Turkiye, Australia outline COP31 climate action agenda

New Delhi: Turkiye and Australia have set out their priorities and plans for the forthcoming UN climate talks, COP31, to be held in Antalya next month, including a "presidency-led" political decision that "captures the global moment and calls for action" and offers "a focused and concrete response to the challenges and opportunities of our time".

This political outcome, commonly referred to as "cover decision", addresses issues that countries consider to be of importance but are not included in the pre-decided agenda for the meeting. In recent years, particularly post 2021, cover decisions have become regular features of the outcomes at the annual UN climate talks.

Australia's Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen, who will serve as president of negotiations, said the decisions could stress "the urgent need for climate action, support and international cooperation to go further and faster". Bowen and COP31 president Murat Kurum stressed that while the political decision will be presidency led, the process of finalising the decision will open, transparent and inclusive.


At the pre-COP meetings, India stressed on the need for greater convergence among countries on approaches to achieving the shared goals of the Paris Agreement and Climate Convention. "The time has come to demonstrate flexibility on all sides," said Minister for Environment and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.

Reiterating the call by Bowen and Kurum on the need to demonstrate that international cooperation can deliver faster and better, Yadav said climate multilateralism can be strengthened at COP31 through an inclusive, consultative and consensus-based approach. The minister said India stands ready for open and transparent dialogue to resolve these issues in the run-up to COP31 to ensure "a balanced, equitable, and historic outcome" for the global community, particularly the most vulnerable.

Among the issues Australia and Turkiye would like to include in "presidency-driven" decision is an acknowledgement of the world missing the 1.5-degree Celsius limit in temperature rise.