Turkey Announces Five Pilot Nations for COP31 Climate Bridge Initiative

Environment Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum chaired a UN Development Programme event in New York on Wednesday to launch the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE). The initiative aims to connect national climate targets with investment programmes and financial resources.

Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan were named as the first pilot countries for the mechanism. Kurum said many nations have climate strategies but struggle to translate them into bankable projects and match them with available funding.

“Many countries know what to do but face difficulties turning priorities into investable programmes and matching them with finance.”

COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago, COP32 President and Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos, Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Yalcin Rafiyev, and Australian Assistant Minister Kushla Munro attended the session. Kurum stressed that BRIDGE is not a new fund but a coordination platform.

The minister outlined a "Dialogue, Compromise, and Action" approach for the upcoming COP31 summit. He said the goal is to turn pledges into concrete investments that deliver results in people's lives and economies.