UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, has taken stock of progress at the halfway point of COP31, urging nearly 200 countries to move swiftly to the hardest issues and avoid tactical delays as negotiations enter the second week.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, November 14, Mr Stiell described COP31 as one of the largest COPs ever.
“We have reached the midpoint of a dynamic COP. One of the largest COPs ever… Nearly 200 countries are working through 165 mandates. Each country has a view. Every country has a voice. Getting agreement on every word, every sentence, is tough but vital work. There is no collective success without compromise from every Party,” he said.
“As we head into the second week, I urge Parties to move swiftly to the hardest issues and to avoid tactical delays,” he added.
Connecting climate to everyday life
Mr Stiell also stressed the need to connect climate impacts and solutions to billions of people’s everyday lives through UN Climate Change’s Sports for Climate Action and Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action initiatives.
“We can only win this global climate fight if we – in the climate community – get better at enlisting billions of people. To do that, we need to meet people where they are at, in their everyday lives,” he said.
“We need to get better at connecting climate impacts and solutions to the things people need – like better health, good jobs, and affordable secure energy – and with the things they love – like sports.
“And we need to get better at reaching people in the spaces where they hear and tell their stories. Films, music, television and art help us understand who we are, where we belong and what we believe is possible. They can make loss real. They can also make action imaginable. Climate action needs imagination,” he said.
Other speakers at the event included Telemundo’s Vanessa Hauc, who brought the climate story to millions watching this summer’s World Cup, using hydration breaks to explain what was happening and why it mattered.
The Founder and CEO of PLUC, Tamseel Hussain, who is helping a new generation of creators tell stories rooted in people’s lives, also spoke at the event.
COP31 is taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9–20 November 2026.
