Ahead of COP31, which will be hosted by Turkey in November, student climate ambassadors from universities gathered in Ankara. The two-day workshop, which was also attended by Merve Nur Elmas, a YTÜ Environmental Engineering student and Climate Ambassador, addressed international climate negotiations, preparations for COP31, climate literacy, and youth participation in decision-making processes.

Merve Nur Elmas, a Environmental Engineering student at Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ) and a YTÜ Climate Ambassador, participated in the “COP31 Climate Ambassadors Preparatory Workshop” held in Ankara on August 27–28, 2026.

Organized in collaboration between the Presidency for Climate Change and UNICEF Turkey, the workshop was designed to ensure the active participation of university student climate ambassadors in the COP31 process and to establish a roadmap for the thematic working groups.

At the workshop, preparations for the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held at the Antalya EXPO Center on November 9–20, 2026, were reviewed.

The COP31 roadmap was discussed

At the workshop’s opening session, Ömer Öztürk, Director of the Adaptation and Local Policies Department at the Climate Change Presidency, and UNICEF Turkey representatives addressed the participants. During the opening session, the role of climate ambassadors in COP31 preparations, the objectives of the thematic working groups, and the scope of the two-day program were shared.

During the “On the Road to COP31” session, which featured Ömer Öztürk, the proceedings of COP meetings, international climate negotiations, the Action Agenda, and key developments leading up to COP31 were discussed. Experts from the Climate Change Presidency also provided information on the priorities of the COP31 Presidency and the themes of the Action Agenda.

Climate ambassadors worked in thematic groups

As part of the program, university climate ambassadors gathered in thematic working groups to evaluate activities to be carried out leading up to COP31. The focus was on strengthening coordination within the groups, increasing youth participation in climate policies, and ensuring that the views expressed are incorporated into the COP31 process.

During the “Climate Literacy and Trainer Education” session, practical exercises were conducted to convey climate data to the public in an accurate and understandable manner. Peer-learning models were introduced to enable climate ambassadors to share the knowledge and experience they gained with other young people at their universities.

“The voices of young people must be reflected in decision-making processes”

Merve Nur Elmas, who participated in the workshop on behalf of YTÜ, emphasized that young people—who will experience the effects of the climate crisis for many years to come—must play an active role in decision-making processes. Elmas, an environmental engineering student at YTÜ, stated, “As one of the groups that will be most affected by the climate crisis, it is of great importance that young people’s voices are heard and that they have a role in decision-making processes.”