Mayor Aras at the pre-COP31 summit: Local governments must speak with a strong, unified voice
Ahmet Aras, Mayor of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and President of the Union of Coastal Municipalities, highlighted the responsibility of local governments in combating the climate crisis at the “Turkey Dialogues Summit Ahead of COP31,” held in Ankara. Muğla will host two international climate conferences in late September.
This article was translated automatically from Turkish. Türkçe orijinal ›
Ahead of COP31, which Turkey will host, the “Turkey Pre-COP31 Dialogues Summit,” organized by the International Environmental Communication Association (UÇİD) in Ankara, brought together public institutions, local governments, experts, and industry representatives. Speaking at the summit, Ahmet Aras, Mayor of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and President of the Union of Coastal Municipalities, highlighted the responsibility cities have assumed in the fight against the climate crisis.
'Local governments must speak with one voice'
Aras emphasized that local governments must speak with a strong, unified voice during this process of setting global climate priorities. The mayor outlined the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s efforts in the areas of renewable energy, water efficiency, waste management, marine and coastal protection, and climate-resilient urban policies.
Two international events in Muğla
Two major events will take place in Muğla ahead of COP31. At the Mediterranean Climate Summit, organized in collaboration with ICLEI Europe on September 28–29, cities from three continents bordering the Mediterranean will come together. The summit will conclude with the “Muğla Declaration for Climate-Resilient and Equitable Mediterranean Cities.”
On September 29–30, the United Nations Office in Turkey, in partnership with UCLG-MEWA and the Zero Waste Foundation, will host “Toward COP31: Policy Dialogue on Local Climate Action.” The program will address municipalities’ priorities and investment needs.
