perspective of nature, but more importantly highlight the philosophy and teachings of first lady Emine Erdogan -- that this is about living and life."

‘Türkiye can play a bridging role between North and South at COP31’

Khor urged cooperation and added: “No matter how strong, large or wealthy a country may be, it cannot tackle this challenge alone.”

Former chief of the Public Advocacy and Communication Section at the UN Environment Programme, Atif Ikram Butt stressed the need for “the entire global community” to find “common ground and agree that this is the time to turn our commitments and promises into action.”

Saying the world is moving into the decisive implementation phase of the Paris Agreement, a critical period to deliver transformative outcomes and stay aligned with 2030 targets, Butt said, “Türkiye can play a bridging role between North and South at COP31 by bringing parties together to agree on a course to achieve the goals set in Paris.”

Butt added that the COP31 process offers Türkiye an opportunity to showcase its leadership in zero waste at the international level and contribute meaningfully to climate action, given Agirbas’s dual role as high-level climate champion and head of the Zero Waste Foundation.