- Turkey will host the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) while Australia will preside over negotiations.
- COP31 will focus on the phase-out of fossil fuels, climate finance, and the implementation of commitments made at COP30.
Turkey will host the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference after reaching a compromise with Australia, which ended weeks of deadlock over who would lead the summit.
Australia’s climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, announced the agreement on Wednesday at COP30 in Belém. He said both countries accepted a power-sharing arrangement that prevents the conference from defaulting to Bonn, Germany.
Under the deal, Turkey will host the physical meeting, while Australia will assume the presidency of COP31 and lead all formal negotiations. Bowen will appoint co-facilitators, draft negotiation text and issue the final decision document.
He said Australia will hold a pre-COP meeting in a Pacific Island nation that will double as a pledging event for the Pacific Resilience Fund, a key demand from Pacific states. Bowen said the arrangement protects the credibility of the UN climate process.
“Consensus means if someone objected to our bid, COP31 would automatically go to Bonn with no president in place. That would be irresponsible. This agreement avoids that outcome,” he told reporters. He said Turkey made “a significant concession” by accepting Australia’s leadership role.
Turkey’s objection to Australia’s bid had triggered closed-door negotiations because UN rules require complete consensus to select a host. Without it, the summit would default to Bonn with no designated political leadership, a scenario many countries feared would weaken efforts to accelerate global climate action.
The compromise mirrors the Fiji–Germany model for COP23 in 2017, when Fiji presided while Germany hosted.
Meanwhile, analysts say Turkey’s role will face scrutiny. Ümit Şahin of the Istanbul Policy Centre said Turkey’s ties to fossil-fuel producers could raise concerns about neutrality and ambition.
Pacific climate advocates expressed disappointment. Shiva Gounden of Greenpeace Australia Pacific said the Pacific’s “fight for survival does not rise or fall on a single hosting decision.” Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said the priority is ensuring COP31 drives a faster shift to clean energy.
In addition, some Australian environmental groups criticised the arrangement. Steph Hodgins-May of the Australian Greens said the outcome shows the world “recognises Australia’s significant role in making dangerous climate change worse.”
The Western European and Others Group (WEOG) is expected to ratify the decision formally in the coming days. Turkey will begin preparations for the conference, while Australia will lead negotiations, and the Pacific will host the pre-COP meeting.
Officials expect COP31 to focus heavily on fossil-fuel phase-out plans, financing for vulnerable nations, and the implementation of commitments made at COP30.