After a long-drawn-out diplomatic struggle, Turkey and Australia have struck an unconventional power-sharing agreement over the hosting rights of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to be held in 2026.
Brokered during the COP30 in Belem, Brazil, Turkey has secured the rights to host COP31 in Antalya, while Australia will preside over the climate talks.
The power-sharing model is rare in climate conference history.
It emerged only after months of impasse between the two countries.
Turkey’s bid: A globally-inclusive COP
Turkey’s COP31 bid placed a strong emphasis on international solidarity and multilateral co-operation.
Turkish negotiators said that climate diplomacy should bridge the gap between rich and developing nations.
They argued that, as an emerging economy, Turkey can offer a more globally inclusive approach to the climate conference as opposed to Australia’s Pacific-centred proposal.
Officials pitched the Mediterranean city of Antalya as the venue for next year’s COP.
“The climate talks at Antalya will be unique in many ways,” Umit Sahin, Climate Policy Programme chief at the Istanbul Policy Centre, told the Associated Press in an interview.
“It’ll be a Mediterranean COP, a Middle Eastern COP, a COP with a Pacific dimension all at once.”
The hosting and presidency rights of the COP are typically rotated among five regional groups: the African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Eastern European Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and the Western European and Others Group (WEOG).
Next year’s COP will fall to the WEOG, which includes Western European nations and countries such as Turkey, Australia, the United States, and Canada.
READ ALSO: https://newsjustnews.com/cop30-news-protestors-outside-belem-summit-demand-action/
‘A win for both’
In a statement, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the decision “a big win for both Australia and Turkey”.
The deal clears up a high-stakes standoff between the two countries.
Earlier this week, Australia ruled out the possibility of co-hosting with Turkey.
Albanese specifically cited the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which forbade joint hosting of the conference.
However, without resolution, the summit would have defaulted to Bonn, Germany, where the UNFCCC Secretariat is currently based.
Germany had already declined to host.
To reach a compromise, both countries agreed to divide responsibilities and share hosting rights, with a pre-COP meeting set to be held in a Pacific Island nation.
“There’ll be a pre-COP meeting, particularly focusing on climate financing in the Pacific, the Pacific Resilience Facility,” Albanese told Australian broadcaster ABC Radio Perth in an interview.
Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen, who gained wide support from Pacific Island nations during the bidding sessions, will serve as the President for Negotiations during the COP31.
READ NEXT: https://newsjustnews.com/asean-debuts-climate-pavilion-at-uns-cop30-summit/
Adam Peaker 
Newsjustnews writers 
Carmela Calling