UNEP FI will engage policymakers, financial institutions and partners at COP31 on the critical role of finance in accelerating climate action, supporting implementation of the Paris Agreement and mobilizing investment towards a resilient, low-carbon and sustainable future.

COP31 will take place from 9–20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, with Australia acting as the President of Negotiations. COP31 will bring together heads of state, ministers, negotiators, businesses, financial institutions, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to advance global climate action.

As an official observer organization to the UNFCCC process, UNEP FI will participate in COP31 discussions and events, contributing expertise on climate finance, adaptation, resilience, sustainable finance policy and the role of financial institutions in advancing climate goals.

We want to hear about our members’ activities at COP31. If your institution will be attending, please share the details with us through this brief form, so we can keep you informed of UNEP FI events and invite-only opportunities.

 

Key events at COP31

10 November | 11:30–12:15 (UTC+03:00) | From ambition to resilience: Mobilizing finance for transition at scale
Location: Climate Finance Hub, Green Zone 

Financing the transition requires substantial investment in industries, energy systems and infrastructure. Yet many companies, particularly in emerging markets, face difficulties turning their transition ambitions into bankable projects. Investment risks, policy uncertainty and limited access to suitable funding can slow progress. This session will bring together leaders from commercial banking, international development finance and UNEP FI to discuss what it takes to close this gap.

 

11 November | 10:00–11:00 (UTC+03:00) | Financing a climate-resilient ASEAN: Advancing adaptation finance with mARs
Location: Singapore Pavilion, Blue Zone

The ASEAN Taxonomy provides a common language for addressing pressing environmental objectives, including climate change adaptation. Complementing the Taxonomy, the mitigation co-benefit and Adaptation for Resilience (mARs) Guide offers practical guidance on identifying climate hazards, resilience themes, and adaptation technologies and solutions in the ASEAN context. This panel will explore actionable opportunities for stakeholders to strengthen coordination, address financing gaps, and catalyze greater action and collaboration towards scaling adaptation finance across ASEAN.

 

11 November | 10:30–12:00 (UTC+03:00) | Climate High Level Champions Roundtable
Location: Special Event Room 2

Participants explore how finance, technology and capacity-building can accelerate implementation across the Global Climate Action Agenda. The discussion will highlight progress, remaining gaps and emerging solutions under Axis 6 – Unleashing Enablers and Accelerators – and identify key success factors for advancing climate action.  

 

11 November | 15:30–16:45 (UTC+03:00) | Scaling finance for the electrification and efficiency of buildings
Location: Buildings and Cooling Pavilion, Blue Zone

This session explores how the business case for retrofit can be strengthened and how innovative financing models can mobilize private capital across residential and commercial buildings. Bringing together finance, real estate, technology and policy perspectives, speakers examine a range of existing solutions alongside the policy and market conditions needed to turn individual projects into scalable, investable markets.

 

12 November | 08:30–10:00 (UTC+03:00) | COP31 Negotiation briefing: Bringing banks, insurers and investors together
Location: Royal Seginus Hotel, Kemerağzı, YaşarSobutay Bulvarı No:70, 07112 Aksu/Antalya, Türkiye

Hosted by UNEP FI and PRI with support of World Climate Foundation, this briefing provides signatories of the Principles of Responsible Banking (PRB), Principles of Sustainable Insurance (PSI), Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI), Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA) and Net-Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance (NZECA)with insights into key COP31 negotiation developments, priorities and implications for the financial sector. Attendance to the session, targeted at UNEP FI members, is by invitation only. 

Registration is available in our members area.

 

12 November | 10:00–12:30 (UTC+02:00) | Scaling private capital for a resilient future: the role of country-led blended finance platforms and financial sector leadership
Location: Royal Seginus Hotel, Kemerağzı, Yaşar Sobutay Bulvarı No:70, 07112 Aksu/Antalya, Türkiye

This UNEP FI-hosted roundtable will bring together investors, insurers, banks, multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, regulators and public authorities, in support of COP31 priorities on mobilizing climate finance at scale and accelerating adaptation and resilience.

 

12 November | 15:00–16:15 (UTC+03:00) | Financing what matters most: Delivering national climate priorities through transformational finance
Location: Side Event Room 8 Bergama, Blue Zone

Mobilizing transformational finance: The Transformational Finance for Climate Group, of which UNEP FI is a member, will launch its COP31 position paper, bringing together governments and public and private financial institutions to address investment barriers and capital mobilisation.

Register your interest here.

 

12 November | 16:45–18:15 (UTC+03:00) | Collective action for circularity: Enabling business action across high-impact sectors and supply chains
Location: Side Event Room 5 – HATTUŞA, Blue Zone

Eric Usher will speak at this discussion connecting business implementation experience with complementary perspectives on life-cycle approaches, industrial policy, implementation of NDCs, high-impact sectors and support to developing countries, with a view to identifying priority areas for collective action.

