Türkiye’s climate advocate steps up as COP31 High-Level Champion

COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum announced the appointment of Samed Ağırbaş as Climate High-Level Champion ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP31), scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.

While diplomats negotiate policies to advance the UN Climate Convention and the Paris Agreement, Ağırbaş will focus on the complementary arena where much of today’s climate progress is being driven: cities, regions, businesses, investors, and civil society groups whose decisions shape emissions, infrastructure, and community resilience, Caliber.Az reports.

His work will be coordinated through the Global Climate Action Agenda and the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, which links voluntary climate efforts with the official UN process. Ağırbaş will work alongside the COP31 Presidency and Dan Ioschpe, the COP30 Climate High-Level Champion.

Ev sahibi olarak 197 ülkeyi bir araya getireceğimiz İklim Zirvesi’nde, Sıfır Atık Vakfı Başkanı Samed Ağırbaş’ı COP31 Yüksek Düzey Şampiyonu olarak belirlediğimizi paylaşmaktan memnuniyet duyuyorum.

Bu görev; sürdürülebilirlik ve iklim eylemi alanlarında Samed kardeşimizin… pic.twitter.com/iIlRfyBpck

— Murat KURUM (@murat_kurum) January 24, 2026

“I congratulate him on his new assignment, and I sincerely believe that he will make significant contributions to the success of the COP31 process,” said Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and COP31 President-Designate.

Currently, Ağırbaş serves as chairman of the Zero Waste Foundation in Türkiye and president of the Zero Waste Forum. He has been a prominent advocate for waste reduction, sustainable cities, and youth entrepreneurship, including through leadership roles at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Youth Assembly and UN-Habitat.

“People are done with promises. They want to see cleaner energy, safer cities and real protection from climate shocks. My job is to help move climate action out of conference rooms and into daily life,” Ağırbaş said.

Türkiye was elected to host the 31st session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) in November 2025. The conference is slated to take place in Antalya from November 9–20, while the principal preparatory negotiations for COP31 will be conducted in Australia.

By Vafa Guliyeva