COP31 Climate Summit 2026: Dates, Host City and Agenda

COP31, the 2026 UN climate summit, opens on Monday, November 9, 2026, and is scheduled to close on Friday, November 20, at the Antalya Expo Center in Antalya, Türkiye, according to the UN climate secretariat (UNFCCC). Antalya runs on Türkiye time (UTC+3), so noon there is 9 a.m. UTC/GMT, 4 a.m. ET and 2:30 p.m. IST. World leaders are due to speak at a summit on November 11 and 12.

This summit is unusual: Türkiye hosts it and holds the COP31 presidency, while Australia's climate minister runs the negotiations. Here is what is on the agenda, who is expected and why it matters, as of October 26, 2026.

When and where is COP31?

The UNFCCC's conference page lists COP31 as the UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026. Its explainer names the Antalya Expo Center as the venue and sets the World Leaders' Summit for 11 and 12 November.

• Dates: November 9 to 20, 2026
• City: Antalya, on the southwest coast of Türkiye
• Venue: Antalya Expo Center
• Leaders' summit: November 11 and 12
• Time zone: Türkiye time (UTC+3). Noon in Antalya is 9 a.m. GMT, 4 a.m. ET and 2:30 p.m. IST.

Official negotiations take place in the UN-run Blue Zone, which only registered participants can enter. The host-run Green Zone, which showcases climate solutions, is open to the public, the UNFCCC says. Türkiye's official COP31 website expects about 100,000 participants from 197 Parties.

Who holds the COP31 presidency?

COP31 is the first climate summit with its presidency split between two countries, as Greenpeace and others note. The UNFCCC says Türkiye hosts the conference and has nominated Murat Kurum, its minister of environment, urbanisation and climate change, as COP31 President. Chris Bowen, Australia's minister for climate change and energy, is President of Negotiations.

Türkiye's presidency has set the summit's Action Agenda, a parallel track for businesses, cities and civil society. Its themes include zero waste, oceans, food security, resilient cities, clean energy and health. Australia, for its part, works with Pacific island nations through an Australia-Pacific partnership that aims to put Pacific voices at the centre of the talks.

The Pacific hosted the last big ministerial meeting before Antalya. Fiji and Australia co-hosted the Pre-COP from October 5 to 8, with a Leaders' event in Tuvalu on October 5 and 6, according to a joint statement from the four ministers. Ministers and attendees from more than 50 countries took part, with a focus on keeping 1.5°C within reach, clean energy, the ocean and finance for vulnerable countries. About 30 countries there backed the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, which calls for faster emission cuts, easier access to finance and stronger ocean protection, according to UNU-EHS.

What is on the COP31 agenda?

The UNFCCC says negotiators will work on adapting to climate impacts, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, climate finance for developing countries and a just transition for workers and communities. Few expect a single landmark deal. The World Resources Institute (WRI) describes Antalya as a summit about putting existing pledges into practice.

National climate plans (NDCs)

Countries have been submitting new national climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), with targets for 2035. UNEP's Emissions Gap Report 2026, released on October 21, assessed 124 new NDCs submitted by September 1, covering about 75% of global emissions, Carbon Brief reported. Fully delivered, current pledges would cut emissions only 11% to 15% below 2025 levels by 2035. UNEP's lowest-overshoot path to 1.5°C needs a 45% cut.

UNEP projects about 2.8°C of warming by 2100 under current policies, 2.6°C if all NDCs are met and 2.1°C if net-zero pledges are also delivered, according to Carbon Brief and Renewable Matter. Its headline finding is that 1.5°C can no longer be met without a temporary overshoot.

Climate finance

At COP29 in Baku, countries agreed a goal of $300 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2035. WRI says developing countries fear shrinking aid budgets could put that at risk. In Antalya, the COP29 and COP30 presidencies are due to add detail to the "Baku to Belém Roadmap" towards $1.3 trillion a year and set up a way to monitor it.

Positions differ on how far that goes. Greenpeace calls the $300 billion goal "woefully inadequate" for climate-vulnerable states. Germanwatch wants secured public funding, new international sources of money and more private capital.

Adaptation

At COP30 in Belém, governments pledged to at least triple adaptation finance for developing countries by 2035. They also adopted 59 indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation, but talks in Bonn in June failed to agree on how to take it forward, UNU-EHS says. WRI says COP31 needs enough progress to let negotiators finalise the goal at COP32.

Energy and fossil fuels

The presidency is promoting a "35 by 35" electrification goal: electricity would supply 35% of the world's final energy use by 2035, up from 23% today, according to WRI and Greenpeace. Greenpeace welcomes the target but says it must not distract from ending fossil fuel expansion. WRI wants countries to plan a just transition away from fossil fuels, with target dates where possible.

Who is expected to attend COP31?

Delegations from the UNFCCC's member Parties attend, along with accredited observers such as business leaders, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, young people and civil society groups.

