Pakistan and Türkiye Forge Deeper Climate Partnership — Building Resilience Ahead of COP31

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Türkiye have pledged to significantly deepen their strategic cooperation on climate resilience, flood management, and water security ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which Türkiye will host in Antalya from November 9 to 20, 2026. The enhanced partnership marks a new chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries, both of which face growing climate-related challenges.

A Partnership Forged in Shared Vulnerability

The collaboration is rooted in shared experience. Pakistan, ranked among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts according to the Global Climate Risk Index, has suffered catastrophic flooding in recent years, including the devastating 2022 floods that submerged one-third of the country and affected 33 million people. Türkiye, meanwhile, has faced its own climate emergencies, including severe droughts, wildfires, and flash floods that have tested the country's disaster management infrastructure.

High-level discussions between the two nations have specifically addressed integrated flood and river basin management, reducing risks from glacial lake outburst floods and avalanches, developing multi-hazard early warning systems, combating desertification, and building climate-resilient infrastructure. These focus areas reflect the complementary expertise that each country brings to the partnership.

A Turkish technical delegation, facilitated by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), visited Pakistan in early May 2026 to advance these collaboration efforts. The delegation conducted field visits to flood-affected areas and held working sessions with Pakistani counterparts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Pakistan Meteorological Department, and provincial disaster management authorities.

COP31 — A Pivotal Conference for Climate Action

Türkiye's hosting of COP31 represents a significant moment for climate diplomacy. The conference is expected to be one of the most consequential climate summits since the Paris Agreement, as nations are required to submit updated and more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement's ratchet mechanism.

Türkiye has signaled that its top priority for the COP31 action agenda is the rapid reduction of waste-derived methane emissions. This focus on methane — a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period — reflects growing international consensus that rapid methane reduction is the most effective near-term strategy for slowing global warming.

Pakistan has expressed its full support for Türkiye's efforts to achieve a balanced and ambitious outcome at COP31. Both countries have committed to coordinating their positions on key negotiating issues, particularly on adaptation finance, loss and damage, and technology transfer. The partnership is especially significant given Pakistan's role as a leading voice for climate-vulnerable developing countries and Türkiye's position as a bridge between developed and developing nations.

Adaptation Finance — The Core Challenge

A central focus of the Pakistan-Türkiye climate partnership is the issue of adaptation finance. Developing countries have long argued that the international climate finance architecture is skewed toward mitigation projects, leaving vulnerable nations under-resourced for the adaptation measures they urgently need. Pakistan has been at the forefront of this advocacy, arguing that for countries already experiencing severe climate impacts, adaptation is not a choice but a necessity.

Both countries have called for the new collective quantified goal on climate finance — which is expected to be finalized at COP31 — to include significant and predictable allocations for adaptation. They have also emphasized the need for simplified access procedures that allow developing countries to access funds without the bureaucratic hurdles that have historically delayed climate finance disbursement.

The technical cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye extends to knowledge sharing on climate-resilient agricultural practices, water conservation technologies, and renewable energy deployment. Turkish expertise in integrated watershed management and early warning systems is proving particularly valuable for Pakistan, as is Pakistan's experience in community-based disaster risk reduction and post-flood recovery.

Water Security and Glacier Management

One of the most urgent areas of cooperation is glacier management and water security. Pakistan is home to more than 7,000 glaciers, the largest number outside the polar regions. These glaciers feed the Indus River system, which provides water for 90 percent of Pakistan's agriculture and is the lifeline for over 200 million people. However, rising temperatures are causing rapid glacial retreat, creating short-term risks of glacial lake outburst floods and long-term threats to water availability.

Türkiye, which also depends on glacier-fed water systems in its eastern regions, brings valuable expertise in glacier monitoring and early warning systems for glacial lake outburst floods. The two countries have agreed to establish a joint working group on glacier management and to exchange technical personnel for capacity building.

Desertification and land degradation are additional areas of joint concern. Both countries face significant challenges from land degradation, affecting agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. The partnership includes collaboration on sustainable land management practices, reforestation, and combating desertification through community-based approaches.

Conclusion

The deepening climate partnership between Pakistan and Türkiye represents a model of South-South cooperation that goes beyond diplomatic rhetoric. By combining Türkiye's technical expertise and regional influence with Pakistan's firsthand experience of climate vulnerability and its advocacy voice in international forums, the two countries are creating a partnership that is greater than the sum of its parts.

As the world prepares for COP31 in Antalya, the Pakistan-Türkiye climate partnership offers a glimpse of what meaningful international cooperation on climate change can look like — grounded in shared experience, focused on practical solutions, and committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable are not left behind. The success of this partnership will be measured not in memorandums of understanding, but in lives saved, communities protected, and ecosystems restored in both countries.