On 24 March, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union met with the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to the African Union, H.E. Berk Baran.
Discussions focused on the UN-AU partnership and Türkiye’s forthcoming presidency of COP31. SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyanga congratulated Türkiye on assuming this role and welcomed the selection of Antalya as the host city. He also emphasized the importance of a smooth transition between COP31 and COP32, particularly on shared priorities related to climate, peace and security, and reaffirmed UNOAU’s readiness, including through the Climate Security Mechanism, to support these efforts.
The Ambassador welcomed continued engagement with UNOAU and underscored the importance of strong continuity between the COP31 and COP32 presidencies. He also highlighted growing global attention to the links between climate change, water scarcity, energy insecurity and broader stability concerns.
The exchange further emphasized Africa’s strategic importance in global climate and development discussions, including its potential to contribute to food security and sustainable growth. The Ambassador reaffirmed Türkiye’s readiness to support Ethiopia in preparations for COP32 and expressed interest in exploring future cooperation with UNOAU on climate related initiatives.
