When COP31 opens in Antalya in just over 100 days, Türkiye will have an opportunity to focus attention on one of climate action’s greatest implementation blind spots: its failure to reach people living through conflict, fragility and the difficult transition to recovery.

Türkiye has framed COP31 as an "implementation COP," one focused on turning the commitments made under the Paris Agreement, signed back in 2015, into actions and ensuring that "no one is left behind."

Nowhere is the need for climate action greater than in fragile and conflict-affected countries. These places, including several in Türkiye’s backyard, such as Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen, consistently rank as among the world’s most climate-vulnerable. This is because conflict and weak institutions have eroded the infrastructure, services and social systems that people rely on to prepare for, and recover from, floods, droughts and heatwaves.

Yet these same conditions often deter investments. Climate funds and development partners frequently perceive fragile contexts as too "risky" to invest and work in, resulting in a widening gap between needs and support. In 2024, the world's most fragile countries received just 28% of the climate finance they estimate is needed to adapt to a changing climate.

Somalia is a case in point. The country currently receives just over $300 million a year in climate-related finance – around a quarter of the financing needs identified in the national climate plan. Meanwhile, between 2011 and 2023 it received an average of $1.1 billion a year in humanitarian assistance. Although these figures should not be compared directly, as climate finance does not necessarily align with the priorities identified in national climate plans, they illustrate a broader challenge: the international system remains far better equipped to respond to climate crises than to invest in reducing the risks that drive them. This reflects a costly system that continues to mobilize far more funding after climate shocks occur than before it.

But Somalia, like other countries, cannot afford to wait until its next devastating, climate-induced drought for support. Climate change is likely to have played a role in about half of the total 20,300 recorded human deaths associated with flooding or drought in Somalia between 2000 and 2021. Without greater investment in adaptation, climate-related losses and damages could reach $100 billion in losses and damages by 2050.

The same logic applies to countries emerging from conflict. As the Syrian government and partners rebuild after more than a decade of civil war, the decisions they take today on water systems, electricity networks and public infrastructure will shape resilience for decades to come. If climate risks such as water scarcity and rising temperatures are not considered now, reconstruction efforts could lock in vulnerabilities that undermine long-term stability.

In recent years, we have seen a welcome increase in political attention to this issue, with declarations signed in Dubai during COP28 and Baku during COP29, and the establishment of a new, vocal climate network led by fragile states in 2024. Yet adaptation finance remains chronically underfunded, while global climate finance flows are under increasing pressure. Momentum cannot be taken for granted.

This is not a distant issue for Türkiye. Several fragile and conflict-affected countries lie in or near its neighbourhood, while Türkiye hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations. Climate-resilient recovery in neighbouring countries can contribute to regional stability, support reconstruction efforts and reduce future humanitarian response pressures. It can also help create conditions that support safe, voluntary and dignified returns for displaced populations. COP31 therefore offers Türkiye an opportunity to connect its climate leadership with its broader priorities on recovery, development and regional cooperation.

COP31 offers Türkiye an opportunity to leave a practical legacy: making climate finance easier to access and deliver in fragile countries. This does not require another declaration or a new institution. It requires climate funds, development banks and donors to simplify application processes, accept greater risk, invest in local and government capacity, and coordinate their support around countries’ own priorities. Türkiye should use COP31 to secure concrete commitments on these changes and ensure they are followed through after the summit.

If Murat Kurum, the COP31 president and minister of Environment of Türkiye, wants COP31 to be remembered as an implementation COP, it must demonstrate that climate action can reach the places where the stakes are highest. Supporting fragile countries to adapt is not simply an act of solidarity: it is an investment in regional stability, economic resilience and shared prosperity. COP31 does not need another declaration that acknowledges the needs and suffering of these countries. Türkiye’s legacy should be to help turn years of promises into practical support.