Less than a month before the UN climate conference COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye, representatives of three successive summit presidencies gathered to address a pressing question: How can the world restore trust in climate action when the consequences of a warming planet are already being felt?
The devastation in Nepal offered a stark reminder of what is at stake.
Opening the high-level meeting at UN Headquarters, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman evoked the imagery of a wall of water barreling down a mountain valley, sweeping away people, homes and communities in its path.
"Scientists had long warned that such events were becoming a reality, yet none of us were prepared for the shocking footage".
He reminded delegates that this year's strengthening El Niño could be among the strongest since at least 1950, while the world is on its way to hotting up by 2.8°C above pre-industrial levels under current climate policies, far beyond the Paris Agreement 's goals.
"Behind these figures are families uprooted, children's missing, school women walking farther for water, and communities confronting losses they cannot bear," the assembly president added.
The task ahead for world leaders at the upcoming climate conference COP31 is to then turn commitments into action - and promises into trust, he said.
"COP31 must be more than another negotiating milestone. It must demonstrate that multilateralism delivers."
From promises, to investment
Türkiye, which will host the conference from 9 to 20 November, outlined plans to accelerate clean energy, reduce methane emissions and strengthen climate resilience.
Among the key initiatives for this COP is the Climate Implementation Bridge, developed with the UN Development Programme ( UNDP ), which aims to transform national climate commitments into investment-ready projects and connect them with financing.
"The issue is not simply the overall volume of finance. It is also whether finance is available, accessible, affordable and predictable," Türkiye's Ambassador to the UN, Ahmet Yıldız said.
For Pacific island nations, the need for action is already immediate.
Rising seas and extreme weather are threatening homes, livelihoods and infrastructure, a reality highlighted by Australia, which is leading the COP31 negotiations under an unprecedented arrangement that sees two countries thousands of miles apart, sharing responsibilities for the climate summit.
"By listening to our most vulnerable communities, partnering with those in need, and accelerating the implementation of practical initiatives, I believe we can restore trust through climate action," Australian Ambassador James Larsen said.
Mr Larsen called for more accessible climate financing and stronger adaptation plans grounded in science and local needs.
Difficult negotiations ahead
Brazil, which hosted COP30 last year, identified three priorities for Antalya:
- Making the new just transition mechanism operational,
- improving how countries measure progress on adaptation
- expanding climate investment in developing countries struggling with debt
"In a world of States with severe fiscal constraints and high indebtedness, the [finance] talks need to lead to viable solutions for expanding fiscal space for climate investment," Ambassador Sérgio França Danese representative urged.
The question of who pays, and who benefits, also runs through Ethiopia's concerns, which will host COP32.
Africa contributes only around three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma Sabo reminded delegates, yet faces some of the most severe consequences of climate change.
"Delayed action carries a compounding cost for developing countries. The pace of action matters because the gap between current plans and what the science requires remains significant.
Financing and access to technology are increasingly determining who benefits from the transition and who is left behind," he warned.
World leaders are expected to gather for a special summit in Antalya on 11 and 12 November, with negotiations set to test whether climate commitments can translate into meaningful change for communities most at risk.
But for Mr. Rahman, the measure of success will be found far beyond the negotiating rooms.
"Let COP31 be judged not by promises we repeat, but by the people we protect. That is how we restore trust."
