COP31: Where dialogue becomes resilient action
COP31: Where dialogue becomes resilient action
The period 2015 to 2025 was confirmed as the warmest on record, and 2025 was among the warmest three years ever recorded. The trend extended to oceans, which also saw the warmest and most acidic records in 2025. Drivers of these changes, specifically greenhouse gases (GHGs), ticked upward once again, with the highest concentrations ever recorded. Earth had the highest energy imbalance ever, thereby locking in more heat, a consequence of rising levels of GHGs.
At the same time, the human and economic tolls of disasters, the majority of which are climate-related, continue to climb. The number of people affected has doubled during recent decades, and economic costs of disasters, while rising to record levels, still represent a fraction of underreported losses. Moreover, as societies and economies become more interconnected, a disaster in one country can have repercussions far beyond its borders.
In the spirit of strengthening multilateralism, this COP is a chance to leverage synergies across the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to enhance efficiency, reduce fragmentation, and accelerate implementation of all three agreements ahead of 2030.
Aligning with its mandate, the UN Secretary-General’s climate action priorities, and the priorities of the incoming COP 31 Presidency, the UNDRR call to action focuses on four main areas.
State of the climate
2015-2025 warmest period on record; 2025 among the three warmest years ever
Record warmest and most acidic oceans ever measured in 2025
Highest greenhouse gas concentrations ever recorded and still rising
5 years left until the Sendai Framework and 2030 Agenda conclude
UNDRR’s call to action at COP31
Deliver on ambition — reduce emissions and build resilience for a safe future
Countries have submitted NDC 3.0, representing greater mitigation ambition and economy-wide action, including on adaptation and on averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage. Synthesis of submitted NDCs will show how far Paris Agreement objectives are being met but implementation will be critical for success.
- Turn ambition into action: drive NDC 3.0 implementation that reduces disaster risk, builds resilience and protects development gains, while building momentum for the second Global Stocktake.
- Act now on extreme heat: scale up extreme heat-risk governance and resilience to protect lives, livelihoods and development gains.
Adapt and address loss and damage to protect vulnerable societies
Adaptation must remain a priority, in keeping with the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and its targets. This makes investing in effective, end-to-end multi-hazard early warning systems that trigger anticipatory action critical to meeting the GGA and averting and minimizing loss and damage. At the same time, there is a critical need to connect finance with technical assistance, enabling environments, tools and capacities to translate resources into effective action at scale.
- Align the targets and indicators of the Global Goal on Adaptation with the Sendai Framework to accelerate the implementation of both by harnessing synergies.
- Make end-to-end and people-centred multi-hazard early warning systems a core component of climate adaptation and resilience investment, backed by sustained and pre-arranged financing.
- Turn loss and damage commitments into delivery: rapidly scale up the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage and the Santiago Network to meet growing needs.
Transform financial systems to prevent disaster risks and strengthen climate resilience
Funding gaps persist and declining international assistance is adding pressure on countries. Maximizing the impact of existing finance is more important than ever. UNDRR has contributed DRR financing guidance and country examples to the updated Flagship Guide of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action. Finance volumes must also rise to meet the new collective quantified goal and the commitment to triple adaptation finance.
- Increase financing for prevention, not only response: scale up accessible, predictable finance for DRR, adaptation, and resilient recovery, particularly in developing and vulnerable countries.
- Ministries of Finance should integrate disaster and climate risk into fiscal policy, budgeting, public investment and financing decisions, including by leveraging insights from the Global Observatory on DRR financing recently developed by UNDRR.
- Make resilience investable: Mobilize private capital at scale by embedding risk information, resilience standards and incentives across financial markets, building on UNDRR’s Guide for Adaptation and Resilience Finance.
