Australia’s prime minister said he would not block Turkey from hosting the 2026 UN climate conference, signaling that Canberra may step aside to resolve a diplomatic standoff overshadowing this year’s talks.
Diplomats at the ongoing COP30 summit in Brazil have only days left to settle competing bids from Australia and Turkey.
If neither government withdraws, the COP31 conference will automatically default to Bonn, Germany — an outcome most countries are trying to avoid.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday evening gave the clearest indication yet that Australia might stand down.
“If Australia is not chosen, if Turkey is chosen, we wouldn’t seek to veto that,” he told reporters.
There is no formal vote to select a host.
Under United Nations rules, a host country can only be chosen by consensus.
That means Australia or Turkey must withdraw voluntarily, or both risk losing out.
“The way that the system works is that if there is not agreement and there’s more than one candidate, it goes to Bonn,” Albanese said.
“There is considerable concern, not just from the Pacific, but internationally as well, that that will not send a good signal about the unity that’s needed for the world to act on climate.”
Australia has been campaigning to host COP31 together with Pacific Island nations facing severe threats from rising seas and extreme weather.
But the government is reportedly divided over whether to pursue an event that some estimates say could cost as much as $1.3 billion.
Pacific plight
Albanese said that even if Australia stepped aside, he would look for ways to keep Pacific issues at the forefront.
“What we would seek to do is to ensure that the Pacific benefited from that, through measures, potentially like a leaders’ meeting, to be held in the Pacific.”
After the prime minister’s remarks, an Australian government spokesperson emphasized that Australia still had “overwhelming support” among potential hosts.
“But of course we will continue to negotiate with Turkey in good faith for an outcome in the best interests of the Pacific and our national interest,” the spokesperson said.
As recently as Monday, Climate Minister Chris Bowen said Australia was still “fighting hard” to beat Turkey’s bid.
“We don’t know how it’ll go. But we’re in it to win it,” he told Agence France-Presse in Brazil.
Australia has already rejected Turkey’s proposal for a joint presidency, arguing it would not be feasible to divide such complex responsibilities between two geographically distant countries.
© Agence France-Presse