The United Nations climate conference, COP31, opens in Antalya, Türkiye, on Monday, November 9, bringing government delegations together for almost two weeks of negotiations at the Antalya Expo Center. The talks are scheduled to run until Friday, November 20.
It is the first COP since COP30 in Belém, Brazil, last year. For readers in the Gulf, it is also the latest round of a process the UAE hosted at COP28 in Dubai in 2023.
A shared presidency between Türkiye and Australia
COP31 has an unusual leadership arrangement. Under a deal agreed at COP30, Türkiye hosts the conference while Australia oversees the formal negotiations.
Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s Environment Minister, is COP31 President. Australia’s climate minister, Chris Bowen, leads the negotiations. Türkiye also runs the Action Agenda, which covers voluntary initiatives by businesses, cities and civil society groups.
Observers are watching how the two co-hosts will handle any disagreements, Climate Home News reported, adding that Türkiye has said it will have the final say.
Key dates for the summit
- Monday, November 9: opening plenary
- Tuesday, November 10: Energy Day
- Wednesday, November 11 to Thursday, November 12: world leaders’ segment
- Friday, November 20: scheduled close
- Time difference: Antalya is one hour behind UAE time
A provisional UN speakers’ list includes 77 heads of state or government for the leaders’ summit, according to Climate and Capital Media, compared with 116 at COP28 in Dubai. Türkiye expects 91 leaders to attend. Climate Home News reported that Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez are among the early speakers, and that India and China are not sending their top leaders.
What is on the negotiating table
Adaptation finance, which helps countries cope with the effects of climate change, is expected to be a central issue. At COP30, countries agreed to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035. Developing countries now want a figure attached to that goal, which so far has no agreed baseline year, amounts or delivery mechanism, according to Climate Home News.
Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, chair of the African Group of negotiators, told a media briefing that “nobody is even sure of the [tripling] baseline”.
National climate plans, known as NDCs, are also in focus. A UN tally cited by Climate and Capital Media projects that current plans would cut emissions by about 6 percent below 2019 levels by 2035, or 9 percent if conditional pledges are met.
Other items include a new Just Transition Mechanism, the mitigation work programme and trade in clean technology. Climate and Capital Media also noted that the loss and damage fund has made its first payout, $20 million for Nepal.
Brazil published a 182-page voluntary roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels on November 3. Brazilian officials have said it is not a formal negotiating document. According to Climate Home News, European countries and small island states may push to reference it in the summit’s final decision, while fossil fuel-producing countries oppose this.
Türkiye is also promoting a pledge to raise electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. Climate Home News reported that Australia and some European countries are expected to sign, India may not, and China has not decided.
Why COP31 matters for the Gulf
The UAE hosted COP28 at Expo City Dubai in 2023. Decisions taken in Antalya on energy transition, adaptation finance and clean-technology trade are relevant to Gulf economies, which are major energy exporters and are also investing in renewable power.
The European Union has said it is arriving without new money, according to Climate Home News, while the Adaptation Fund and the new Pacific Resilience Facility will be seeking donor contributions during the talks.
Quick facts
- Event: COP31, the 31st UN Climate Change Conference
- Venue: Antalya Expo Center, Türkiye
- Dates: November 9 to 20, 2026
- COP31 President: Murat Kurum (Türkiye)
- Negotiations led by: Chris Bowen (Australia)
- Previous COP: COP30, Belém, Brazil (2025)
Sources: Climate Home News, Climate and Capital Media