Fewer heads of government may turn up than at COP28 in 2023. A provisional UN speakers' list, reported by Climate Home News on October 23, named 77 leaders for the November 11 to 12 summit, against 116 who spoke at COP28 in Dubai. Apart from co-hosts Australia and Türkiye, the only G20 countries listed at head of state or government level were the UK, Brazil and China. Climate Home said China will probably send Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, and Brazil's President Lula has said he will attend (see our Brazil election explainer).

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, India, Russia, Canada and Japan were not on the list, which can still change. Yvo de Boer, a former head of the UN climate secretariat, told Climate Home the turnout sends "the wrong signal at a difficult time."

The United States

The US left the Paris Agreement in January 2026 and has formally notified the UN that it is leaving the UNFCCC itself. A UN depositary notification records the withdrawal, which takes effect on February 27, 2027, one year after the UN received notice, Climate Home News reported. That means the US is still formally a party during COP31. The federal government sent no delegates to COP30 in Brazil, and President Donald Trump has never attended a COP, according to Climate Home.

Why COP31 matters

The UNFCCC says climate talks have already brought projected warming down from more than 4°C to about 2.6°C, a point Bowen's pre-COP statement also makes. UNEP's new numbers show the remaining gap is large, and its projections worsened this year, partly because of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

The effects of warming are already showing. WRI notes the world recently had its joint-hottest month on record and warns that a Super El Niño could push 50 million more people into acute hunger by next year. Our El Niño 2026 forecast explainer covers what a strong event usually means around the world.

For low-lying Pacific nations, the stakes are direct. Tuvalu's climate minister, Dr Maina Vakafua Talia, said: "The decisions we make at Pre-COP and COP31 will be felt by our communities first."

Our take

Based on the sources above, Antalya is shaping up as a summit about delivery rather than a new treaty. The concrete tests are whether the finance roadmap gets a credible tracking system, whether adaptation talks move far enough to finish the goal at COP32, and whether the electrification target turns into national plans. The split presidency is new, so how smoothly Türkiye and Australia work together will also be closely watched.

A shorter leaders' list and an empty US seat do not decide the outcome on their own. But they shape the politics, especially on money, where developing countries want firmer commitments from richer ones.

What to watch for

• November 9: the opening and adoption of the agenda in Antalya.
• November 11 and 12: leaders' speeches, and whether more G20 leaders sign up.
• Finance and adaptation: any decision text on the $1.3 trillion roadmap and the adaptation goal.
• Energy: how many countries back the 35% electrification goal.
• November 20: the scheduled close. Final decisions are published on the UNFCCC website.

Frequently asked questions

When is COP31 in 2026?

COP31 runs from Monday, November 9, to Friday, November 20, 2026, according to the UNFCCC. The World Leaders' Summit, where heads of state and government speak, is on November 11 and 12. Antalya is on Türkiye time (UTC+3).

Where is COP31 being held?

COP31 is at the Antalya Expo Center in Antalya, Türkiye. Türkiye hosts the conference, while Australia leads the negotiations in partnership with Pacific island nations. The Pre-COP ministerial meeting took place in Fiji and Tuvalu in October.

Who is the president of COP31?

Murat Kurum, Türkiye's minister of environment, urbanisation and climate change, is COP31 President. Chris Bowen, Australia's minister for climate change and energy, is President of Negotiations. It is the first COP with its presidency split between two countries.

Will the United States attend COP31?

Official US participation is uncertain. The US left the Paris Agreement in January 2026, and its withdrawal from the UNFCCC takes effect on February 27, 2027, so it is still formally a party during COP31. The federal government sent no delegates to COP30 in 2025.

What will COP31 decide?

Negotiators will work on adaptation, emission cuts, finance for developing countries and a just transition. Key items include detail on the Baku to Belém Roadmap towards $1.3 trillion a year and progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation. Few analysts expect a single landmark treaty.

Sources

1. UN Climate Change Conference - Antalya, November 2026, UNFCCC
2. About COP31, UNFCCC
3. COP31 Türkiye Antalya 2026 UN Climate Change Conference, COP31 Türkiye (host presidency)
4. Pre-COP sets course for Pacific-led climate action, Australian Government, Minister for Climate Change and Energy
5. COP31 Australia-Pacific Partnership, Australia-Pacific COP31 Partnership
6. What's at Stake at the Next UN Climate Summit, World Resources Institute
7. Early speakers' list suggests few powerful leaders will attend COP31, Climate Home News
8. US set to exit UN climate convention in February 2027, Climate Home News
9. Depositary Notification C.N.102.2026.TREATIES-XXVII.7, United Nations Treaty Collection
10. UNEP: Opportunity has 'been lost' to meet 1.5C warming limit without 'overshoot', Carbon Brief
11. Emissions Gap Report 2026: current climate commitments are not enough, Renewable Matter
12. 5 Expectations for COP 31 in Antalya, United Nations University (UNU-EHS)
13. What's at stake at COP31 Antalya and why it matters for global climate safety, Greenpeace International
14. COP 31: UN Climate Change Conference, Antalya 2026, Germanwatch

How we wrote this

GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 14 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 26, 2026, and we update the post when they change.