Türkiye hosts and Australia leads the COP 31 negotiations after a prolonged crisis news

The Australian Prime Minister said Anthony AlbaneseToday, Sunday, a formal agreement has been reached for Turkey to host the 31st climate summit of the Conference of the Parties (COP31) in 2026, after a prolonged crisis over hosting the United Nations climate talks.

A statement issued by Germany this week at the COP30 summit, after a meeting of the group of Western European countries and other countries charged with choosing the host country for the summit in 2026, stated that Turkey will assume this role with Australia leading the negotiation process.

The agreement ended a prolonged standoff over hosting UN climate talks.

Albanese said in a statement, “A formal agreement has been reached for Türkiye to host the COP31 talks in Antalya, with Australia assuming the role of head of negotiations in the period leading up to and during the meeting.”

Australia will have “exclusive authority in relation to the negotiations” that will guide decision-making at the summit, according to the statement, which said the Pacific region will host a special meeting ahead of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to “draw attention to the existential threat that climate change poses to the region.”

Both Australia and Turkey have applied to host the COP 31 since 2022, and neither has withdrawn, leading to a deadlock at this year’s COP 30 meeting, which is currently being held in the city of Belem, Brazil.

The Pacific Islands Forum, a regional diplomatic bloc of 18 countries, supported Australia’s bid. A number of island countries in the Pacific Ocean are at risk from rising sea levels.

Mercy contract

For his part, the Turkish Minister of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, announced yesterday, Saturday, that Turkey will host and chair the “COP 31” conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, next year.

This came in a speech by Qurum, during the General Assembly meeting of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30).

Qurum added that Turkey, during its presidency of the conference, will work to push the growing momentum for climate action to higher levels, through a transparent and comprehensive approach that includes all parties, noting that Turkey is moving based on the concept that combating climate change is a “mercy contract” between humans and nature.

The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main global forum for driving climate action, and the host country is important because it sets the agenda and leads the diplomatic efforts needed to reach global agreements.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was opened for signature in 1992 during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, is the first and most important international step to confront the effects of global warming on the climate.

The agreement entered into force on March 21, 1994, and the number of states parties to it is 196, and Türkiye joined it on May 24, 2004.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the highest decision-making body within the Convention, which meets annually and makes decisions by consensus among the States Parties.