President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova addressed the Climate Change Summit (COP31) in Antalya today, reaffirming the Macedonian commitments to climate action and emphasizing the need for a just transition toward clean energy.
She noted that, through its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), the country has committed to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2035, with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
These ambitions are being translated into policies through the upcoming Law on Climate Action, the updated National Energy and Climate Plan and the Just Transition Roadmap – all aligned with the EU Reform Agenda and the National Development Strategy 2024-2044.
According to Siljanovska-Davkova, the energy transition must be just and affordable, ensuring that no additional burden is placed on families already affected by energy poverty and pollution. In this process, special attention must be given to women, children and young people.
The President pointed out that achieving climate goals requires predictable international financing, accessible capital, technology, capacity building and strong partnerships. According to Siljanovska-Davkova, for climate ambitions to become achievable, solidarity must be demonstrated through specific investments that will enable states to be prepared for action.
“Let us leave Antalya having turned ambition into implementation and solidarity into real investment. Our children deserve a safe, healthy world, and the chance not merely to survive, but to thrive”, the President said at the Leaders’ Summit.
Below is the full text of President Siljanovska-Davkova’s address:
Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me thank the Republic of Türkiye and President Erdoğan for hosting this climate summit.
Ten years after my country signed the Paris Agreement, we remain convinced that the climate crisis is not simply about managing emissions. It is about the world we leave behind. We are the first generation to fully understand the consequences of our choices, and perhaps the last with time to change course. Future generations will live with the consequences of our decisions.
So, we come to COP31 with a clear sense of responsibility. We are a small, landlocked country, in the wider Mediterranean region, one of the most exposed to climate change. Yet we are prepared to carry more than our own weight.
Guided by the conviction that climate is a common good of humanity, I have made climate action not only personal, but also political priority. This conviction led me to initiate a national dialogue across Macedonian society, bringing experts, policymakers and practitioners together to shape our climate agenda.
This collective commitment is partly reflected in our third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), which sets an ambitious target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2035, rising to 82 per cent with international financial support. This puts us on a credible path towards climate neutrality by 2050, that will become legally binding target.
We are turning ambition into policy through the upcoming Law on Climate Action, our updated National Energy and Climate Plan and the Just Transition Roadmap, aligned with the EU Reform Agenda and the National Development Strategy 2024–2044. These efforts are also an integral part of our European path, bringing our climate, energy and environmental policies closer to the highest European standards.
Yet we cannot protect the future at the expense of those struggling today. We must transition from coal to clean renewable energy without adding to the burdens of Macedonian families already facing energy poverty, inadequate heating and polluted air. Armed conflicts and a severe energy crisis make an already difficult transition even more challenging. It must be fair and affordable, with particular attention to women, children and young people. A transition that leaves people behind would defeat its very purpose.
For this reason, we support the 35 by 35 Global Electrification Pledge, the Antalya Compact for Energy Efficient Buildings, the Antalya Green Industrialisation Compact and the Rio Synergies.
However, my country cannot finance this transformation alone. The World Bank’s Country Climate and Development Report identifies investment needs of billions of dollars for decarbonisation and adaptation. Our ambition must be matched by predictable international financing, affordable capital, technology, capacity-building and strong partnerships. Solidarity must be measured not only in words, but in investment that enables countries ready to act. This is not a call to lower our ambition, but to make it achievable.
When the history of this decade is written, let it not be said that we saw the danger, understood the consequences, and yet lacked the courage to act. Let us leave Antalya having turned ambition into implementation and solidarity into real investment. Our children deserve a safe, healthy world, and the chance not merely to survive, but to thrive.
Thank you.