 

13 November | Thematic Day 5: Finance and Trade

Day 5 of COP31 is dedicated to the green transformation, climate investment, green finance, value chains, and carbon markets. UNEP FI will contribute to discussions and events throughout the day, highlighting the role of the financial sector in accelerating the transition to a sustainable, climate-resilient economy. 

See the full schedule here. 

 

13 November | 11:05–11:50 (UTC+03:00) | The circular economy as a climate solution
Location: Lilyum Pavilion, Green Zone

This panel will explore the role of finance in advancing circular economy solutions that support zero waste, clean air and food security. Türkiye Vakıfbank will moderate the discussion with UNEP FI and fellow participants including the Turkey Zero Waste Foundation, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the EIB’s Joint Initiative on the Circular Economy (JICE).

 

13 November | 11:30–12:15 (UTC+03:00) | Making climate resilience financeable: Unlocking adaptation finance through better information flows
Location: UNIDO Pavilion, Blue Zone

Access to high-quality information on climate-related risks, impacts, adaptation needs, and the financial and impact benefits of adaptation opportunities, is essential to mobilizing finance for climate resilience. The discussion will draw on UNEP FI’s white paper on climate adaptation data and information flows, which examines how better information can help overcome barriers to financing adaptation.

 

13 November | 12:30–13:30 (UTC+03:00) | From development to implementation: Tracking progress and supporting taxonomy use
Location: Special Event Room 6 (Amphitheatre)

The event will examine how jurisdictions are progressing across different stages of taxonomy development, implementation and market uptake, and which tools can support this transition.

 

13 November | 13:00–14:30 (UTC+03:00) | Transformational finance – from ambition to delivery
Location: IDCF Pavilion

This event will discuss the latest developments regarding the characterization of transformational finance for climate, including its robustness and usability. It will also capitalize on existing practice in countries and within financial institutions, and identify what can be learned from different concrete examples.

 

13 November | 14:30–15:30 (UTC+03:00) | COP31 Report Launch – Task Force on Net Zero Policy
Location: to be confirmed  

 

13 November | 17:00–17:45 (UTC+03:00) | Water as financial risk: integrating physical water risk into credit decisions
Location: BBVA Pavilion, Green Zone

This roundtable session explores how water-related physical risks – including droughts, floods, and water scarcity – can impact corporate operations and assets, lead to financial losses and influence credit risk assessment and lending decisions. Bringing together supervisory authorities, physical risk analysts and representatives from the corporate, insurance, and financial sector, the discussion will examine how financial institutions can better integrate water-related risks into credit decision-making.  

 

13–14 November | Global Sustainable Insurance Summit
Location: Insurance House

Jointly convened by UNEP FI and the Insurance Association of Türkiye, the Global Sustainable Insurance Summit will take place from 13–14 November. Centered on climate resilience, the summit will examine how the insurance industry can actively catalyze resilience across multiple levels of the economy.

Find out more and register here.

 

14 November | 10:15–11:15 (UTC+03:00) | Plans to accelerate the implementation of financial institution transition plans
Location: Brazilian Pavilion – Global Mutirão Auditorium, Blue Zone

UNEP FI and members of the Climate High Level Champions coalition on the Plan to Accelerate Creation and Adoption of Transition Plans by Financial Institutions will convene the leading organizations behind the development of transition plan guidance for financial institutions. The discussion will focus on three prioritites: harmonizing approaches to transition planning; aligning financial institutions’ transition plans with national climate targets and public sector goals; and developing practical, scalable transition finance mechanisms for key sectors.

For more information, please contact Orestis Velentzas and Tessa Oceane Mbaguta.

 

14 November | 11:00–11:45 (UTC+03:00) | Better jobs in a changing climate – from worker protection to workforce resilience
Location: BBVA Pavillion, Green Zone

A just transition is also about making existing jobs safer and more resilient. UNEP FI is speaking on this panel that looks at how extreme heat and other climate hazards are changing work, what a climate-resilient job looks like, and how finance can help companies treat workforce adaptation as an investment rather than a cost.

 

14 November | 16:00–17:00 (UTC+03:00) | From innovation to scale: Building the market for climate adaptation
Location: UNIDO Pavilion

Over the past two years, UNIDO has led a series of communities of practice with GARI, Climate-KIC and UNEP FI to explore how to drive innovation, catalyze investment in resilience, measure impact, stream information flows, and boost the growth of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). In this concluding, event, participants will come together to explore how to unlock barriers to scaling adaptation finance.

 

14 November | 18:30–20:00 (UTC+03:00) | From ambition to implementation: Accelerating private investments in the climate transition
Location: Side Event Room Yellow, Blue Zone

Investors play a key role in financing investable solutions for the energy transition and climate resilience. As global efforts turn to implementation, this event explores how public-private collaboration and consistent policy frameworks can lead to investable opportunities. UNEP FI will be participating in this event as a speaker.

 

Additional events will continue to be added. Please check back soon.

 

FAQs for COP31