Sydney: Australia has decisively ruled out sharing the hosting duties of the COP31 climate summit with Turkey, escalating a diplomatic stalemate over where next year’s United Nations climate conference will take place. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that co-hosting is not permissible under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) rules and therefore is “not an option.”
Turkey had proposed a “joint leadership” model, suggesting a shared role in organizing and guiding the global summit, but Australian officials dismissed the idea as incompatible with UN procedures. Both countries had submitted independent bids in 2022, and neither has withdrawn, leading to a protracted deadlock that must be resolved at this year’s COP30 gathering in Belem, Brazil.
Albanese emphasized the urgency of finding a solution, noting that the impasse could result in the automatic assignment of COP31 hosting duties to Bonn, Germany, where the U.N. climate secretariat is based. German officials, however, have expressed reluctance to assume the role, highlighting the high stakes of the ongoing negotiations.
The hosting decision is more than symbolic: the host country shapes the summit’s agenda, diplomatic focus, and economic opportunities. Australia aims to spotlight the existential climate threats faced by Pacific island nations and is seeking backing from the Pacific Islands Forum, a coalition of 18 countries vulnerable to rising seas. Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen arrived in Belem to promote Australia’s bid, which experts say strengthens its position but does not resolve the underlying disagreement with Turkey.
Observers note that co-hosting would be operationally challenging due to divergent priorities between the two nations. While Turkey seeks a prominent leadership role, Australia is focused on aligning COP31 with Pacific climate concerns and reinforcing regional diplomacy. The U.N. requires unanimous consent among the 28 countries eligible to host, meaning compromise is essential to avoid fallback scenarios that could delay preparations and affect global climate negotiations.
As the clock ticks toward the conclusion of COP30, Australia and Turkey face mounting international pressure to resolve their standoff, balancing national ambitions with the urgent need for coordinated global action against climate change.