Türkiye appoints Samed Ağırbaş as COP31 Climate High-Level Champion

COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum today appointed Samed Ağırbaş as Climate High-Level Champion ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP31) in Antalya in November.

While diplomats work on negotiating policies to advance the UN Climate Convention and the Paris Agreement, Ağırbaş will focus on the complementary arena where much of today’s climate progress is being driven on the ground: cities, regions, businesses, investors and civil society groups whose decisions shape emissions, infrastructure and community resilience.

This work is coordinated through the Global Climate Action Agenda and the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action – a framework that brings together voluntary climate efforts and connects them with the official UN climate process. Ağırbaş will help lead this work alongside the COP31 Presidency and Dan Ioschpe, the COP30 Climate High-Level Champion.

Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister, COP 31 President-Designate said: “I congratulate him on his new assignment, and I sincerely believe that he will make significant contributions to the success of the COP 31 process."

Currently Ağırbaş serves as chairman of the Zero Waste Foundation in Türkiye and president of the Zero Waste Forum. He has been a leading voice on waste reduction, sustainable cities and youth entrepreneurship, including through leadership roles at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Youth Assembly and UN Habitat.

Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) said: “Mr Ağırbaş brings a valuable combination of experience, with a strong understanding of the multilateral process through his work with UN-Habitat, complemented by leadership in the private and philanthropic spheres through the Zero Waste Foundation. This breadth of perspective will be critical in supporting the delivery of practical, implementable solutions that connect climate action to the issues people care about most: living standards, health, secure energy, and economic growth.”

Ağırbaş’ appointment comes after the Global Climate Action Agenda brought together 400 major climate initiatives at COP30, organized around priorities such as clean energy, forests, food systems, cities, human development and finance – areas identified as critical by the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake on climate progress.

At COP30, the Climate Action Agenda stakeholders published 120 plans to speed up climate solutions, backed by significant capital. Those include a trillion-dollar investment pipeline for energy grids and storage; USD 6.7 billion committed to forest protection under the new Tropical Forests Forever Facility; and programs targeted at protecting hundreds of millions of people from floods, droughts and air pollution.

Ioschpe said: “COP30 proved that climate action can move at the speed of the real economy. The Action Agenda is driving trillions of dollars in investment, alongside plans to deliver on sustainable fuels, protect billions of hectares of land, and clean up our cities. Mr. Ağırbaş is stepping into leadership at the right moment, backed by an ambitious and solutions-focused climate action ecosystem.”

About the Climate High-Level Champions

In 2015, at the landmark UN Climate Conference (COP) in Paris, governments of the world established the Climate High-Level Champions role. The Champions’ focus is to mobilize ambitious climate action from businesses, financial institutions, cities, regions, civil society and communities to support governments in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The Champions — each serving a two-year term, and passing the baton from COP to COP — act as a bridge between non-State actors and national governments and are now guided by a five-year vision for accelerating implementation through the Global Climate Action Agenda.