Turn Rio Synergy into resilient action
As the culmination of the three Rio Convention COPs in 2026, COP31 offers a unique opportunity to move from parallel commitments to coherent implementation across climate, biodiversity and land. Better data, stronger policy coherence and risk-sensitive investments can serve as key levers for delivering joined-up action across the Rio Conventions, the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda and the Sendai Framework. As countries report capacity constraints, limited resources and reporting burdens, a more coherent way of working can help to ease these challenges.
- Deliver resilience through Rio Synergy at national and local levels: align climate, biodiversity and land action with the Sendai Framework to turn policy coherence into action through comprehensive risk management and Making Cities Resilient.
- Make risk visible and actionable: strengthen data systems that enable preventative action, better investment and accountable delivery on adaptation and loss and damage.
- Put people at the centre of climate resilience: ensure those most at risk, especially women and girls, children and youth, persons with disabilities, displaced people and at-risk communities, meaningfully shape, implement and benefit from climate and disaster risk reduction action.
At COP31, UNDRR will focus on accelerating disaster risk reduction as a key means to strengthen climate action — translating ambition into measurable resilience outcomes.
UNDRR events and engagements at COP31
| Event | Day | Date | Time | Venue |
| Pre-COP Conference: Reimagining Resilience: Collective Futures for Disaster Risk Reduction https://wedo.org/advocacy/drr-conference | 5-7 Nov | Istanbul | ||
| Capacity-building Accelerator: From Risk to Readiness - Strengthening Early Warning and Preparedness Capacities | TUE | 10-Nov | 09:00-10:00 | Capacity-building Hub |
| Side Event [UNFPA]: The Twin Challenge: Building Demographic and Climate Resilience for People-Centred Adaptation | TUE | 10-Nov | 11:00-12:00 | Uzbekistan Pavilion |
| High-Level Roundtable [International Disability Alliance, invitation-only]: From recognition to action: disability-inclusive climate action | TUE | 10-Nov | 13:00 - 13:55 | Meeting Room 3 |
| UN Side Event [WMO]: Reading the Climate Signal: El Niño, Extreme Events and the Science Behind the Headline | TUE | 10-Nov | 18:30 - 20:00 | White Room |
| Global Climate Action Agenda: Finance, Technology and Capacity-Building: Progress, gaps, and emerging solutions | WED | 11-Nov | 10:30 - 12:00 | Special Event Room 2 |
| High-level meeting [Z Zurich & ICLEI, Closed] Scaling community-led climate resilience | WED | 11-Nov | 13:00 - 14:00 | ICLEI pavilion |
| High-level roundtable [The Economist Group, Closed]: Forecasting the future: AI, weather prediction and national preparedness | WED | 11-Nov | 13:00 -14:00 | Akra Hotel |
| Early Warnings for All - High-Level Event [EOSG, By invitation only]: Protecting Every Person, Scaling Investment, Sustaining Action Beyond 2027 | WED | 11-Nov | 15.30 - 17:00 | Conference Room X, Antalya Expo Center |
| High-Level Event [African Union]: Accelerating Early Warnings in Africa | THU | 12-Nov | 09:30-11:00 | Africa Pavilion |
| Side Event [SWA & others]: Operationalizing water-related Belem Adaptation Indicators | THU | 12-Nov | 09:30-11:00 | Water Pavilion |
| High-Level Policy Dialogue [AFAD-UNDRR]: Strengthening Governance Approaches for Climate-Resilient Cities | THU | 12-Nov | 10:00 - 10:45 | Turkish Pavilion |
| Side Event: Venice: A tale of two floodings - Governing the Oldest City of the Future | THU | 12-Nov | 10:15 - 11:15 | Italian Pavillion |
