Why is COP31 co-hosted by Turkey and Australia?
And why does it matter?
By Nidhi Upadhyaya Thu, Feb 5, 2026
While each UN Conference of the Parties (COP) is monumental, this year’s summit is a decisive break from tradition. COP31 will mark the first time in the history of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where core summit responsibilities are deliberately split between two countries.
While there have been previous instances where the COP presidency and host location were separated, those arrangements were typically driven by external constraints—such as infrastructure limitations or civil unrest—rather than a planned division of leadership. Instead, this year’s summit was organized after a consensus was reached between the two countries, following discussions over months. They agreed to move forward in this unique format, keeping issues for the Pacific nations central. However, some Pacific island nations have expressed their concerns on the outcome. With Australia not having full control over the COP agenda, the island nations fear their priorities will not be addressed effectively and there will be limited action.
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Understanding the COP31 management plan
Under the agreed framework, Turkey will serve as the host country, taking responsibility for the logistics and operations of the conference. Essentially, this means they will appoint the COP31 president and the UN High-Level Climate Champion overseeing the COP Action Agenda. Australia, meanwhile, will lead the negotiations. The COP president from Turkey will formally appoint an Australian president of negotiations. The president of negotiations will steer the formal negotiation process, advance draft texts, and engage with parties and stakeholders throughout the year to inform final outcomes at COP31.
The bottom line? This is the first time that a COP has been managed and influenced so disparately. Turkey will shape the delivery-focused, non-negotiated elements—or the Action Agenda—of COP31. Australia, in contrast, holds a significant role in shaping the political and substantive direction of the negotiations, even though they are not the physical hosts.
What this means for COP31
When a single country hosts the COP, stakeholders typically look to that country’s climate agenda to anticipate the summit’s priorities. In an unprecedented case where two countries from different regions will jointly host the conference, those priorities are less clear. Even so, several areas of convergence are already emerging:
- Climate finance: Building on momentum from recent COPs, COP31 is expected to place strong emphasis on climate finance. Given Australia’s regional leadership, experts anticipate that the needs of small island developing states and Pacific island nations will be central to this conversation. Many also anticipate that the 2026 pre-COP—an informal but traditional preparatory meeting—will be held in a Pacific island country. This creates a strategic opportunity to elevate these regional priorities within the broader COP process, with the climate finance gap for both mitigation and adaptation remaining a central focus.
- Regional interests: Dual leadership is likely to encourage deeper regional collaboration across Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. At a time when climate impacts demand coordinated action, strengthened regional partnerships could mark a meaningful shift toward more integrated and cooperative approaches. The decision to pursue a joint hosting arrangement signals potential for deeper collaboration beyond the conference.
- The energy transition: For both Australia and Turkey, accelerating renewable energy deployment and transitioning away from coal, oil, and gas are critical priorities. Turkey has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 41 percent below business-as-usual projections, and Australia has a 43 percent reduction target from 2005 levels. Their approach to the energy transition will shape their leadership narratives at the conference. COP31 is therefore expected to push for stronger commitments to phase down emissions-intensive energy sources and advance the global energy transition.
A quick guide to COP terminology
The host country manages the operations, logistics, and engagement, including security, engagement with state and nonstate actors, and the development of the Action Agenda. Learn more.
The COP president ensures the observance of rules of procedure, working with country delegations to reach consensus on key issues. The incoming COP president—the president-designate—is responsible for raising ambition to tackle climate change. Learn more.
The Action Agenda is a pillar of the conference that engages nonstate and state actors outside the negotiating rooms. These discussions are intended to support the negotiating outcomes. Learn more.
Adaptation and resilience will continue to remain a priority area for the Action Agenda at COP31. There is a continued need for meaningful space and visibility for adaptation challenges and solutions, particularly as global attention increasingly shifts toward implementation, finance, and real-world impact.
As climate risks intensify across the world, it will be critical to ensure that adaptation and the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, remain firmly center stage, rather than being overshadowed by broader mitigation debates.
Starting the countdown to a new kind of COP
COP30 was framed as an “implementation COP” with a strong emphasis on mobilizing finance and advancing nature-based solutions. COP31 is expected to build on this foundation, pushing for stronger commitments and clearer pathways for delivery as the deadline for the Paris Agreement goals looms.
More broadly, COP31 will serve as an important test case for how countries can collaborate under a shared leadership model. The success or failure of this dual-presidency approach will be closely and carefully watched—not only for the outcomes it produces, but for what it signals about the future of multilateral cooperation. If this model can align the political leadership, climate negotiations, and action agendas, it may offer a blueprint for future climate conferences that will require deeper collaboration, shared responsibility, and faster delivery as climate impacts worsen with every passing year.
Nidhi Upadhyaya is the deputy director for global policy and finance pillar of the Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center.
