The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN) Turkey Members and Stakeholders Meeting was held online on 23 December 2025. The meeting, held between 10:30 and 12:30, was attended by Prof. Dr. Yaşar BÜLBÜL, Coordinator of the Sustainability Office, and Research Assistant Ayça ÇELİKBİLEK, representing our university. The meeting addressed the importance of COP31 for Turkey, the conference’s contribution to Turkey’s process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the potential for cross-sectoral cooperation, and the roadmaps that could be followed in this direction.
The programme commenced with opening remarks by Prof. Dr. M. Naci İNCİ, Rector of Boğaziçi University and Chairman of the SDSN Turkey Board of Directors. Later in the meeting, SDSN Turkey Director Dr Tamer ATABARUT focused on the role of universities, particularly in the process of Turkey hosting COP31, in his speech titled “Sustainability Agenda – Global Developments”. ATABARUT shared the responsibilities that stakeholders could undertake in this process and the expectations for UN SDSN members to be involved in the COP31 process.
Andrija ERAC, Head of the SDSN Networks Programme, assessed Turkey’s SDG progress scores in the last evaluation period. Emphasising that stakeholders in Turkey are carrying out important work, ERAC pointed out that a more accelerated and holistic working process is needed to achieve the targets set for 2030.
Seçil YILDIZ, Deputy General Manager of the Development and Investment Bank of Turkey, underlined in her speech the transformation that needs to take place in the economic system to achieve the 2030 targets. Referring to the importance of transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy model, YILDIZ stated that the amount of investment required on a global scale for sustainable transformation is 5-6 trillion dollars, and that the transition to a circular economy alone will contribute 4.5 trillion dollars to this process. In this context, YILDIZ emphasised the importance of investing in sustainable industries and the circular economy, noting that universities play a critical role in training skilled professionals in these areas.
Another speaker at the meeting, Prof. Dr. Halil HASAR, Head of the Climate Change Directorate at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, shared information on how Turkey’s candidacy process for COP31 is being conducted and the hosting process. HASAR stated that an intensive preparation process was underway and emphasised that universities had an important role to play in this process. He stated that efforts to broaden this impact were being expanded to include high school students. Referring to Turkey’s efforts in the field of climate change, HASAR stated that the vulnerability of the Mediterranean Basin to climate change is of great importance for Turkey and that COP31 presents a critical opportunity to discuss common solutions for this and similar vulnerable regions. HASAR stated that Turkey’s new sustainable city models, developed to increase climate resilience, play a pioneering role. He pointed out that our university stands out with its projects and applications, noting that certificate applications that increase energy efficiency in buildings, grey water systems that enable the treatment and reuse of wastewater, and solar panels are important steps.
