COP31 Presidency Outlines Action Agenda in Third Letter to Parties Ahead of Antalya Summit

Ankara/Antalya, Türkiye — 2026 — The COP31 President-Designate has issued a third letter to Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outlining how the COP31 Action Agenda will support governments and stakeholders in accelerating climate implementation on the road to the summit in Antalya, Türkiye. The letter reflects on progress made during the Sixty-Fourth sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn and sets out the Presidency’s ten priority themes, upcoming Thematic Days, and key engagement milestones ahead of COP31.

Background

As the world enters the second decade of the Paris Agreement, the Presidency’s letter emphasizes that translating collective climate ambition into practical, measurable action has become increasingly urgent. The COP31 Action Agenda is designed as a practical implementation platform that complements formal negotiations by mobilizing voluntary initiatives, partnerships and coalitions across governments, business, finance, civil society, academia and international organizations.

The Agenda builds on the legacy of previous COP presidencies and the 5-Year Vision for the Global Climate Action Agenda launched at COP30 in Belém, ensuring continuity while introducing an implementation-focused contribution for the next phase of global climate action. It was formally launched during the SB64 sessions in Bonn — marking, according to the Presidency, the first time a COP Presidency invited Parties to help shape both the priorities and implementation of its Action Agenda from the outset.

Momentum from Recent Engagements

The letter notes growing momentum beyond formal negotiations, pointing to engagements during London Climate Action Week and other forums — including Climate Week-3 in Yeosu, the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, and the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial — as evidence of increasing determination among governments, the private sector, financial institutions and civil society to strengthen partnerships and accelerate implementation of climate commitments.

Ten Priority Themes

The COP31 Action Agenda is structured around ten priority themes, each paired with a science-based, measurable implementation target for 2035:

1. Clean Energy Transition and Electrification — Raising electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to at least 35% by 2035, addressing the fact that 666 million people still lack electricity access and nearly 2 billion lack access to clean cooking
2. Zero Waste and Methane Reduction — Cutting the projected increase in global municipal solid waste generation by at least 50% by 2035, given methane’s role in roughly 30% of current global warming
3. Climate-Resilient Cities — Reducing energy use intensity in the building sector by at least 25% by 2035, as the sector currently accounts for more than one-third of global CO₂ emissions
4. Green Industrialization — Increasing the global circular material use rate to at least 15% by 2035, up from a current rate of just 6.9%
5. Youth and Education — Ensuring climate action education for all by 2035, after climate-related shocks disrupted education for at least 242 million students across 85 countries in 2024
6. Food Security — Accelerating the transition to climate-resilient agriculture through better water management and integrated approaches across the climate-water-food nexus
7. Oceans and Seas — Strengthening marine and coastal resilience through cooperation on blue carbon, ocean observation, data sharing and finance
8. Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems — Building climate-resilient, equitable health systems capable of responding to climate-related shocks
9. Rio Synergies — Strengthening coherent action across the climate, biodiversity and land conventions through coordinated ecosystem restoration and sustainable land management
10. Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE) — Scaling up support to help countries translate climate ambition into finance-ready project portfolios by 2035

Finance, technology and capacity building are framed as cross-cutting enabling conditions supporting all ten themes. The Presidency stressed that these targets are not intended to create new obligations for individual countries, but instead represent an open invitation for countries and stakeholders to strengthen cooperation and build coalitions.

Key Events on the Road to COP31

The letter outlines a series of milestone events ahead of the summit, including the Istanbul Climate Finance Summit (4–5 September 2026), the Ocean and Seas Summit in Trabzon (10–11 September 2026), Climate Week-4 in Baku, New York Climate Week, and a Pre-COP meeting in Fiji. A series of Business Forums — beginning during London Climate Action Week and continuing through New York Climate Week — will culminate in the COP31 Business Forum in Antalya on 12–13 November, alongside a Leaders’ Summit on 11–12 November convening Heads of State and Government.

Calls to Action for Parties

The Presidency also urged all Parties to submit their second Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), due by 31 December 2026, and encouraged countries that have not yet done so to submit post-2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as soon as possible. Parties were further encouraged to submit and implement effective National Adaptation Plans to strengthen resilience against climate impacts.

Conclusion

With COP31 approaching in Antalya, the Presidency’s third letter reflects an effort to build a Party-driven, implementation-focused process anchored in measurable 2035 targets across ten priority themes. By combining formal negotiations with an expanding calendar of thematic days, summits and business forums, the COP31 Presidency aims to translate years of climate ambition into concrete, coordinated action — while acknowledging that closing the gap between commitments and implementation remains one of the defining challenges of the road to Antalya.