President Denis Sassou N'Guesso at the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31)

While in Antalya for the 31st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP31), His Excellency Denis Sassou N'Guesso, President of the Republic of the Congo, addressed the international community on November 11, 2026, calling for a shift from commitments to concrete action on climate change :

Mr. President of COP31;

Distinguished participants;

Ladies and gentlemen;

I would like to express my deep gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the government, and the friendly people of the Republic of Türkiye for the warm welcome extended to my delegation and to me.

This Conference of the Parties must mark the transition from ambition to action, translating into concrete results the commitments made—and not fulfilled—since the Paris Agreement in 2015.

The Republic of the Congo, which intends to play its full part in this collective effort, has celebrated National Tree Day every year for more than 40 years, because protecting the forest means preserving our common future.

Strengthened by this deep conviction, I call on all United Nations Member States to fully embrace the United Nations Decade on Afforestation and Reforestation, within the framework of sustainable forest management, for the period 2027–2036.

I urge countries to join this effort, because every tree planted and every ecosystem restored represents an investment in our future. It is with this in mind that I chair the Congo Basin Climate Commission.

Its financial instrument, the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin, aims to foster a sustainable economy based on the sustainable use of forest, water, and aquatic resources and the development of renewable energy.

The Republic of the Congo will continue to fulfill its commitments through its Nationally Determined Contribution, balancing emissions reduction, adaptation to climate change, and food security, to preserve our planet for future generations.

Thank you.