Jesuit Centre Joins COP31 Climate Talks in Türkiye
Jesuit Social Services' Centre for Just Places will attend the COP31 climate conference, supporting young people from the Asia-Pacific region.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Environmental
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The Centre for Just Places, a unit of Jesuit Social Services, will attend COP31 in Türkiye this week. The organisation will support young people from the Asia-Pacific region, including First Peoples, in COP31-related engagement with the River Above Asia and Oceania Ecclesial Network.
Why it matters
Those who contribute least to climate change are often the most affected by its consequences, and the organisation says COP31 is an opportunity to highlight the need for stronger, more equitable climate adaptation and resilience policies. The participation adds civil society voices from the Asia-Pacific region to the international climate conversation.
The Centre for Just Places was established in 2021 and works across people, place and planet. The source does not provide participant numbers or funding figures for the COP31 engagement.
The players
Jesuit Social Services
Jesuit Social Services is an Australian social justice organisation run under the Jesuit tradition, working on poverty, disadvantage and community wellbeing.
River Above Asia and Oceania Ecclesial Network (RAOEN)
RAOEN is a regional ecclesial network of Jesuit-linked partners across Asia and Oceania focused on ecological and social justice.
The details
The Centre for Just Places is joining global and regional Jesuit networks at COP31 in Türkiye, working in partnership with the River Above Asia and Oceania Ecclesial Network to support young people from the Asia-Pacific region. The organisation plans to use COP31 to press for stronger climate adaptation policies in Australia, drawing on its Dropping off the Edge research, which maps socio-economic and environmental disadvantage across every Australian community.
Timeline
This week (week of 8 November 2026): Centre for Just Places attends COP31 in Türkiye.
2021: Centre for Just Places is established.
Early 2027: Latest version of Dropping off the Edge research is released.
Big Picture
Civil society participation at the UN climate conferences has grown as the COP process has moved toward adaptation and loss-and-damage questions alongside emissions targets. Jesuit Social Services' presence at COP31 extends that pattern by centring disadvantaged communities in the adaptation agenda.
For readers in poorer or climate-exposed communities, the organisation's push for adaptation funding and resilience policy could shape local planning and support. The work focuses on who bears the costs of climate change most directly.
The takeaway
Climate harm tends to fall hardest on those with the fewest resources to adapt, so the question of who gets a seat at the table matters. Watching how adaptation commitments are tracked at COP31 offers a concrete way to follow whether that gap narrows.
What happens next
Early 2027 will bring the latest version of the Dropping off the Edge research from Jesuit Social Services.
Further reading
For more on the environmental stakes behind this story, see Environmental coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CathNews.
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