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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday signaled that Canberra may be willing to allow Türkiye to host the 2026 U.N. climate conference, potentially ending a diplomatic impasse that has overshadowed this year’s talks.
Both Australia and Türkiye submitted bids in 2022 to host the COP31 summit, but neither has withdrawn. Earlier this week, Albanese ruled out a co-hosting arrangement, citing U.N. rules that do not permit shared presidencies for the annual climate gathering.
Diplomats at the ongoing COP30 conference in Belem, Brazil, have just days left to resolve the standoff. Under U.N. rules, the 28-member “Western Europe and Others Group” (WEOG), which includes both Australia and Türkiye, must unanimously select the next host. If no agreement is reached by the close of COP30 on Friday, the event will default to Bonn, Germany, the seat of the U.N. climate secretariat, by procedural default.
“There is considerable concern, not just from the Pacific, but internationally as well, that that will not send a good signal about the unity that's needed for the world to act on climate,” Albanese told reporters Tuesday evening.
“If Australia is not chosen, if Türkiye is chosen, we wouldn't seek to veto that,” he added, offering the first indication that Australia may step aside.
There is no formal vote to decide the COP host. A decision must be made by consensus. Unless one of the two countries withdraws, both could lose the opportunity to host.
“The way that the system works is that if there is not agreement and there's more than one candidate, it goes to Bonn,” Albanese said.
Türkiye has positioned itself as a bridge between developed and developing nations and is campaigning for an inclusive and results-oriented summit aligned with its 2053 net-zero goal.
“Climate action should not be confined to negotiation tables,” said Halil Hasar, Türkiye’s climate change director at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.
Speaking to Turkish news agency Anadolu during COP30, Hasar said Türkiye is pursuing a realistic strategy for climate diplomacy.
“Our goal is to foster inclusivity and ensure that no country is left out,” he said, adding that Türkiye is in “intensive talks” regarding the COP31 bid.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, speaking at the COP30 Leaders Summit, echoed the message, saying Türkiye is ready to serve as a bridge between the global north and south.
We do not want negotiations dominated by self-interest and lacking empathy,” Yilmaz said.
“Türkiye understands the perspectives of both developed and developing nations. We are engaged in intensive talks about hosting COP31 and are fully committed to making it a summit where all voices are heard," he added.
Australia has been campaigning to host COP31 alongside Pacific island nations, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels. The bid is backed by the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum.
However, the Australian government remains divided over whether to proceed with the bid, amid estimates that hosting could cost up to $1.3 billion.
Albanese said that even if Australia were to withdraw its bid, it would still seek to highlight the plight of Pacific nations.
“What we would seek to do is to ensure that the Pacific benefited from that, through measures, potentially like a leaders meeting, to be held in the Pacific,” he said.
A government spokesperson later emphasized that Australia still had “overwhelming support” for its hosting proposal but was negotiating “in good faith” with Türkiye.
“As recently as Monday, we’re still fighting hard,” Climate Minister Chris Bowen told AFP. “We don’t know how it’ll go. But we’re in it to win it.”
Australia has already rejected Türkiye’s offer to share the presidency, arguing that it would be unworkable to divide responsibilities between two geographically distant countries.
Germany, which would host by default if no agreement is reached, has said it does not wish to take on the role.
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