Turkey to Host COP31 as Australia Leads Negotiations

Turkey has secured the hosting rights for COP31, the UN climate conference, after Australia agreed to preside over the summit’s negotiations, ending a diplomatic standoff between the two nations.

Both countries had initially competed to host next year’s conference, but Turkey garnered broader support. Australia compromised by organizing a pre-COP event in the Pacific and taking the lead in the negotiations during COP31.

Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen described the outcome as a partial concession, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed it as a win for both nations.

The agreement resolves a deadlock at COP30 in Belém, where both Turkey and Australia initially refused to back down. Without a compromise, Germany, home to the UN climate secretariat, would have hosted by default.

Australia had positioned its bid as a “Pacific COP,” emphasizing the threat of rising sea levels to vulnerable island nations.

Turkey, as an emerging economy, highlighted global solidarity between rich and poor nations, focusing on wider international cooperation. COP31 will take place in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.