Following unanimous approval at the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) for the Mediterranean Action Plan, Türkiye is set to establish the "Climate Change Regional Activity Center." The nation has proposed locating the center in the bustling metropolis of Istanbul to spearhead efforts to prevent marine pollution.

The Climate Change Regional Action Center will be operated under the U.N. umbrella. It will carry out national and regional projects on reducing the effects of climate change in the Mediterranean and ensuring regional adaptation to climate change.

The idea of ​​establishing it was first brought to the agenda at the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the Barcelona Convention, which was held in Antalya in 2021, with the attendance of first lady Emine Erdoğan.

Then, the Mediterranean Climate Change Research Center (AIDAM) in Ankara University National Research Center on Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) was made a component of the U.N. Environment Program Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and "Climate Change" Regional Activity Center."

An offer was made to gain the status at the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the Barcelona Convention held this year in Slovenia. The meeting was held by the Turkish delegation represented under the chairmanship of Fatma Varank, deputy minister of environment, urbanization and climate change. As a result of the negotiations and diplomatic initiatives carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision to establish the center was accepted unanimously.

The center, which will be established in Istanbul, will complete its establishment processes within two years and will be completed in December 2025. It will be opened after the 24th Conference of the Parties to the Barcelona Convention.

The center will carry out national and regional projects by benefiting from U.N. and EU funds to reduce the effects of climate change on the Mediterranean region and ensure regional adaptation to climate change.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), DEHUKAM President Mustafa Başkara said that the Barcelona Convention is an agreement against marine pollution within the scope of regional seas, within the framework of the U.N. Environment Program Mediterranean Action Plan for the protection of the Mediterranean against pollution.

Başkara described this agreement, to which all coastal states in the Mediterranean region and the EU are parties, as more effective and functional compared to other regional marine protection agreements in the world and said, "Türkiye has an important position here because it is the only country in the world that is subject to two different marine protection agreements at the same time and being a party to both the Barcelona Convention in the Mediterranean and the Bucharest Convention in the Black Sea and being able to manage the diplomatic processes of these two, puts Türkiye in a unique position."

Başkara emphasized that the Mediterranean is much more affected by climate change than other seas in the world and that Türkiye is one of the countries that experience the effects of climate change the most and most effectively in its geography. He evaluated that establishing the Climate Change Regional Activity Center will be a role model for other studies in the world in terms of the many initiatives and studies carried out in this field to produce added value internationally.

Başkara stated that the center will cooperate with other regional activity centers over two years. He said that by being subjected to a joint analysis study, a structure will be created to benefit from U.N. funds equally and fairly.

"The share of the fight against climate change in the Barcelona Convention budget is limited to 4%. The center will support research on prevention, mitigation and adaptation of the effects of climate change in the Mediterranean. It will encourage and coordinate more regional studies so that the Mediterranean receives the value it deserves and will enable more studies to be carried out by finding new project ideas," he explained.

Baskara noted that the project would be coordinated to serve the whole world under the umbrella of the U.N. and with its support.

"We attach importance to the independence and impartiality of the center," he emphasized.

Combating climate change is not an issue that countries can achieve results from today to tomorrow. At this point, we are committed to operating to make significant contributions to this struggle.

Explaining that there are six separate regional activity centers, Başkara pointed out that the center to be established in Türkiye will be different from the others in terms of inclusiveness.

"Each of these centers will be individually focused on marine litter, biodiversity, works for maritime field planning, as well as collection and coordination of information. Unlike these, the center we established is in a position to approach the issue from a more comprehensive framework, addressing the entire Barcelona Convention and its annexes," Başkara said.