Türkiye picks climate change minister as COP31 head

Türkiye has appointed its Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum as the president of the COP31 climate summit, which will be held in the country in 2026, according to a communique published in the Official Gazette.

As COP31 president, Kurum will have the authority to oversee negotiations and organize the conference, including delegating responsibilities as needed.

The summit is scheduled to take place from Nov. 9 to 20, 2026, at the EXPO area and surrounding venues in the Mediterranean city of Antalya.

Budget planning for the preparation and execution of the conference will be carried out by the relevant institutions and organizations.

A ministry statement also emphasized that Türkiye hosting COP31 is of great significance both in terms of international visibility and its strategic role in climate diplomacy.

Türkiye’s successful bid to host next year’s U.N. climate conference was confirmed last month after months of competition with Australia.

Under U.N. rules, the 2026 summit was originally designated for Western Europe and Other States, which includes both Australia and Türkiye.

However, both Ankara and Canberra insisted on hosting rights, preventing the required consensus and raising concerns that the summit could default to Bonn, Germany — the headquarters of the U.N. climate body — if no agreement was reached.

Negotiations during COP30 in Belem, Brazil, resulted in a unique compromise: Türkiye will host the summit in the resort city of Antalya, which it had previously proposed.

Additionally, a pre-COP meeting will take place on a Pacific island.

Earlier, Australia had rejected Türkiye’s offer to co-host the summit.