Turkey calls on the international community to move from declarations to real action in climate policy

Turkey insists on the need to transition from declarations to practical fulfillment of climate commitments.

As Report informs, this was stated by the Director of the Turkish Development and Investment Bank (ILBANK) Şevket Altuğ Taşdemir during the panel discussion "From Global Housing Finance to Local Actions on Affordable Housing: Leveraging Global Development Finance and Subnational Financing" within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.

"It is time for the international community to stop being content with statements and move toward practical steps in the field of urban climate resilience. Building affordable and resilient housing is inconceivable without quality urban infrastructure — water supply systems, waste management, and stormwater drainage," Ş. Taşdemir noted.

He believes that Turkey's experience of recovery after the devastating earthquake of 2023 will serve as a foundation for developing international partnerships.

"Turkey has allocated over 50 billion US dollars for housing recovery after the catastrophic earthquake of 2023, which damaged 11 cities. Government agencies have already constructed approximately 500,000 residential buildings, with the work being guided by the principle of 'building back better,'" the bank's director said.

Ş. Taşdemir drew attention to the fact that the main lesson learned was not a shortage of financial resources, but rather limited capacity in project preparation and implementation.

"ILBANK plans to leverage this experience to establish practical international cooperation in the field of climate-resilient urban development," he added.