What happened
The COP31 climate summit has opened at the COP31 venue in Antalya, bringing together 196 countries and the European Union that are parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Murat Kurum, COP31 President and Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, chaired two sessions on the conference’s opening-day theme of food, agriculture and health.
The first was a high-level roundtable on health in the global climate agenda, coordinated by the Ministry of Health and attended by health ministers from participating countries. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UN climate chief Simon Stiell and Brazil’s health minister Alexandre Rocha Santos Padilha also spoke.
Kurum said climate-resilient health systems should combine risk forecasting, continuity of services and lower-carbon transformation. He identified three priorities: linking early warnings to local health responses; strengthening the energy, water, cooling and supply-chain security of health facilities; and improving climate knowledge among health workers alongside community-based preventive services.
He later co-chaired a high-level dialogue for young farmers with Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı. The meeting, organised with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, included agriculture ministers, FAO representatives and young climate representatives.
Why it matters
The discussions place food security, agricultural resilience and public health within the COP31 action agenda. For farmers, the issues identified include changing rainfall patterns, more difficult access to water and less predictable planting and harvest periods.
Kurum said practical support for young farmers needs to address barriers to land, affordable credit and market access. He also highlighted tools such as soil-moisture monitoring, timely early-warning information, agricultural insurance and finance designed around agricultural investment and income cycles.
For health authorities and investors, the proposed approach points to spending on resilient facilities, secure utilities and supply chains, early-warning systems and workforce capability. Kurum said the effects of health-related climate investment should be assessed through outcomes including fewer service interruptions, access for at-risk populations and avoided health damage.
What's next
COP31 is scheduled to run for 12 days. The Presidency said it would support partnerships that turn dialogue on health and young farmers into measurable, practical cooperation.
