Muğla dialogue brings local climate priorities to the road to COP31 | United Nations in Türkiye

Muğla dialogue brings local climate priorities to the road to COP31

29 September 2026

UN Türkiye and partners convened municipalities and development actors to strengthen local leadership, inclusive resilience and access to climate finance.

Municipalities are central to turning climate commitments into practical improvements in people’s lives. That message shaped the “Towards COP31: Local Climate Action Policy Dialogue” held in Muğla on 29 September 2026, bringing together mayors, municipal representatives, national institutions, financial actors, academia, the private sector and civil society.

Convened by Muğla Metropolitan Municipality, UCLG-MEWA, WALD, UN Türkiye and the COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, the dialogue explored how to connect national climate commitments with local development planning and enable municipalities to finance, implement and scale climate solutions.

The dialogue followed the opening day of the Mediterranean Climate Summit, where UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye Dr. Babatunde Ahonsi addressed the growing pressures facing the region, including heatwaves, drought, wildfires, water scarcity and flooding. He called for stronger cooperation and investment in resilience, emphasizing the role of local governments in shaping climate responses.

“Local governments should not simply be seen as implementers of decisions taken elsewhere. They are essential partners in designing and delivering effective climate solutions,” Ahonsi said at the summit.

Connecting climate commitments with local delivery

Opening the policy dialogue on 29 September, Ahonsi stressed that “global commitments are ultimately delivered locally, or they are not delivered at all.”

For municipalities, climate change is already affecting essential services, infrastructure and livelihoods. Heatwaves threaten older people and outdoor workers; drought places pressure on water supplies and agriculture; and flooding damages homes and disrupts communities. Responding to these challenges requires climate action, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development to be pursued together.

“A resilient city, therefore, is not simply a city with stronger infrastructure. It is a city that protects people, reduces inequalities and ensures that everyone has a voice in shaping its future,” Ahonsi said.

He emphasized that women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, low-income households, migrants and other vulnerable groups must be included in decisions about local climate action.

Discussions addressed local leadership and cooperation across levels of government; inclusive urban resilience and climate-responsive planning; access to climate finance; a just and inclusive transition; water, food, nature and circularity; and the use of innovation, technology, data and artificial intelligence.

In Muğla, coastal resilience, tourism, water security, biodiversity and nature-based solutions provided a regional context for examining how municipalities can respond to climate risks while advancing sustainable development.

Enabling municipalities to implement solutions

A central focus was how to equip municipalities with the resources and partnerships needed to deliver their climate priorities. Participants explored stronger national-local coordination, better project preparation, innovative financing instruments and closer cooperation with development and commercial banks.

Ahonsi called for stronger connections between municipal priorities and development finance institutions, climate funds, commercial finance and private investment.

“We also need to move beyond identifying projects towards developing investment-ready pipelines that can be financed and implemented,” he said.

The dialogue produced a Muğla Joint Declaration on Local Climate Commitment, setting out priorities including investment-ready municipal climate projects, nature-based solutions, inclusive governance, resilient infrastructure, water security, circularity and better use of climate data.

Process towards COP31

Muğla marks the first step in a broader regional dialogue process, with Gaziantep serving as the next. Gaziantep will bring perspectives on resilient cities, green industry, circularity and inclusive transition.

Findings from the process will be consolidated into a Local Climate Action Call to COP31, bringing municipalities’ priorities, solutions and financing needs to the international climate agenda as Türkiye prepares to host the conference in Antalya.

UN Türkiye is supporting this process by connecting local priorities with national and global commitments, facilitating partnerships and helping successful local solutions to be shared and scaled.

RCO United Nations Resident Coordinator Office

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