Ankara proposes joint leadership for COP31 as talks stall

Turkey has proposed jointly leading next year’s UN climate summit with Australia, although no agreement has been reached and the dispute over who will host the event remains unresolved, Turkish diplomatic sources have said.

Both Australia and Turkey submitted bids in 2022 to host COP31, and neither has withdrawn. The stalemate has created an unusual impasse that officials hope to break at COP30, currently under way in Belém, Brazil.

The annual COP – the Conference of the Parties – is the world’s main platform for advancing global climate action. The host country plays a key role in setting the agenda and leading the negotiations needed to secure international agreements.

Turkish sources said the two countries explored the idea of a joint presidency during discussions on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September. The proposal involved sharing hosting responsibilities for high-level meetings and jointly guiding the negotiations.

Those talks created “a basis of mutual understanding”, the sources said, but the plan has not progressed. Subsequent exchanges revealed differing views on how a co-presidency would operate within UN rules.

Australia’s Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, travelled to Brazil on Saturday for COP30, saying a decision would be made there and that Australia had “overwhelming support” for its candidacy. Canberra has proposed co-hosting with Pacific island nations to highlight the severe climate risks they face. The Pacific Islands Forum has endorsed Australia’s bid.

Turkey, meanwhile, has framed its candidacy around cooperation and inclusiveness, saying it wants greater focus on climate finance for developing countries. Ankara also hopes to showcase its progress towards a 2053 net-zero target. President Tayyip Erdogan conveyed these points in recent correspondence with Australia’s prime minister, the Turkish sources said, adding that Turkey still believed “flexible formulas” could be found through continued dialogue.

However, the sources added that Turkey was prepared to host COP31 alone and assume the presidency if no agreement is reached.

COP hosts rotate through five regional groups. For COP31, the selection must be approved unanimously by the 28 members of the “Western Europe and Others Group”, which includes both Australia and Turkey.