Governance Behind the Climate Question
Climate action in the Arab world is a governance question, not only a technical one. The success of climate finance, adaptation policies, and energy transition plans will depend on who sets the priorities, who controls the resources, who bears the costs, and who benefits. Without accountable institutions, meaningful civic participation, and a fair distribution of risks and opportunities, climate interventions risk reinforcing existing inequalities, excluding affected communities, and deepening regional fragility.
COP30 in Belém, Brazil, was marked by deeply entrenched divisions. The Arab group, one of the most internally diverse yet strategically consequential coalitions in the negotiations, carried the tensions between hydrocarbon economies, climate-vulnerable states, and conflict-affected countries into the room. The outcomes left a central question open: whether the coalition’s cohesion becomes a foundation for delivering on finance, adaptation, and just transition, or a limit on what its most vulnerable members can achieve.
As COP31 approaches in Antalya, Türkiye, ARI returns to these questions with a clear message: coherence at the negotiating table is not the same as adequacy for everyone affected.
Why ARI Is at COP31
Our presence in Antalya builds on three consecutive years of engagement in global climate negotiations and on our work with communities across the MENA region. We are at COP31 to:
- Connect the climate, conflict, and governance challenges facing Arab societies.
- Ensure that the priorities of local communities are not overshadowed by geopolitical agendas.
- Advocate for climate finance that reaches conflict-affected and fragile places.
- Follow up on the climate negotiations, in particular those involving the Arab Bloc.
- Strengthen and support the participation of youth, civil society, researchers, and frontline communities in climate decision-making.
Our Message Pillars at COP31
1. Climate and Conflict
Drought, water scarcity, and heat interact with fragility in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Gaza. Adaptation finance rarely reaches conflict-affected places, and we ask why.
2. Equitable Electrification and Energy Sovereignty
Electrification should not be measured only by additional renewable capacity or the number of new connections. The real test is whether people receive affordable, reliable, and clean energy. Across the Arab region, weak grids, rationing, conflict-related destruction, and unequal access are driving rapid but largely unregulated decentralised electrification. At COP31, ARI advocates for climate finance that supports accountable public grids and municipal and community energy systems.
3. Food sovereignty and security in the MENA
As the entire region traverses a food crisis and as millions are either facing famine or at risk of famine or malnutrition, there is an urgent need to rethink our food systems, make them more resilient and affordable, and to center the impact of climate change on food production and sovereignty.
4. Civic Space and Participation
Who speaks for Arab societies at COPs? We draw on lessons from previous COPs to push for broader representation, and we place particular emphasis on the role of youth in decision-making spaces.
Meet the ARI Team at COP31
Camille Mroue, Program Coordinator for Environmental Politics at the Arab Reform Initiative
Camille Mroue is Program Coordinator for Environmental Politics at the Arab Reform Initiative. He works on different topics, including the nexus of environment in the MENA, food sovereignty, and the just environmental transition.
Join Us at COP31
Whether you are:
- a journalist seeking grounded analysis,
- a researcher working on climate justice,
- a youth advocate from the region,
- or a partner organization interested in environmental governance,
ARI welcomes collaboration throughout COP31.
Contact: c.mroue@arab-reform.net
For Media Inquiry: s.dardari@arab-reform.net
Closing Statement
As negotiations unfold in Antalya, ARI stands with the communities whose struggles against environmental, political, and economic injustice shape the future of the region. Climate action that is not accountable, inclusive, and fairly distributed will not hold. We are at COP31 to make sure it does.