UNDP chief at COP31: World instability demands action, not complaints

UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said in Antalya that COP31 differs from previous conferences by focusing on implementation. On the sidelines of the conference, he discussed the BRIDGE climate initiative with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Alexander De Croo said the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, differs from previous conferences: its main task is not to set goals, but to move from negotiations to implementation.

“We live in a more turbulent and less secure world than ever before. That is sad, but we cannot limit ourselves to complaining about it,” De Croo told Anadolu Agency. He said the focus should be on how to bring together all available resources and opportunities.

Uzbekistan and the “climate bridge”

On the sidelines of the conference, De Croo met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Following the meeting, the UNDP chief noted that Uzbekistan is advancing BRIDGE, an initiative designed to turn climate commitments into real investments on the ground, and said the programme was ready to support the country’s climate agenda and development.

The “Bridge for the Implementation of Climate Measures” (BRIDGE) was launched by the COP31 presidency in September together with Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Chile, Mexico, Barbados, Zambia and Lebanon joined it on Friday. De Croo said Türkiye and UNDP had created a joint support mechanism to help countries turn climate plans into concrete projects.

BRIDGE initiative participants meeting at COP31 in Antalya

The photograph shows BRIDGE countries and partners meeting at COP31 on November 12. De Croo thanked Türkiye for its leadership in advancing the initiative and noted that UNDP was contributing its expertise in sustainable finance.

The cost of inaction

In an interview with AFP, De Croo calculated that mitigating the effects of the current El Niño cycle would cost $36 billion if action was taken now, and $73 billion if it was delayed. He recalled that developing countries had still not recovered from the pandemic, which was followed by economic shocks caused by the war in Ukraine, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, El Niño and rising borrowing costs.

About one-third of UNDP’s current work is related to climate, ranging from political reforms to the construction of solar power plants, De Croo told Anadolu Agency. He urged the private sector to join projects at an early stage, saying that no country had achieved prosperity without a strong private sector.

The video shows De Croo meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Antalya. They discussed UNDP’s work in Ukraine’s energy sector: the programme launched the Energy Installation Facility to bring critical energy equipment into operation before winter and is bringing partners into the initiative.

Photo and video: UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo

UNDP chief at COP31: World instability demands action, not complaints