UN chief urges climate justice and greater support for vulnerable countries

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called for urgent climate action, increased financial support for developing countries and stronger international cooperation, warning that the climate crisis is advancing faster than efforts to contain it. Addressing the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya, Türkiye, Guterres said global emissions reached record levels in 2025 and that the last four years were the hottest on record.

He warned that the world would inevitably exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature threshold set by the Paris Agreement, but said it could still limit the scale and duration of the overshoot. His remarks come as Nepal and other climate-vulnerable countries seek greater international recognition of the threats facing mountain regions, including accelerated glacier melt, permafrost degradation and climate-induced disasters.

At COP31, Nepal, alongside Kyrgyzstan and other mountain countries, has been pressing for a separate Himalayan agenda, arguing that mountain ecosystems and communities need greater recognition in global climate negotiations.