Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova in Antalya: North Macedonia needs international finance to meet climate goals
At COP31 in Antalya the president said the country seeks climate neutrality by 2050 but needs predictable finance, technology and partnerships to meet its 2035 targets.
North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova told global leaders in Antalya, Turkey, that her country aims for climate neutrality by 2050 but cannot reach its targets without predictable international finance and partnerships.
Speaking at the World Climate Summit (COP31), Siljanovska-Davkova urged that ambition must be turned into implementation and that solidarity should mean concrete investment rather than only words.
NDC 3.0 and the 2035 emissions target
She said the government has made climate action a political priority and opened a broad national dialogue with experts, policymakers and civil society. That process has been formalized in the third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), which sets a target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2035, with the possibility of reaching 82 percent if adequate international financial support is secured.
Siljanovska-Davkova added that the long-term goal is full climate neutrality by 2050, to be enshrined in forthcoming legislation: a Law on Climate Action, an updated National Energy and Climate Plan, and a Just Transition Roadmap.
She warned that phasing out coal and switching to clean energy must be a just transition that does not leave citizens worse off, especially amid global conflicts and energy market volatility. "We cannot protect the future at the expense of those who are struggling today. We must move from coal to clean renewable energy without increasing the burden on Macedonian families who already face energy poverty, inadequate heating and polluted air. A transition that leaves people behind defeats its purpose," she said, highlighting the need to protect women, children and young people.
The president said North Macedonia backed several international initiatives presented at the summit, including the "35 by 35" electrification pledge, the Antalya agreement on energy-efficient buildings, a green industrialization pact and the so-called Rio synergies. However, she was categorical that the domestic budget alone cannot bear the multibillion-dollar cost of decarbonization and cited the World Bank's recent climate and development report identifying the need for large financial injections.
"My country cannot finance this transformation on its own. Our ambition must be matched by predictable international financing, accessible capital, technology and strong partnerships. Solidarity must be measured not only in words but in investments that enable countries to be ready to act. This is not a call to reduce our ambition, but to make it achievable," she concluded.
Photo: Fejsbuk-profil na Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
