The first preparatory meeting for the upcoming COP31 summit was held in Antalya, a Mediterranean city at the heart of a major diplomatic forum and a popular tourist destination.

Speaking at the meeting on Saturday, Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum said the leadership of the summit was crucial as every country declaring a decision on the fight against climate change would heed Türkiye’s guidance.

The 31st Conference of the Parties is scheduled to take place on Nov. 9-20, 2026, primarily in Antalya, with a leaders’ summit in Istanbul.

Türkiye secured the hosting and presidency of COP31 following negotiations led by Kurum at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP30 conference, held last year in Brazil. The hosting "battle” pitted Türkiye against Australia, with Ankara ultimately succeeding. Ankara and Canberra had both submitted bids in 2022 to host COP31. They had refused to stand down before the deal in Brazil, which set out that Türkiye would serve as the venue while delegating negotiating responsibilities to Australia.

On Saturday, Kurum joined representatives from six ministries to coordinate efforts to host the summit. As the official chair of the summit, he visited the Antalya EXPO Fairgrounds, the venue, and held talks with local administrators.

He told reporters that the world’s focus would be on Antalya and Türkiye would be a signatory to every major decision made at the summit.

"More than 80,000 people from 196 countries will be here, and we will show them Türkiye’s power to hold such summits and our hospitality,” he said.

The Conference of the Parties summit is held annually in a different country, where countries discuss greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, policies to combat climate change, climate funding and carbon market regulations. The COP summit also set rules for implementing the Paris Agreement, a key agreement to combat climate change. Countries hosting COP summits increase their diplomatic visibility, as they are at the heart of global climate policy.

Expectations were high at COP30, held in Belem in November 2025, for a concrete, time-bound road map to phase out fossil fuels. Instead, the final document made no firm commitment to exit fossil fuels, leaving what many consider the most critical issue in the climate crisis unresolved.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) last week, Ümit Şahin, coordinator of Climate Change Studies at Sabancı University’s Istanbul Policy Center, said COP30 was severely undermined by the absence of the U.S., one of history’s largest polluters, following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and pursue policies openly hostile to the expansion of renewable energy.

Şahin noted that strong competition between Australia and Türkiye to host the conference has already raised expectations.

"COP31 is expected to be both ambitious and distinctive," he said.

He also highlighted growing climate cooperation among Mediterranean civil society organizations in recent years. Given the Antalya venue, he expects forest fires, heat waves, extreme temperatures and other Mediterranean-specific climate risks to feature prominently on the agenda for coastal countries.

"Deforestation was one of COP30’s clearest failures," Şahin reiterated. "I believe Türkiye has a genuine opportunity to drive progress on this issue at COP31."

Electrification, accelerating efforts to phase out fossil fuels and stronger mitigation commitments are also expected to dominate discussions, he added.

As host and president of COP31, Türkiye will face close scrutiny of its own climate policies, beginning with the ambition of its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Şahin said.

He stressed that hosting the summit requires credible leadership at home. Türkiye must fully embrace its 2053 net-zero pledge, publicly commit to a clear coal phase-out timeline and align national policies with global climate goals, according to Şahin.

COP meetings have been held on a rotating basis across continents since 1995. Some notable hosts include Germany (Berlin) for COP1, Japan (Kyoto) for COP3 Denmark (Copenhagen) for COP15, France (Paris) for COP21, where the Paris Agreement was adopted, the United Kingdom (Glasgow) for COP26, Egypt (Sharm el-Sheikh) for COP27, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) for COP28, Azerbaijan (Baku) for COP29 in 2024 and Brazil (Belem) for COP30 in 2025.

Hosting a COP requires large-scale organizational capacity. The host country must prepare infrastructure capable of serving more than 100,000 participants, including expansive meeting halls and media centers, as well as spaces for side events, and comprehensive security arrangements. An event of this scale also demands strong logistics and transportation planning.

The host nation is responsible for meeting the U.N.'s security standards and implementing zero-waste practices, sustainability criteria, and a carbon-neutral operations plan. Because heads of state and government attend the summit, the country must also conduct high-level diplomatic preparations and coordinate pre-negotiation meetings and technical committee sessions without disruptions.

In this sense, the host country is not only responsible for managing the logistics of a massive event but also for ensuring that global negotiations take place in a constructive environment.

For Türkiye, hosting the summit would position the country as a hub of global climate diplomacy for two weeks. The process is expected to significantly increase international interest in Türkiye in areas such as climate finance, clean energy and green technology.

Türkiye’s climate policies, emissions-reduction targets, and green transition programs would serve as a global example.