Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that Australia will not co-host next year’s COP31 climate summit with Turkey, citing the United Nations’ rules that do not allow joint hosting.
Turkey had proposed a joint leadership of the U.N. climate summit with Australia, but discussions between the two countries remain unresolved, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
“No, we won’t be co-hosting because co-hosting isn’t provided for under the rules of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,” Albanese said during a media briefing in Melbourne. “So that’s not an option and people are aware it has been ruled out.”
Both Australia and Turkey submitted separate bids in 2022 to host COP31, and neither has withdrawn, creating a deadlock that must be resolved at the ongoing COP30 meeting in Belem, Brazil.
The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) is the world’s primary forum for climate negotiations, and the host country plays a crucial role in setting the agenda and guiding diplomatic efforts.
Albanese recently wrote to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an attempt to resolve the impasse, while pushing for Australia to host the summit alongside Pacific island nations for the first time. The Pacific Islands Forum, a bloc of 18 countries, is supporting Australia’s bid, highlighting the urgent climate risks faced by island nations from rising sea levels.
