Towards COP31: Building the Arab Civil Society Position on Climate Justice

The Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) is organizing a regional webinar, “Towards COP31: Building the Arab Civil Society Position on Climate Justice,” bringing together civil society representatives from across the Arab region to foster a shared understanding of how climate justice can be rethought in ways that are more grounded, coherent, and responsive to the region’s current realities.

The webinar comes ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which will be hosted by Türkiye in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026. COP31 will provide an important space for reviewing global climate action and advancing negotiations, while also offering opportunities for civil society engagement, advocacy, monitoring, and participation.

For Arab civil society, climate justice goes beyond the technical or environmental dimensions of climate change. It lies at the core of sustainable development, social justice, food and water security, access to resources, stability, and peace. While investing in sustainable and just energy transitions is essential, it is equally important to recognize historical responsibilities and unequal contributions to climate change.

Current global climate governance must also be understood within broader power asymmetries shaped by fossil fuel dependency, unequal financial structures, and geopolitical interests. At the same time, a regional context marked by war, energy volatility, economic pressures, shrinking civic space, and deepening inequalities is reshaping both climate challenges and policy responses across the Arab region.

Key Areas of Discussion

The discussion will contribute to identifying common priorities and messages that can inform a collective Arab civil society position ahead of COP31 and strengthen coordinated regional advocacy on climate justice within global climate negotiations.