Türkiye's preparations to host and chair the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, or COP31, are taking centre stage in New York this week as world leaders gather for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Posters promoting Türkiye's COP31 presidency and featuring President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been displayed on the Turkish House, or Turkevi, Türkiye's diplomatic complex in Manhattan, under the theme "The Future of the World is in Türkiye."
Promotional vehicles carrying COP31-themed digital displays have also been circulating through New York, including Times Square and routes connecting the area with the UN headquarters.
Türkiye is using the UN General Assembly week to showcase its preparations for the conference and promote its climate agenda ahead of the Antalya gathering in November.
Erdogan is scheduled to take part in a high-level climate meeting organised by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, where he will provide information about Türkiye's preparations to host COP31.
First Lady Emine Erdogan, who chairs the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, is also scheduled to participate in programmes related to Türkiye's climate and sustainability initiatives during the UN General Assembly week.
COP31 exhibition at Turkevi
Türkiye has prepared a series of exhibitions and interactive installations at Turkevi to introduce its COP31 preparations to international visitors.
The exhibition, titled "Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unheard: SCOPE as a Vision of the Future," will combine artificial intelligence, sound, mapping technologies, immersive displays, and art installations.
Visitors will encounter an interactive installation featuring Caretta, Türkiye's COP31 mascot, as well as a photography experience drawing on the traditional Turkish art of ebru.
Another section will feature a three-dimensional model of the COP31 venue in Antalya. A mapping presentation will be used to illustrate the layout and visitor experience planned for the conference site.
The exhibition will also present Türkiye's COP31 Action Agenda through digital displays.
Other installations will focus on the effects of climate change on oceans, agriculture, soil, and the global climate system. A final section, titled "LET'S COP – Türkiye's Climate Journey," will showcase Türkiye's climate-related work through a large LED wall.
A separate COP31 exhibition will be held at Glasshouse in New York, featuring four presentations focused on climate and nature.
The exhibition will present Türkiye's climate vision and Action Agenda before highlighting works by artists Ilhami Atalay and Ekrem Sahin.
Atalay's "Return of the Birds – Tawaf" will explore the collective movement of birds and the concept of gathering around a common center. Sahin's "Sound of Water" photography exhibition will examine climate change through water.
The programme will conclude with a live paper marbling (ebru) performance by artist Garip Ay.
Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, and COP31 President Murat Kurum is also holding a series of meetings in New York as Türkiye steps up preparations for the Antalya conference.
