Trabzon, Türkiye
Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency has called for accelerated international cooperation to protect marine ecosystems and mobilized global stakeholders with the launch of the COP31 Marine Litter Action Platform during the Trabzon Oceans and Seas Summit on September 11.
The two-day high-level gathering brought together government ministers, international organizations, researchers, civil society leaders, and private sector representatives to shape the ocean-climate agenda ahead of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya this November.
The newly launched COP31 Marine Litter Action Platform forms a central component of the Presidency’s Action Agenda on oceans and seas. The initiative addresses fragmented global efforts by linking local and regional projects with technical assistance, knowledge sharing, and sustainable financing.
The platform is built around three core pillars: knowledge-sharing network; digital monitoring dashboard; and project-finance linkage.
The initiative bridges two COP31 priority tracks—Oceans and Seas and Zero Waste Blue—building on Türkiye’s Zero Waste initiative championed by First Lady Emine Erdoğan.
At the summit, the Presidency issued the Trabzon Call to Consensus, Dialogue and Action, urging parties to deliver implementable commitments and mobilize scaled-up blue finance to protect vital carbon sinks.
Opening the summit, COP31 President-Designate and Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, stressed the need for practical outcomes that directly strengthen coastal resilience and ocean health.
“Protecting the oceans is a responsibility we all share. We call on every party to turn that responsibility into bold, concrete action: restoring ecosystems and building resilience,” Kurum stated. He added that the Presidency is working to advance work on integrating marine and coastal priorities into Nationally Determined Contributions (Blue NDCs).
The summit also drew specific attention to climate and pollution pressures facing the Black Sea, while highlighting ongoing partnerships with Australia, Pacific Island nations, and global ocean coalitions.
Ahead of the ministerial sessions, a dedicated youth assembly on September 9 convened international climate ambassadors and volunteers in Trabzon for field exercises and joint policy discussions, reinforcing youth engagement in the COP31 preparatory process.
The outcomes established in Trabzon will feed into key diplomatic milestones over the coming months, including the United Nations General Assembly, New York Climate Week, and Pre-COP deliberations in Fiji and Tuvalu, leading into the COP31 summit in Antalya.
