11.11.2026 23:01
COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum made striking remarks in his statement at the summit. Kurum said, "No border can stop rising seas. No wall can prevent drought. No flag can change the direction of the storm. Climate change reminds us of a very important truth. Our fates are interconnected."
The Institution participated in the “COP31 Ministers’ Dinner” program held at the NEST Congress and Exhibition Center as part of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change.
THE INSTITUTION: NO BORDER CAN STOP RISING SEAS
Stating that no country, however powerful, can be safe on its own in the face of the climate crisis, the Institution said, “No border can stop rising seas. No wall can prevent drought. No flag can change the direction of a storm. Climate change reminds us of a very important truth. Our destinies are interconnected.”
“WE HAVE A DREAM”
Expressing that in Antalya they carry the hope of farmers waiting for rain on arid lands, share the anxiety of families living on the shores of rising seas, and defend the rights of millions of children whose future has not yet been written, the Institution said, “We have a dream. One day, no child anywhere in the world will have to dream of reaching a clean sip of water. One day, no mother will fear for her child’s tomorrow because of drought and disasters. One day, no farmer will lose hope while looking at his cracked soil.”
Stating that they dream of a world where the world’s richest and poorest countries remember that they share the same danger and responsibilities under the same sky, the Institution expressed its belief that all humanity will understand that development and protecting nature are not alternatives to one another.
“FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL REMEMBER US BY THE DECISIONS WE TAKE”
Stating that humanity’s greatness will be measured not only by the cities it builds, the technologies it develops, and the wealth it produces, but also by the lives it protects, the Institution said, “We have a dream. One day, our children will not ask us, ‘What kind of world did you dream of?’ They will ask, ‘You left the world to us, but what was that world like?’ We will be able to answer by looking them in the eyes.”
Underlining that hope alone is not enough for dreams to come true, the Institution emphasized that hope requires courage, determination, the will to choose what is difficult, and the will to act together.
Pointing out that this is also the responsibility before them in Antalya, the Institution stated:
“We are not here merely to set new targets. We are here to lay the foundations of a future in which the promises made are put into practice. Because we now know that future generations will remember us not by the speeches we make but by the decisions we take. They will forget the documents we sign; they will remember us by the lives we protect. They will forget the promises we make; they will remember us by the hopes we turn into reality.”
“OUR DREAM IS HUMANITY’S COMMON FUTURE”
Conveying that the program included guests from all over the world, artists who contribute to the issue of environment and education through the awareness they create with their works, businesspeople, representatives of civil society organizations, and names from the world of sports, the Institution wished that years later history would remember those who came together in Antalya as “people who did not give up on their common responsibilities.”
Emphasizing that Türkiye, under the leadership of its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with its state, its 86 million people, and all its institutions, is ready to work for the world to become a more livable and fairer place, the Institution said, “Because our dream is a fairer, safer, and more livable world. Our dream is humanity’s common future. Together with the 196 countries that attended and supported this event, we will take these decisions. We will take responsibility for our shared home, our world, and our common future, and fulfill the requirements of those responsibilities.”