Enabel at COP31: turning climate ambition into action

As world leaders, climate experts, businesses and civil society gather in Antalya, Türkiye, COP31 is putting a central question in the spotlight: how can countries turn climate commitments into concrete action, and mobilise the finance needed to make that happen?

For Enabel, Belgium’s agency for international cooperation, this focus echoes a challenge encountered every day in Belgium and its partner countries: from developing renewable energy and greener industries to strengthening climate resilience, ambitious plans need to be backed by adequate financing, investment and strong partnerships.

At COP31, Enabel will bring these experiences into the international debate, while strengthening partnerships with governments, climate funds, international organisations and private-sector actors.

“The challenge today is not only to raise climate ambition, but to turn it into tangible change. Our partner countries have clear priorities and strong ambitions. What is needed now are partnerships, expertise and financing that can help bring these priorities to life. Enabel’s role is precisely to help connect policy, investment and implementation, so that the climate transition creates opportunities for people and economies alike.” Jean Van Wetter, CEO of Enabel

 
Connecting climate action with finance

One of the central questions at COP31 is how countries can effectively deliver on their Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, the national climate plans at the heart of the Paris Agreement.

Financing will be a crucial part of the implementation challenge. Mobilising international climate finance, building bankable projects and combining public and private resources are essential to transform national climate priorities into results. Carbon markets, including mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, can also contribute to mobilising additional resources.

These questions will take centre stage on 16 November at the side event “Belgium and Senegal Partnering for Climate Ambition: From NDC Development to Implementation”, co-organised by Enabel, Senegalese partners, the Embassy of Belgium in Dakar and UNDP. The discussion will look at NDC implementation in Senegal, including carbon-market mechanisms and operational partnerships.

The event illustrates a broader priority for Enabel: ensuring that climate plans are linked to the institutions, partnerships and financial mechanisms needed to implement them.
 

Accelerating green industrialisation

Another major theme at COP31 will be the transition towards low-carbon economies and industries. This is particularly relevant for Africa, where the transition offers an opportunity to pursue climate objectives while expanding energy access, strengthening industries, creating jobs and developing new value chains.

On 11 November, Enabel is co-organising the EU–Africa High-Level Ministerial Meeting “Powering Africa’s Green Industrialization”, together with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the Africa-Europe Foundation and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The high-level discussion will focus on renewable electrification as a driver of green industrialisation in Africa.

Enabel will also participate in exchanges on clean cooking, electrification, sustainable technology and climate investment, reflecting another key message: the transition cannot be achieved through technology alone. It also requires skills, public policy, viable investment models and partnerships capable of taking solutions to scale.
 

Partnerships to move from ambition to action

COP31 is not only a space for international negotiations. It is also an opportunity to forge the partnerships needed to implement climate solutions in practice.

On 18 November, Enabel will co-sponsor a Belgian networking reception with the Embassy of Belgium in Türkiye and the Belgian Ministry of Environment, Health and Food Safety, bringing together partners around Belgian expertise and cooperation on climate action and sustainable development. Jean-Luc Crucke, Belgian Minister for Mobility, Climate and Ecological Transition, in charge of Sustainable Development will participate in the reception.

Across these engagements, Enabel will take one central message to COP31: climate ambition must now translate into implementation. That means connecting national climate priorities with financing, expertise and investment; supporting greener and more resilient economies; and building partnerships that turn international commitments into tangible results.

For Enabel, COP31 is an opportunity not only to contribute expertise, but also to listen, connect and build the partnerships needed to turn climate commitments into lasting results.