On the Road to COP31: Business Community meets for climate action

The second meeting of the COP31 High-Level Climate Champion Private Sector Consultation Series, organized through the collaboration of UN Global Compact Türkiye, the United Nations in Türkiye, and the Zero Waste Foundation, was held in Istanbul on 3 July 2026. Under the theme "Circular Economy and Innovation," the meeting brought together stakeholders to discuss solutions, policy instruments and collaborative approaches that can accelerate the private sector's transition to a circular economy.

Organized in the lead-up to COP31, which will be hosted by Türkiye in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026, the Private Sector Consultation Series aims to strengthen private sector contributions to climate action by bringing together businesses, United Nations entities and representatives of the wider business community on a common platform. The second meeting focused on advancing circular economy approaches and exploring how innovation can contribute to achieving climate goals.

The meeting opened with remarks by Tom Delrue, Head of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Türkiye, Christian Mensah, Senior Advisor and Team Lead to the COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, and Melda Çele, Secretary General of UN Global Compact Türkiye.

In his remarks, Tom Delrue said:

"As we move towards COP31, the global climate agenda has entered a new phase—from commitments to implementation. Partnerships that deliver tangible results and practical solutions are now more important than ever. The circular economy is one of the most powerful approaches for addressing interconnected global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution simultaneously. With its strong industrial base, growing innovation ecosystem and the Zero Waste initiative, Türkiye has significant opportunities to lead this transformation. The United Nations in Türkiye remains committed to strengthening collaboration among the public sector, the private sector and all stakeholders on the road to COP31, and to turning these partnerships into concrete climate action."

In his remarks, Christian Mensah emphasized that the COP31 preparation process is not about telling stakeholders what they should do, but about making them part of the solution. Stressing that the climate crisis is no longer a challenge of the future but a reality of today, he noted that discussions must move beyond technical debates towards practical and financeable solutions. Highlighting the private sector as one of the key drivers of this transformation, Mensah underlined that climate action can only succeed through collaboration between governments, businesses and other stakeholders. He also invited participants to develop concrete recommendations that will directly contribute to the COP31 process.

Melda Çele stated:

"COP31, which our country will host, will not only be a diplomatic negotiation process, but also an important milestone where the business community will demonstrate its capacity for transformation, innovation and implementation. We will bring the concrete, actionable and scalable recommendations emerging from these consultations to COP31, contributing a strong private sector perspective to both the negotiations and the climate action agenda."

Following the opening session, representatives from UN Global Compact Türkiye member companies, business organizations and United Nations agencies operating in Türkiye convened in thematic working groups. Participants exchanged views on practical recommendations that could contribute to Türkiye's COP31 process, covering topics including circular business models and value chain transformation, waste management and resource recovery, green technologies, innovation and digital solutions, as well as financing, policy and market mechanisms to support the transition to a circular economy.

The recommendations developed during the consultations are expected to serve as the basis for thematic outcomes and voluntary commitments that will strengthen the private sector's contribution to COP31. The process also aims to enhance cooperation between the private sector and international organizations, promote the dissemination of good practices in the circular economy, and support scalable solutions.

The COP31 High-Level Climate Champion Private Sector Consultation Series will continue with its third meeting in October. The next consultation will focus on nature conservation, biodiversity, water management, just transition, and sustainable value chains.