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A panel hosted by the Yunus Emre Institute's Turkish Cultural Center in Rome examined the upcoming 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which Türkiye will host in Antalya in November.

The event, organized with the Italy-based think tank CeSPI and the International Science Association (ISCASS), brought together diplomats, academics, party officials and civil society representatives to discuss sustainability, youth and climate diplomacy.

Panel hosted in Rome on the road to COP31

The Turkish Cultural Center of the Yunus Emre Institute in Rome hosted a panel titled "On the Road to COP31: Rethinking Sustainability Through an Interdisciplinary Perspective," organized together with the Italy-based think tank CeSPI and the International Science Association (ISCASS).

Experts from different fields assessed the approaching summit in three sessions: "Sustainability: Beyond a Word in a Changing World," "Women, Youth and Sustainability," and "Climate Policy and Diplomacy: From Paris to Antalya."

The opening remarks were delivered by Türkiye's ambassador in Rome, Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, and Federico Ciattaglia, head of the multilateral cooperation department at Italy's Foreign Ministry. Ambassador Ülgen called the event a very important one for COP31, which is due to begin shortly, and said Türkiye would focus on three main themes at the conference: dialogue, consensus and implementation.

Ülgen said COP31 would be one of the largest events Türkiye has ever hosted and expressed hope that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would travel to Antalya.

Ciattaglia said the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the war in Ukraine and rising geopolitical and economic tensions in the Middle East, had drawn the attention of governments and international institutions elsewhere and cast a shadow over the urgency of climate change. The global temperature rise in the summer of 2026 had reminded them that warming does not wait for wars to end or trade disputes to be resolved, Ciattaglia said, adding that this made the need to find shared solutions more pressing than ever.

Associate Professor Şuay Nilhan Açıkalın, deputy head of foreign relations at the AK Party, said Türkiye is placing particular emphasis on implementation within the COP31 agenda. "Although Türkiye seems to have joined climate and sustainability matters a little late, in a short time, through government policies and public support, it has become one of the key actors in global sustainability and climate change discussions," Açıkalın said.

Açıkalın noted Türkiye's recent hosting of the NATO Leaders' Summit and said environmental issues have become an undeniable part of Turkish foreign policy alongside humanitarian matters. Drawing on participation in earlier COP summits, Açıkalın said social policies appeared to be stalled compared with technical policies. While discussions are held and many reports prepared, social and national climate policies fall well short of expectations, Açıkalın said, adding that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to place strong emphasis on practical steps to overcome conflicts of interest between countries.

Call to put education on the COP31 agenda

Professor Şefika Şule Erçetin, dean of Hacettepe University's Faculty of Education, stressed the importance of educating young people. "People change the world. And people are changed through education and leadership," Erçetin said. Noting that the world will gather in Antalya, Erçetin said governments will negotiate targets and financing, and added: "But I want to give one more message: put education on the agenda as well. Whether every agreement succeeds or not will be decided in classrooms, in societies and in the minds of future generations. Sustainability must go beyond the world. It should become a habit, a value and a shared responsibility."

Ali Haydar Ustaosmanoğlu, chair of the Türkiye Youth NGOs Platform (TGPS), said young people are stakeholders of the present rather than only of the future. "In climate crisis debates, young people are usually mentioned as the leaders of the future. As young people, we are the ones who feel the consequences of climate change most deeply, and we are also the most active actors in solving this crisis," Ustaosmanoğlu said.

Valeria Giannotta, Türkiye coordinator at the CeSPI Observatory, said Ankara has proven itself a "reliable partner" to the EU in many respects, and that Türkiye, as a candidate country, is seen as one of the most solid partners on climate matters within the criteria set out.

Key takeaways

• A panel in Rome assessed COP31, which Türkiye will host in Antalya in November.
• Ambassador Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen said Türkiye will focus on dialogue, consensus and implementation at the summit.
• AK Party's Şuay Nilhan Açıkalın said Türkiye has become a leading actor in global climate and sustainability discussions.
• Speakers called for education and youth participation to be added to the COP31 agenda.