The commitment was announced in a document consulted by the French news agency, France-Presse (AFP), which it must be officially approved by consensus during COP30, in Brazil.
The Turkish president said this Saturday that there is an agreement to share responsibility with Australia for the 2026 COP, with Ankara hosting the event and Canberra overseeing the official negotiations.
“We plan to host the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) in Turkey next November,” Erdogan told leaders attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, referring to COP31.
The commitment was announced in a document consulted by the French news agency, France-Presse (AFP), which it must be officially approved by consensus during COP30, in Brazil.
“I think the consensus we have established with Australia is very important,” said Erdogan, as both countries wanted to host COP31 in November 2026 and neither of them wanted to give in, which triggered a bidding war rarely seen in annual climate negotiations.
Australia had more support than Turkey, but United Nations rules require the host to be chosen by consensus.
Under the terms of the commitment, the Türkiye will host the two-week conference in the southern resort of Antalya and will hold the official presidency of COP31, while Australia will hold the vice-presidency and preside over the negotiations.
The pre-COP, i.e. the technical consultations that generally take place about a month before the main conference, will be held in a Pacific island country, in reference to Australia’s initial intention to host the summit together with its neighbors.
