COP31 President and Türkiye's Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum announced Friday that five new countries, including Lebanon and Zambia, had joined the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE), an initiative developed by the Turkish conference presidency to turn countries' climate commitments into finance-ready projects.
Speaking at the “Climate Implementation Bridge: From Commitment to Implementation” program in the Lycia Hall at the conference venue in Antalya, Kurum said the initiative was launched in September in New York with Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Chile, Mexico, Barbados, Zambia and Lebanon joined it today.
The video shows Minister Kurum speaking at the program.
Türkiye to provide financial support and sign UN letter of intent
“Leadership derives its meaning from taking responsibility first. As Türkiye, we will provide financial support for the initial work of the BRIDGE initiative, and the letter of intent we will sign with the United Nations Development Programme will give concrete expression to this commitment,” Kurum said, adding that a steering committee would be formed and continuity strengthened with the COP32 presidency.

According to the COP31 presidency, the initiative does not create a new financing mechanism. Instead, it works with the NDC Partnership, the United Nations Development Programme, multilateral development banks and climate funds to connect countries' priorities with financing sources. Kurum said disasters cost the global economy more than $2.3 trillion annually, and that every dollar invested in resilience could avert losses of up to $15.
Video and photos: Anadolu