UN presses Türkiye, Australia to resolve COP31 deadlock

SYDNEY

Türkiye and Australia faced renewed calls on July 28 to break their prolonged stalemate over who will host the COP31 climate summit next year, with the head of the United Nations climate body describing the ongoing impasse as both "unhelpful" and "unnecessary."

Both countries put forward their bids to host the key conference back in 2022 and neither has been willing to step aside in the years since.

Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which organizes the annual COP meetings, warned that the deadlock is hampering planning efforts
"A decision needs to be made very quickly," he said during a Smart Energy Council event held in Sydney.

“The two proponents need to come together and between themselves and within the group to make that decision. The delay in making that decision is unhelpful to the process.”

Each COP summit rotates among five regional blocs and COP31’s host must receive unanimous backing from all 28 member states of the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG). The U.N. aimed for a consensus to be reached by June.

Although Türkiye has significantly more experience hosting major international summits and boasts a strategic location and a strong renewable energy profile, it has resisted pressure to withdraw its bid. During the recent interim talks in Bonn, Ankara further reinforced its candidacy.

The Turkish delegation argued that its position in the Mediterranean would lead to lower carbon emissions from air travel for delegates. It also pointed to its relatively small oil and gas industry compared to Australia.

Türkiye has pledged to hold a world-class summit in Antalya, a coastal city that previously hosted G-20 meetings, NATO gatherings and the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Australia, meanwhile, proposed co-hosting the summit with Pacific nations as a way to highlight its green energy shift. It had initially hoped to finalize the bid during COP29 in Azerbaijan.