World Leaders to Plant Trees in COP31 ‘Forest of Peace’ as Forest Finance Tops Antalya Agenda

On Wednesday 11 November, the leaders gathered for the COP31 World Leaders’ Summit in Antalya will plant trees together in a new “Forest of Peace” created in honour of the climate conference — putting forests, and the money to protect them, at the centre of the summit’s second week.

A planting on National Forestation Day

According to Türkiye’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will plant trees together in the Forest of Peace on 11 November. The date is no coincidence: 11 November is Türkiye’s National Forestation Day, marked each year under the country’s “Breath for the Future” campaign.

President Erdoğan has said Türkiye planted 7.5 billion seedlings and seeds over the past 23 years, lifting the country’s forested area to 23.4 million hectares — 30 percent of the national territory. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Türkiye ranked sixth in the world for forest area expansion in 2020 and has risen to fourth place as of 2025.

Minister Yumaklı also reported progress against wildfires: 6,219 fires were extinguished in Türkiye in 2026, while the area of forest affected fell by around 68 percent.

Why forests are on the COP31 agenda

Forests are among the fastest climate solutions available: they absorb carbon dioxide, protect biodiversity and shield communities from heat, floods and drought. Yet the world lost 7 million hectares of forest in 2025 alone, according to Plant-for-the-Planet, the youth-led reforestation organisation attending COP31.

In 2021, at COP26 in Glasgow, 145 governments pledged to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. With five years left on that promise, COP31 is expected to test whether the pledge is turning into money and action. Plant-for-the-Planet is pressing governments to complete 10 billion dollars of investment pledges for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a fund to pay tropical countries to keep rainforests standing; 7.8 billion dollars has been pledged so far.

Brazil, which hosted COP30, has also published voluntary roadmaps on fossil fuels and forests ahead of COP31, setting out practical steps to reverse deforestation by 2030.

What to watch in Antalya

Forests have a full programme at COP31. On 12 November, the conservation group Audubon hosts “Forests Forward: Catalysing Momentum Towards the Global 2030 Forests Goal” at the WWF/IUCN Pavilion, arguing that forests can cut global temperatures faster than any other climate solution. On 17 November, Plant-for-the-Planet and Caritas Germany host a side event, “Confronting the Global Forest Emergency”, at the German Pavilion, with Indigenous representatives and a keynote from Germany’s environment ministry. On 18 November, an official side event, “Forests Roadmap: From Milestone to Movement”, will review how the global forests roadmap is turning into national action.

The Forest of Peace planting on 11 November opens that sequence with a visible symbol — and a reminder that the 2030 forests goal will be judged not by ceremonies, but by hectares saved and restored. More COP31 coverage is available in our climate section.

FAKTA

• COP31 runs 9–20 November 2026 at the Antalya Expo Center, Türkiye.
• World Leaders’ Summit: 11–12 November 2026.
• Forest of Peace tree planting: 11 November 2026.
• Türkiye’s forests: 23.4 million hectares, 30 percent of the country.
• Seedlings planted in Türkiye over 23 years: 7.5 billion.
• Forest lost worldwide in 2025: 7 million hectares (Plant-for-the-Planet).
• 2030 forests pledge: 145 governments (COP26, 2021).
• Tropical Forest Forever Facility: 7.8 billion dollars pledged of a 10 billion dollar target.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Forest of Peace at COP31?

It is a new forest area established in Antalya in honour of COP31, where world leaders will plant trees together on 11 November during the World Leaders’ Summit.

Who will plant trees there?

According to Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will plant trees together.

Why is 11 November significant?

It is Türkiye’s National Forestation Day, marked each year under the “Breath for the Future” campaign, when millions of trees are planted across the country’s 81 provinces.

What is the Tropical Forest Forever Facility?

It is a fund to pay tropical countries to keep their rainforests standing. Governments are being urged to complete 10 billion dollars in investment pledges by the end of 2026; 7.8 billion dollars has been pledged so far.

What is the 2030 forests goal?

At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, 145 governments pledged to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.