ACHIEVE at COP31: High Integrity Climate Action for Climate, Nature & People
ACHIEVE is taking part in an official COP31 Türkiye side event on Wednesday 11 November 2026. The event brings together researchers and practitioners from Africa, Latin America, Europe and Türkiye to discuss how climate action can deliver real benefits for both nature and people.
About the event
High integrity climate action should benefit nature and people, respond to local priorities and accelerate low carbon, sustainable transformations. Drawing on experience from Africa, Latin America and Türkiye, the session looks at how local action contributes to the Global Climate Action Agenda, and at the growing leadership of the Global South in shaping climate solutions.
What will be discussed
The session links concrete experiences on the ground with global climate governance:
- From commitments to cooperative action: Professor Sander Chan (Radboud University), co-host of the event, will discuss accountability, justice and environmental integrity in cooperative climate action. He will draw on the CoAct work carried out within ACHIEVE and its relevance to the Global Climate Action Agenda.
- Transboundary implementation: Fidele Ruzigandekwe (Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration) will show how nature based climate action connects policy and practice for ecosystem resilience and livelihoods in the Greater Virunga Landscape.
- Governance for landscape transformation: CATIE will present Central American experiences of participatory governance involving many actors, built around local priorities.
- Local evidence and scaling action: Joanes Atela (Africa Research and Impact Network) will share insights from Lake Victoria on locally led nature based solutions, jointly developed indicators, institutional capacity and climate finance.
- Mountain and community perspectives: Instituto Andino de Montaña will bring experiences from mountain regions that connect climate action, ecosystem protection and community priorities.
- Cooperation across the Rio Conventions: IDOS will discuss how better coordination across the climate, biodiversity and desertification processes can strengthen implementation.
- Implementation in Türkiye: A local perspective on implementation opportunities, governance challenges and capacity needs.
After the presentations there will be a moderated synthesis and an open Q&A with the audience. The discussion will focus on how local evidence can inform global ambition, which capacities are needed, and how benefits for nature and people can be demonstrated. The event closes with each speaker naming one practical next step to strengthen the impact and integrity of climate action.
Organisers
The event is co-hosted by Professor Idil Boran (York University) and Professor Sander Chan (Radboud University). Partner organisations are York University, the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC), Instituto Andino de Montaña (IDM) and Radboud University. Also participating are CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) and the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN).
Practical information
Date: Wednesday 11 November 2026
Time: 15:00 to 16:30 (Türkiye time, UTC+3)
Venue: Side Event Room 2, Dalyan, COP31
Full side events programme: UNFCCC COP31 side events