What happened
Türkiye promoted its intended hosting and presidency of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 31st Conference of the Parties, COP31, during the 81st UN General Assembly week in New York.
The Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Ministry coordinated a programme of outdoor advertising, installations and exhibition spaces. COP31 banners were displayed on the Turkish House, while LED-screen vehicles carrying COP31 material travelled in Times Square, on the route to the UN and elsewhere in New York during the week.
At the Turkish House, the COP31 programme extended across three floors. Its exhibits used interactive, sound, mapping and immersive formats to address climate-related issues. These included an artificial-intelligence visitor experience featuring Caretta, identified by the ministry as Türkiye’s COP31 mascot, and an interactive photography area using imagery developed from the Turkish art of marbling.
A mapped 3D model presented the broad layout and visitor experience of the planned conference area in Antalya. Other elements covered the COP31 action agenda, climate pressures on marine ecosystems, the effects of climate change on soils and agriculture, greenhouse-gas emissions and global warming. A final display presented Türkiye’s work on climate change.
Why it matters
The activity gave Türkiye a visible COP31 presence during a week when diplomats and international representatives were in New York for the General Assembly. It also set out the themes that the ministry is associating with the conference process, including climate impacts, emissions and an action agenda.
For organisations tracking COP31, the Antalya model is a concrete indication that venue planning was included in the New York programme. However, the ministry’s published material did not specify COP31 dates. Readers should distinguish the promotional programme from further information on the conference timetable and arrangements.
Exhibitions at two New York venues
The Turkish House exhibition included works and installations by artists named by the ministry, including a sound and mapping work by Mehmet Ünal and an installation by Gökhan Doğan focused on ancestral seeds. The ministry said these exhibits linked climate change to ocean ecosystems, agriculture and soil.
Separately, Glasshouse hosted an exhibition on Türkiye’s climate vision, current work and action agenda. The display included İlhami Atalay’s Kuşların Dönüşü – Tavaf and Ekrem Şahin’s photographic series Suyun Sesi, which approached climate change through water.
What to watch
The ministry said the branded vehicles would continue circulating in New York for the duration of General Assembly week. Its announcement did not provide further details on COP31 scheduling.
