The COP31 climate meeting is now expected to be held in Turkey after Australia dropped its bid to host the annual event. Under the UN rules, the right to host the COP in 2026 falls to a group of countries made up of Western Europe, Australia, and others. A consensus must be reached, but neither country had been willing to concede. Australia has now agreed to support the Turkish bid in return for their minister chairing the talks following negotiations at COP30, currently being held in Brazil.
This unusual arrangement has taken observers by surprise. It is normal for a COP president to be from the host country, and how this new partnership will work in practice remains to be seen. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the compromise with Turkey an outstanding result in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), noting Pacific issues would be front and centre. However, Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko expressed disappointment with the outcome.
Despite mixed feelings about the compromise, there is relief among countries meeting at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, that a decision has been reached, avoiding further embarrassment for the UN. Australia had campaigned to host the climate summit in Adelaide, emphasizing the vulnerable Pacific island states in its bid. Turkey, proposing Antalya as the venue for COP31, felt justified in its claim given its previous decision to allow the UK to host the 2021 meeting in Glasgow.
Had a compromise not been found, the meeting would have been held in Bonn, Germany, home to the UN's climate headquarters. Following discussions, a solution was reached where a pre-COP meeting will be held on a Pacific island, while the main event will take place in Turkey, with Australia's climate minister Chris Bowen presiding.
Bowen acknowledged the challenges of reaching this compromise and highlighted the importance of effective leadership at the climate summit. He emphasized that having a COP president from outside the host nation will still allow for significant authority over the negotiations. The agreement awaits ratification from over 190 countries gathered at COP30, but there are unlikely objections given the negotiations that led to this consensus.
This unusual arrangement has taken observers by surprise. It is normal for a COP president to be from the host country, and how this new partnership will work in practice remains to be seen. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the compromise with Turkey an outstanding result in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), noting Pacific issues would be front and centre. However, Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko expressed disappointment with the outcome.
Despite mixed feelings about the compromise, there is relief among countries meeting at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, that a decision has been reached, avoiding further embarrassment for the UN. Australia had campaigned to host the climate summit in Adelaide, emphasizing the vulnerable Pacific island states in its bid. Turkey, proposing Antalya as the venue for COP31, felt justified in its claim given its previous decision to allow the UK to host the 2021 meeting in Glasgow.
Had a compromise not been found, the meeting would have been held in Bonn, Germany, home to the UN's climate headquarters. Following discussions, a solution was reached where a pre-COP meeting will be held on a Pacific island, while the main event will take place in Turkey, with Australia's climate minister Chris Bowen presiding.
Bowen acknowledged the challenges of reaching this compromise and highlighted the importance of effective leadership at the climate summit. He emphasized that having a COP president from outside the host nation will still allow for significant authority over the negotiations. The agreement awaits ratification from over 190 countries gathered at COP30, but there are unlikely objections given the negotiations that led to this consensus.
