Madar (International) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, 9 November 2026, urged leaders attending the COP31 UN climate conference to rise to the challenge, in a statement issued before the conference opened in Antalya, Turkey, according to AFP.
Guterres said the world had entered a new era of climate extremes, with an exceptional El Niño colliding with a planet already overheated by human-caused climate change.
He said leaders must cut emissions faster, accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuels and provide vulnerable countries with the finance and protection they need.
Mauritania's environment minister travelled to Antalya to take part in the conference.
