Turkey has won the rights to host COP31, while Australia agreed to preside over the climate talks, resolving a diplomatic standoff between the two bidders for next year’s UN summit.
Both countries had entered bids to host the 200-nation conference, with Turkey ultimately securing broader backing. Australia, which had pushed a “Pacific COP” agenda highlighting risks to low-lying island states from rising seas, accepted a compromise: Turkey will stage the summit in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, and Australia will chair the formal negotiations and convene a pre-COP event in the Pacific.
The impasse threatened to leave Germany hosting by default—because it is home to the UN climate secretariat—if neither country yielded. The breakthrough came in a mediated meeting chaired by Germany’s Environment State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth, who described the co-hosting-style arrangement as an innovative solution and said he had not heard objections to the plan.
Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen signalled disappointment but acceptance, noting no country can get everything it wants. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese characterised the outcome as a win for both nations.
Turkey framed its bid around its status as an emerging economy and a desire to foster solidarity between wealthier and poorer countries, emphasizing a global focus rather than a strictly regional one.
Under UN COP procedures, host selection also depends on consensus among parties; although Australia enjoyed strong support, a negotiated settlement was required. The deal preserves Australia’s leadership role in steering negotiations while giving Turkey the platform of hosting the full COP31 conference.
Extra reporting by Giulia Saudelli. Edited by Sean Sinico.