# Where is COP31?

*The United Nations climate conference opened on November 9 and is under way, with Türkiye holding the presidency and Australia leading the negotiations.*

- Type: Explainer
- Section: Science
- By: Science Desk
- Published: 2026-11-12T01:57:00-05:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T01:57:00-05:00
- URL: https://factsdesk.com/science/where-is-cop31/

## Key facts

- COP31, the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, takes place in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, 2026. Source: [United Nations](https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop31). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:52:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/science/where-is-cop31/#cop31-the-31st-united-nations-climate-change-conference
- The conference opened in Antalya on Monday, November 9, 2026, and is set to close on Friday, November 20. Source: [UN News](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168763). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:54:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/science/where-is-cop31/#the-conference-opened-in-antalya-on-monday-november-9-2026
- Türkiye's environment minister, Murat Kurum, is the COP31 President, and Australia's climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, oversees the negotiations. Source: [UN News](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168763). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:54:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/science/where-is-cop31/#turkiye-s-environment-minister-murat-kurum-is-the-cop31
- Under the agreement reached at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, Türkiye hosts the conference and the World Leaders Summit in Antalya, and Australia is President of Negotiations until the end of COP31. Source: [Prime Minister of Australia](https://www.pm.gov.au/media/cop-be-hosted-turkiye-australia-leading-negotiations). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:55:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/science/where-is-cop31/#under-the-agreement-reached-at-cop30-in-belem-brazil-turkiye

COP31 is in Antalya, Türkiye, where the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference [runs from November 9 to 20, 2026](https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop31). The conference is under way: it [opened on Monday, November 9](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168763), and UN News reported that it is set to close on Friday, November 20.

## Place and dates

| Item | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Place | Antalya, Türkiye |
| Opened | November 9, 2026 |
| Set to close | November 20, 2026 |

The place and the dates are stated on the [United Nations page for COP31](https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop31). Antalya is a city on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, and UN News [reported](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168763) that nearly 200 countries are attending and that more than 90,000 people are expected there.

## Who presides over COP31

Two countries hold the leading roles.

- Türkiye holds the presidency. Its environment minister, Murat Kurum, took the gavel as COP31 President on the opening morning, [according to UN News](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168763).
- Australia leads the negotiations. Its climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, oversees them under what the same UN News report called a co-presidency arrangement agreed during COP30.

## What the arrangement says

The Australian government [set out the terms](https://www.pm.gov.au/media/cop-be-hosted-turkiye-australia-leading-negotiations) on November 23, 2025, after the agreement was reached at COP30 in Belem, Brazil. Under those terms, Türkiye physically hosts the COP31 conference and the World Leaders Summit in Antalya and was to be nominated for election as COP President. Australia is President of Negotiations from the end of COP30 until the end of COP31, a role the statement said carries "exclusive authority in relation to the negotiations", and it said Mr. Bowen would fill that role.

The same statement said Australia selects ministerial and other co-facilitators for the negotiations and identifies additional champions with Türkiye for the action agenda. It also said Australia, in partnership with the Pacific, would set the agenda for and preside over a special meeting before the conference, called a Pre-COP, to be held in the Pacific in 2026.

Australia's climate department [describes the role](https://unfccc-cop.dcceew.gov.au/cop31) as presiding over the COP31 negotiations at the summit.

## What COP31 is

COP31 is the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, as the [United Nations page](https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop31) describes it. COP30, the meeting before it, was held in Belem, Brazil, where the hosting arrangement for COP31 [was agreed](https://www.pm.gov.au/media/cop-be-hosted-turkiye-australia-leading-negotiations).

## Sources

1. [COP31 to take place 9-20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye](https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop31), United Nations, 2026-11-12 (primary source)
2. [COP31 opens in Antalya: Can climate promises finally deliver results?](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168763), UN News, 2026-11-09 (primary source)
3. [COP to be hosted by Türkiye with Australia leading negotiations](https://www.pm.gov.au/media/cop-be-hosted-turkiye-australia-leading-negotiations), Prime Minister of Australia, 2025-11-23 (primary source)
4. [Australia will be President of Negotiations for COP31](https://unfccc-cop.dcceew.gov.au/cop31), Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 2026-11-12 (primary source)