| Side Event [IOM UNFCCC]: From Technology to Community Action: Advancing Inclusive Early Warning Systems | THU | 12-Nov | 13:00–13:45 | IOM Pavilion |
| High-Level Dialogue: Urban Resilience, Adaptation and Climate Action | THU | 12-Nov | 13:30 - 17:00 | Plenary Hall-2 (Akdeniz) |
| Building for the Future: Delivering Resilient Cities | THU | 12-Nov | 14:00 - 14:50 | Implementation Hub Pavillion |
| Side Event [Japan]: Urban Development for the Climate Crisis Era: Building a Resilient Society through Green Infrastructure (MLIT) | THU | 12-Nov | 17:30 - 18:45 | Japan Pavillion |
| Side Event [Oxfam]: From Risk to Resilience: Advancing Climate Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings (FCAS) | THU | 12-Nov | 17:45 - 18:45 | Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Pavilion |
| 21st Global Forum on Human Settlements High-level Dialogue: Future-proof carbon-neutral cities and human settlements | FRI | 13-Nov | 10:50 - 12:10 | Marmara Antalya Hotel |
| Side Event [Council of Higher Education of Türkiye (YÖK)] Investing in Resilience: Universities, Science and Disaster Risk Reduction | FRI | 13-Nov | 11:00 - 12:00 | YÖK Pavillion |
| UN Side Event [UNDRR-DESA]: Breaking Silos, Building Resilience: Aligning Rio Conventions and Sendai Framework for sustainable development | FRI | 13-Nov | 13:15 - 14:45 | Side Event Room 7 - HASANKEYF |
| High-Level Policy Dialogue [AFAD-UNDRR]; Operationalizing Comprehensive Risk Management: Strengthening Implementation Capacity for Climate-Resilient Development | FRI | 13-Nov | 16:00-18:00 | Room 4 Blue Zone |
| High-Level Side Event: Path to Resilience: Building a Climate-Adaptive Society | SAT | 14-Nov | 09:00 - 12:00 | China Pavilion |
| High Level Side Event Africa Youth for Early Warnings : From Youth Voices to Early Action | SAT | 14-Nov | 09:30 - 11:00 | Morocco Pavilion |
| Side Event [UNDRR-IOM]: Non-economic losses and mobility | SAT | 14-Nov | 13:00-14:00 | Human Mobility Hub |
| Side Event [The Council of Europe]: Resilience of Cultural Heritage and Landscapes against Climate Threats | SAT | 14-Nov | 14:30 - 15:40 | Special Event Room 1 Blue Zone |
| Side Event [UNDRR-DHI]: Managing flash-flood risks in mountainous areas | MON | 16- Nov | 09:00 - 10:30 | Water Pavilion |
| Side Event (IPU) IPU Parliamentary Meeting at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) | MON | 16- Nov | 14:30-16:00 | Ethno Belek Hotel, Antalya |
| Side Event [UNDRR]: Better SDG data for adaptation and loss and damage | TUE | 17- Nov | 09:00-09:45 | SDG Pavilion |
| Side Event (EBRD) Beyond bonds: the private sector’s role in adaptation finance | TUE | 17- Nov | 11:00 - 12:00 | Joint MDB Pavilion (Blue Zone) |
| Side Event [UNDRR, UNDP & UNEP-CCC]: Assessing, tracking and responding to Non-economic losses | TUE | 17- Nov | 14:15-15:00 | Resilience Hub |
| Side Event [SPC & others]; The Human Side of Loss and Damage - Advancing Action on Non-Economic Loss and Damage | TUE | 17- Nov | 16:45-18:15 | Side Event Room 3 - ZERZEVAN |
| Side Event [SPREP]: One Vaka: No Pacific Community Left Behind | WED | 18- Nov | 18:30 - 20:30 | Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion |
| Side Event [European Environment Agency]: From risk to resilience: turning climate evidence into action | THU | 19-Nov | 9:00-11:30 | EU pavilion |
| Side Event [UNDRR]: From Indicators to Impact: Measuring Adaptation and Resilience through the Belém Adaptation Indicators | THU | 19-Nov | 09:30-10:30 | Resilience Hub |
| Global Climate Action Agenda: Resilience in action: Comprehensive Risk Management in an uncertain climate | THU | 19-Nov | 11:30-12:30 | Brazil Pavilion (Mutirão) |