COP31 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies Announce Partnership to Accelerate Climate Action Ahead of Antalya Summit

New collaboration spans business and finance, clean energy, methane reduction, private finance mobilization, multilevel partnerships and ocean-climate action as Türkiye and Australia prepare to co-host COP31

COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum and Michael R. Bloomberg announced a new partnership on June 24, 2026, in London, to support the COP31 Presidency’s Action Agenda ahead of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, in November 2026.

From Commitments to Implementation

International climate negotiations have increasingly grappled with a persistent challenge: the gap between the ambitious commitments made at successive UN climate conferences and the pace at which those commitments are actually implemented on the ground. Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, subsequent COP presidencies have worked to develop mechanisms and partnerships aimed specifically at closing this implementation gap, recognizing that multilateral commitments alone are insufficient without coordinated action across governments, businesses, financial institutions, and subnational actors.

Bloomberg Philanthropies has played a recurring role in this effort across recent COP presidencies, working to bring cities, businesses, and financial institutions more directly into the climate negotiation process. This engagement traces back to COP21 in Paris, where Michael Bloomberg and the City of Paris convened the first Climate Summit for Local Leaders. The organization’s involvement has since expanded through initiatives such as the first-ever COP-hosted Local Climate Action Summit at COP28 in Dubai, which brought together more than 500 mayors and governors from over 60 countries, and the COP30 Local Leaders Forum and Business and Finance Forum held in Brazil.

COP31 itself carries particular significance as a first-of-its-kind bilateral model of cooperation between Türkiye and Australia, with the conference set to convene in Antalya as part of this joint hosting arrangement.

Announcement Details

The partnership was announced during London Climate Action Week by Kurum, who serves as Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, alongside Bloomberg, who holds the role of UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and is the founder of both Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The partnership is designed to support the COP31 Presidency’s broader efforts to strengthen collective climate action, accelerate implementation of existing commitments, reinforce international cooperation in pursuit of Paris Agreement goals, and advance the United Nations’ wider climate priorities.

As host of COP31, Türkiye brings notable momentum in the clean energy space. According to BloombergNEF analysis, Türkiye ranked among the world’s leading renewable energy markets in 2025, placing fifth globally for wind capacity additions and tenth for solar additions.

Five Areas of Collaboration

The partnership between the COP31 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies spans five distinct areas of collaboration.

Convening business and finance: Bloomberg Philanthropies will work with the COP31 Presidency to bring together policymakers, investors, financial institutions, and industry leaders, with a particular focus on mobilizing transition finance across emerging markets and developing economies. This effort is designed to complement the COP31 Presidency’s work establishing the Climate Implementation Bridge (CIB), an initiative intended to connect climate ambition with practical implementation.

Accelerating the clean energy transition: The partnership will support COP31 priorities related to renewable energy deployment and electrification, with Bloomberg Philanthropies contributing partnerships, convenings, and data-driven analysis aimed at strengthening the clean energy industry’s ability to attract investment and inform policy decisions.

Reducing methane emissions: Bloomberg Philanthropies will support efforts to reduce methane emissions from urban waste systems and other sectors, focusing on strengthening emissions detection and monitoring capabilities, expanding access to real-time data, and supporting rapid response to major emission events.

Mobilizing private finance: Working alongside the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and the Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC), Bloomberg Philanthropies will convene business, finance, and government leaders to help scale investment in clean energy, industry, and infrastructure. This work will include support for country-level platforms such as the Türkiye Industrial Decarbonization Investment Platform (TIDIP).

Strengthening multilevel partnerships: Through the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action, Bloomberg Philanthropies will support collaboration between national and subnational governments, helping integrate climate-resilient cities and urban waste solutions into broader climate and economic planning.

A sixth area of focus involves ocean-climate efforts, with Bloomberg Philanthropies working to convene partners and elevate the Ocean Pavilion as a platform for science-based ocean-climate solutions. Priorities in this area include ocean governance, Blue Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), ocean-climate finance, marine protection and resilience, offshore renewable energy, and clean shipping.

Stakeholder Participation and Bloomberg’s COP31 Presence

Organizers have indicated that COP31 will actively encourage meaningful participation from a broad range of stakeholders throughout the process, including governments, academia, civil society, the private sector, and youth representatives.

Beyond the core partnership, BloombergNEF will contribute to the wider Bloomberg events platform at COP31 by convening public- and private-sector leaders and publishing analysis on the low-carbon energy transition. Bloomberg Green will also be present at COP31, convening leaders from business, finance, policy, academia, and non-governmental organizations for discussions focused on developing solutions aligned with the conference’s goals.

About the Organizations

COP31, the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, will be held in Antalya in November 2026, bringing together world leaders, experts, and civil society representatives to discuss joint solutions for combating climate change.

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests across 700 cities and 150 countries worldwide, focusing on creating lasting change across five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. The organization encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s philanthropic giving, including Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy advising cities globally. In 2025, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $4.3 billion.