Australia and Turkey are at an impasse regarding the organization of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31). The host country must be chosen by consensus among the regional blocs. If no agreement is reached, the summit will be held in Bonn, Germany, home to the headquarters of the United Nations (UN) climate secretariat.

Turkey, for its part, continues to advocate for a co-presidency model as a way to strengthen multilateralism. However, a Turkish diplomatic source revealed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the country is prepared to host the conference if no consensus is reached on the co-presidency.

However, between November 6th and 7th, world leaders met in Belém, in northern Brazil, at an event that marked the beginning of COP30, which runs until November 21st. It is worth noting that the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, were not present at this meeting.

Brazil appointed a representative to try to reach a consensus between the parties, but, according to the same source, no significant progress has been made.

UN climate conferences are organized alternately among five regional blocs that must designate the host country by consensus, which can sometimes lead to disputes. This year, Brazil was chosen to host COP30 representing the States of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The African region is scheduled to host the conference in 2027, with the 32nd conference (COP32) expected to be held in Ethiopia. This choice was approved by African countries during the current COP in Brazil, with Ethiopia obtaining consensus over Nigeria. This informal decision still requires official adoption by all nations during the conference, which ends on November 21st, and is expected to be a mere formality.

Picture: © 2025 Francisco Lopes-Santos