United Nations General Assembly president Khalilur Rahman has called for stronger political commitment to climate action, saying the world must do more to prevent extreme weather events from turning into disasters.
‘We cannot prevent every extreme weather event. But we can do far more to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes,’ he said in a Facebook post ahead of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, scheduled to be held in Antalya, Turkey, in November.
In the post, Khalilur Rahman said he had convened a meeting titled ‘A Planet Fit for the Future: Restoring Trust through Climate Action,’ bringing together member states, representatives of the COP presidencies, experts and civil society leaders.
He said discussions at the meeting focused on making climate finance more accessible and ensuring that early warning systems reached communities in time to protect people from climate-related disasters.
Rahman said the world already had the scientific knowledge, technology and international agreements needed to make progress on climate action, but political will was essential to translate those resources and commitments into practical measures.
‘What we need now is the political will to put them to work,’ he wrote.
He stressed that translating climate commitments into concrete action was essential to protecting people and building a planet fit for future generations.
COP31 is scheduled to take place in Antalya, Turkey, in November 2026, with countries expected to discuss climate action, financing and measures to address the impacts of climate change.
