Australia Rejects Turkey’s Offer to Co-Host UN Climate Summit

AFP/APP

Sydney: Australia on Monday rejected Turkey’s proposal to co-host next year’s UN climate summit, as competing bids for COP31 overshadow ongoing negotiations at this year’s conference in Brazil.

Canberra and Ankara are facing growing pressure to resolve the deadlock and avoid an embarrassing standoff in Belem, where Brazil is eager to prove that global climate diplomacy remains functional.

Under UN rules, the host nation must be chosen by consensus. If neither Australia nor Turkey withdraws or agrees to a shared arrangement, both will lose the opportunity. In that case—an unprecedented scenario—COP31 hosting rights would default to Germany.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday firmly dismissed the idea of co-hosting with Turkey.

“That’s not an option, and people are aware that it is not an option, which is why it has been ruled out,” he said.

A Turkish diplomatic source told AFP over the weekend that Ankara “continues to advocate a co-presidency model” but is prepared to host the summit alone if consensus cannot be reached.

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Australia is campaigning to host COP31 in the southern city of Adelaide, in partnership with its Pacific Island neighbours, aiming to highlight the climate vulnerabilities of a region already suffering severe environmental impacts.

Pacific Island leaders have long criticised COP summits for sidelining their voices and failing to deliver meaningful action. Australia itself—home to fragile ecosystems and vast biodiversity—is highly vulnerable to climate change.

However, hosting COP31 would also expose Australia’s environmental reputation to scrutiny. As the world’s second-largest coal exporter, the country has often been accused of treating climate action as a political burden. Years of intense political infighting—dubbed Australia’s “climate wars”—have stalled emissions policy and left the economy heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

If successful, Australia and its Pacific partners would host a COP summit for the first time in the region’s history.

Turkey, meanwhile, wants COP31 to prioritise the world’s most vulnerable regions, with possible special sessions dedicated to Pacific concerns, the diplomatic source added.

Brazil has appointed a representative to mediate between the two countries, but diplomats say there has been no meaningful progress so far. With COP30 scheduled to conclude on November 21, the window for an agreement is rapidly closing.