Turkey will host the 2026 UN climate summit following an unusual arrangement under which Australia will lead negotiations. The decision, reached at COP30 in Brazil, positions Turkey to organize its first COP event.

Turkey was confirmed as COP31 host after Australia withdrew its own bid, clearing the way for a compromise endorsed within the UN’s Western Europe and Others Group. According to statements from both sides, Australia will chair the negotiation tracks at the 2026 summit, while Turkey will take on logistical and political hosting duties. The agreement, described by observers as “unconventional,” has drawn attention because negotiation leadership is typically held by the host country.

Sources involved in the process said the arrangement was shaped by months of bilateral discussions. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the outcome “an extraordinary result,” and said the summit would give prominence to the climate vulnerabilities of Pacific nations. Australia’s Climate Minister Chris Bowen also noted that the government had hoped for a more traditional hosting role but accepted the compromise.

COP meetings, held annually since 1995, serve as the main decision-making platform under the UN climate convention. Recent summits have increasingly focused on implementation, loss-and-damage funding, and sector-specific mitigation pathways, including agriculture and food systems.