UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Stiell Urges Parties to Tackle Tough Climate Issues as COP31 Enters Second Week

Chiemelie Eze in Antalya, Turkiye

The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Simon Stiell, has urged countries participating in the ongoing COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, to accelerate negotiations and avoid tactical delays as the talks enter their second week.

Stiell made the appeal at a press conference where he assessed progress at the halfway point of the conference, noting that nearly 200 countries were working through 165 mandates in what he described as one of the largest COPs ever held.

He acknowledged the complexities of the negotiations, stressing that reaching agreements among countries with different interests and positions required compromise from all parties.

“We have reached the midpoint of a dynamic COP. One of the largest COPs ever. Nearly 200 countries are working through 165 mandates. Each country has a view. Every country has a voice,” he said.

“Getting agreement on every word, every sentence, is tough but vital work. There is no collective success without compromise from every Party.”

As negotiations move into the second week, Stiell urged delegates to focus on the most difficult outstanding issues rather than resorting to delaying tactics.

“As we head into the second week, I urge Parties to move swiftly to the hardest issues and to avoid tactical delays,” he said.

Beyond the negotiations, the UN climate chief highlighted the importance of making climate action more relevant to people’s everyday experiences, arguing that the global climate movement must do more to engage billions of people outside traditional climate discussions.

He pointed to UN Climate Change’s Sports for Climate Action and Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action initiatives as platforms for connecting climate awareness with activities and interests that resonate with the public.

According to him, climate advocates must communicate the effects of climate change and available solutions in ways that relate directly to people’s needs, including healthcare, employment and access to affordable and reliable energy.

“We can only win this global climate fight if we – in the climate community – get better at enlisting billions of people. To do that, we need to meet people where they are at, in their everyday lives,” Stiell said.

“We need to get better at connecting climate impacts and solutions to the things people need – like better health, good jobs, and affordable secure energy – and with the things they love, like sports.”

He also emphasised the influence of entertainment and creative industries in shaping public understanding and encouraging climate action.

Stiell said films, music, television and art could help people understand the realities of climate change, while making solutions and collective action more imaginable.

“And we need to get better at reaching people in the spaces where they hear and tell their stories. Films, music, television and art help us understand who we are, where we belong and what we believe is possible. They can make loss real. They can also make action imaginable. Climate action needs imagination,” he added.

Other speakers at the event included Telemundo’s Vanessa Hauc, who discussed how the broadcaster brought climate issues to millions of viewers during this summer’s World Cup.

Hauc explained how hydration breaks during matches were used as opportunities to explain climate-related challenges, what was happening and why the issues mattered to audiences.

Also speaking was Tamseel Hussain, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PLUC, who highlighted efforts to empower a new generation of content creators to tell climate stories rooted in people’s everyday experiences.