COPs should not become a new starting point every time.

Operativ Media reports that Christian Mensah, senior advisor to the COP31 High-Level Climate Champions, said this during his speech at a high-level roundtable held as part of Baku Climate Action Week.

He said the main task of the High-Level Climate Champions is to connect climate ambitions with real action across all sectors of the economy, bringing governments together with businesses, investors, cities, regions, civil society, and other non-state actors.

“Our responsibility is not just to promote commitments. The key is to help create the necessary conditions for those commitments to turn into real action. For this, sustainability and the human factor must be at the center of the process,” Christian Mensah emphasized.

According to him, for political statements on climate to translate into real results, the impact of decisions on people's daily lives must be taken into account.

“We can make as many political statements as we want. But if they do not affect people's lives, no result has been achieved. A child in Sudan needs to know how decisions made in Antalya affect their farm, their ability to go to school, and their protection from floods,” he said.

Mensah noted that financing is also crucial for implementing climate action. He said governments must create an enabling environment and provide political direction, businesses must invest, cities must implement decisions, financial institutions must mobilize capital, innovators must develop new solutions, and civil society must contribute to making the process inclusive and accountable.

The senior advisor said the “Zero Waste” approach is also an important part of the climate agenda.

“Waste is not just an environmental issue. It is a matter of resource efficiency, economy, business, and society. A circular economy requires businesses to rethink their approach to productivity and consumption, cities to improve waste management systems, investors to fund new technologies and infrastructure, and citizens to participate in behavioral change,” Mensah added.

He also highly appreciated the work of Türkiye's First Lady Emine Erdogan in implementing the “Zero Waste” initiative in Türkiye.

Mensah said “Zero Waste” is not just about waste management: “It means creating systems where waste is prevented, the value of resources is preserved, and materials are kept in productive use for a long time.”

Christian Mensah also emphasized the importance of COPs not becoming a new starting point every time.

“The priorities, partnerships, and initiatives established during one presidency must be continued during the next. For us, the most important question regarding COP is not just what happens during the conference, but what continues after it. We must leave Antalya not only with political outcomes, but with partnerships that will function beyond the city of Antalya,” he said.

At the end of his speech, he addressed the youth, emphasizing the importance of future generations' role in the climate agenda:

“We are passing the baton to you. It may look like we are at the wheel, but we are not. We are passing the baton to you. Tomorrow, when I am in a wheelchair, I will ask you: what did you do with what you were given?”