The protest attracted more than 7,000 participants from across Turkey and abroad. It was organized by a coalition of environmental and human rights organizations, as well as labor unions and political parties, the news agency reported.
"We are experiencing the effects of climate injustice, yet our voices are not being heard at COP," said Halime Saman, a representative of the People's Climate Summit. "Turkey is a co-host of COP31, yet it still has no plan to phase out fossil fuels. New coal-fired power plants and mines continue to be developed," she added.
The demonstration took place under a significant police presence. Participants were required to pass through security checks before entering the protest area, AFP reported.
The agency noted that, at the conference venue several kilometers away, negotiators had yet to reach agreement on a number of key issues, including financing for climate adaptation in developing countries and efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.
Australian Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen, who is chairing the COP31 negotiations, said on Saturday that discussions had been "constructive and productive," while acknowledging that some issues would require additional time to resolve. The summit is scheduled to continue until November 20.
(pu)
Source: PAP