RIBA president Chris Williamson and Mina Hasman to represent institute at COP31 in Antalya

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) will send its president Chris Williamson and climate group co-chair Mina Hasman to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, for a five-day programme of panels and roundtables starting on 10 November.

RIBA announced the line-up on 5 November. Its official observer status with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) allows it to attend the summits and organise events, including inside the conference's Blue Zone, the institute said.

Hasman is co-chair of RIBA's Expert Advisory Group on Climate Action. According to RIBA, she represented the institute in developing the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and regularly represents it at COP summits.

Williamson said: "The built environment is a significant contributor to the climate emergency, but it also presents one of our greatest opportunities to reduce emissions."

He added: "Buildings and construction account for around 37% of global energy-related emissions. Reducing these emissions could help the UK meet its climate goals while supporting economic growth."

The programme

RIBA's schedule runs from Tuesday 10 November to Saturday 14 November. It opens with Hasman speaking on electrifying buildings at the Resilient Cities, Buildings and Cooling Pavilion, followed by Williamson on a Bentley Systems panel at the Denmark Pavilion on AI, carbon and infrastructure design.

On 11 November Williamson joins two roundtables organised by the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology. The second, on green jobs in the age of AI, is co-organised with National Grid, LinkedIn, Futerra and the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. The same day Hasman joins a Union for the Mediterranean panel on digital technologies for climate mitigation.

On 12 November Williamson takes part in a VELUX panel on indoor climate and cooling during heatwaves. Hasman speaks at a World Health Organization session drawing on WHO's 2026 guidance on heat-health action plans, and joins a panel at the Türkiye Pavilion organised by the Federation of Associations of Architects in Private Practice.

Williamson speaks on 13 November at a roundtable on digital twins for a circular economy organised by CIOB, BAM and Resilient Cities Network. Hasman also speaks that day on designing real estate lifecycles for decarbonisation.

On 14 November RIBA co-hosts a side event with the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Landscape Architects on how communities can lead decarbonisation of the built environment, including through the promotion of city architects. RIBA said the session would include remarks from Congressman Dave Min (CA-47). Hasman closes the programme with a session on design and heritage.

Background

The United Nations says COP31 takes place in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026 and describes it as a critical opportunity for countries to accelerate climate action and strengthen cooperation.

Williamson's attendance marks a return to presidential representation at the summit. At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, RIBA was represented by the two co-chairs of its climate advisory group, Duncan Baker-Brown and Hasman, who joined speaker panels across nine events, according to the institute. At COP29, then president Muyiwa Oki and Hasman took part in panels and roundtables on decarbonising building stock. At COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, RIBA was represented by Baker-Brown and Smith Mordak.

Williamson began his two-year term as president on 1 September 2025, succeeding Oki. He was elected at the second stage with 45% of the votes in the 2024 election and previously served as RIBA vice president international from 2017 to 2019.

Domestic policy context

The institute's message in Antalya follows its response to the Climate Change Committee's annual progress report in June 2026, issued as the UK entered its second heatwave of the year. RIBA quoted the committee as finding the UK is not on track to meet its 2030 target or reach net zero without much faster action.

Williamson said then that RIBA had long called on the government to publish a comprehensive National Retrofit Strategy, and that the report showed the government was not acting fast enough to cut emissions from buildings.

RIBA's first COP31 session, on electrifying buildings, begins at 14:00 on 10 November.