Erdogan hails Australia deal as Turkey to host COP31 summit

by AFP Staff Writers
Johannesburg (AFP) Nov 22, 2025

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday hailed a deal to share responsibility with Australia for next year's UN climate summit, which will take place in southern Turkey with Canberra overseeing the formal negotiations.

"We plan to host the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Turkey next November," Erdogan told leaders at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, referring to COP31.

Under an unusual compromise agreement laid out in a document seen by AFP, Turkey will host the two-week summit in the southern resort city of Antalya and retain the formal COP31 presidency, while Australia would serve as vice president and chair the negotiations.

Erdogan's remarks came after the two countries finalised a deal following a long-running standoff over the event.

"I believe the consensus we established together with Australia is of high importance," Erdogan said.

Both countries sought to host COP31 in November 2026 and neither would back down, sparking a bidding war rarely seen for the annual climate talks.

Australia enjoyed greater support than Turkey but the deadlock prevented a host from being chosen by consensus as required under United Nations rules.

The "pre-COP" -- technical consultations that usually occur about a month before the main summit -- are to take place in a Pacific Island nation, in a nod to Australia's original intention to co-host with its neighbours.

Australia and Turkey reach hosting deal over climate summit: text
Belem, Brazil (AFP) Nov 22, 2025 - Australia and Turkey finalised a deal Friday to share responsibilities for hosting next year's UN climate summit, resolving a long-running standoff over the event, according to the agreement seen by AFP.

The unusual compromise -- in which Turkey hosts the conference but Australia oversees the formal negotiations -- is expected to be formally approved by consensus at the COP30 summit in Brazil.

The deal was brokered in the rainforest city of Belem after days of closed-door negotiation between Australia and Turkey to end the stalemate.

Both countries sought to host COP31 in November 2026 and neither would back down, sparking a bidding war rarely seen for the annual climate talks.

Australia enjoyed greater support than Turkey but the deadlock prevented a host from being chosen by consensus as required under United Nations rules.

A compromise was reached: Turkey would host the two-week summit in the Mediterranean resort city of of Antalya, and retain the formal COP31 presidency.

Australia would serve as vice president and chair the negotiations that strive to broker agreements between nearly 200 nations to collectively tackle climate change.

The "pre COP" -- technical consultations that usually occur about a month before the main summit -- would take place in a Pacific Island nation, in a nod to Australia's original intention to co-host with its neighbours.

- 'Better than nothing' -

The proposal was endorsed unanimously by the Western European and Other States Group, the first step required before adoption by consensus at the COP30 summit.

UN climate summits rotate among five regional blocs, with responsibility falling in 2026 to the group of mostly European nations, along with Australia and Turkey, among others.

Australia had the backing of a large majority of the bloc but without a consensus, COP31 would have defaulted to Germany, home to the UN Climate Change secretariat.

The outcome was a major disappointment for Australia and the Pacific, which is home to small island nation states threatened by rising sea levels and increasingly violent storms, rainfall and floods.

But Pacific nations would still have input into the negotiations and setting the agenda, Vanuatu's Climate Minister Ralph Regenvanu told AFP in Belem.

"So for us, that is a much better outcome than not having anything at all," he said.

COP31 will be Turkey's first time hosting a UN climate summit. The country ratified the Paris Agreement only in late 2021, and analysts are sharply critical of its climate pledges.

For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, securing the summit is seen as a diplomatic win that showcases Turkey's increasingly assertive foreign policy.