PUBLISHED ONNovember 12, 2026 9:00 AMBYSean LerMinister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu is making a nine-day visit to Turkey from Nov 13 to 21.
The Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said in a joint media statement on Thursday (Nov 12) that the minister will visit Istanbul and Mersin from Nov 13 to 14, before attending the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) at Antalya from Nov 15.
Fu, who is also Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, will use the Istanbul visit to meet with Turkish Minister of Trade Prof Dr Omer Bolat to advance bilateral economic cooperation.
She will also meet Singapore and Turkish business leaders to strengthen business linkages and deepen commercial partnerships, METI said.
The ministry added that Fu will also explore new opportunities for two-way trade and investment in both countries and their wider regions.
While in Mersin, the minister is scheduled to visit Mersin International Port — a key gateway to Turkey. Singapore-headquartered global terminal operator PSA International is a majority shareholder in the port.
Delegations from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Antalya for the 12-day COP31 conference, seeking to secure consensus on further steps to reduce emissions.
They are set to negotiate on areas including electrification, limiting the rise in global temperatures and climate finance.
At COP31, the sustainability and the environment minister will deliver Singapore's National Statement. She will also participate in ministerial roundtables on pre-2030 ambition and global climate action.
In her statement on behalf of Singapore at COP30, the minister had reaffirmed Singapore's commitment to work with the global community to progress towards climate goals.
Singapore was one of 13 countries that submitted their 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) before the Feb 10, 2025, deadline.
In its NDC, Singapore committed to reducing emissions to between 45 and 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2035.
This puts the country on track to reach net zero emissions by 2050, with the planned decline in emissions on a linear trajectory.
In her capacity as co-chair of the Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets, Fu will join fellow ministers at the coalition's ministerial roundtable to discuss priorities for its next phase of work and convene a high-level dialogue.
The dialogue seeks to bring together participating countries to share experiences and accelerate the delivery of high-integrity Article 6 carbon credits.
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement enables countries to voluntarily cooperate with each other to cut greenhouse gas emissions and finance climate projects through international carbon markets.
The minister will also participate in a heat resilience and sustainable cooling meeting, and several high-level events on climate adaptation and resilience, as well as the circular economy.
These include the 2026 Third Annual UN Environment Programme Ministerial on Heat Resilience and Sustainable Cooling, which builds on the momentum of the inaugural Global Cooling Pledge Assembly held in Singapore in September 2026.
At the Singapore Pavilion, Fu will host a programme on circular economy strategies, in line with zero waste as one of the ten priority themes under the COP31 action agenda.
She is also scheduled to observe the signing of a mutual recognition agreement between the Singapore Environment Council’s Singapore Green Labelling Scheme and Turkey's Environmental Labelling System.
While at COP31, Fu will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts to discuss efforts to advance global climate action and strengthen bilateral cooperation on environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
She will be accompanied by officials from government agencies, including the National Climate Change Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, and Enterprise Singapore.
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