What is COP31? The Antalya climate conference, explained

This guide explains how the UN climate conference is organized. It is general information, not legal, policy or investment advice.

COP31 is the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the yearly climate talks. It runs Nov. 9 to 20, 2026, at the Antalya Expo Center in Türkiye. Türkiye hosts, with Murat Kurum nominated as COP31 President, while Australia's Chris Bowen serves as President of Negotiations. A leaders' summit is set for Nov. 11-12.

Update, Nov. 9, 2026 (about 10:50 a.m. CT): The agenda has been adopted. Carbon Brief's live post from the plenary and Climate Home News reported that COP31 President Murat Kurum announced the agenda had been settled, averting a prolonged agenda fight. A new climate finance work programme was added. Proposals to add tripling adaptation finance and climate-related trade measures were not, "without prejudice" to those issues coming up under other items, Carbon Brief reported. Mountains and climate will go to presidency consultations instead. Carbon Brief said the EU only "took note" of the agenda and objected to how the finance work programme was added. The UNFCCC's own COP31 hub still returned an empty challenge page to our tools, so these details are attributed to those outlets.

Earlier update, Nov. 9, 2026 (about 7:25 a.m. CT): COP31 has opened. The talks opened Monday in Antalya, AFP reported. The opening ceremony started about 90 minutes late without explanation, after negotiators argued late Sunday over whether climate-finance items belong on the agenda. Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that Murat Kurum addressed the opening as COP31 President and called it an "Implementation COP." Chris Bowen, the president of negotiations, said the agenda has more than 160 items. Both outlets say Türkiye is promoting a voluntary pledge to raise electricity's share of global final energy use to 35% by 2035. The UNFCCC's own COP31 hub hadn't posted an opening-day summary we could read by early Monday, so these details are attributed to the wire reports. The leaders' summit is still listed for Nov. 11–12.

Key facts - COP31 is the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the 1992 UNFCCC, parent treaty to the 2015 Paris Agreement (UNFCCC COP31 hub). - Dates and venue: Nov. 9–20, 2026, at the Antalya EXPO Center in Soğucaksu / Aksu, Antalya, Türkiye (UNFCCC IFP). - Türkiye hosts; Murat Kurum is nominated President of COP31; Australia's Chris Bowen is President of Negotiations (UNFCCC). - Leaders' Summit: Nov. 11–12, 2026; Green Zone closed to visitors those days (UNFCCC IFP). - Blue Zone = UN-managed, accredited participants; Green Zone = host-managed, open to the public (UNFCCC Media Bulletin Note #1, 07/11/2026).

Each year, nearly every country on Earth sends negotiators to a UN climate conference. COP31 is this year's edition. Here's what the UNFCCC itself says about who is running it, where it meets and what sits on the formal agenda — without forecasting the outcome.

What is COP31?

According to the UNFCCC, COP31 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Türkiye, and is the 31st meeting of the Parties to the 1992 UNFCCC, the parent treaty of the Paris Agreement (UNFCCC).

The same page says UN Climate Change Conferences take place every year and are "the world's only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change that brings together almost every country on Earth." The meeting also includes related sessions under the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement (CMP 21 and CMA 8), the secretariat's participant A–Z notes (UNFCCC IFP).

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When and where is COP31?

The UNFCCC lists the conference dates as Monday, Nov. 9, through Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 (UNFCCC IFP; UNFCCC hub).

The venue is the Antalya EXPO Center in Soğucaksu, Antalya, with the street address given as Solak Alanya Yolu Serik Caddesi, Aksu – Antalya, Türkiye. The site is reachable from Antalya Airport; the host and secretariat also arrange dedicated shuttle services (UNFCCC IFP). The UNFCCC media bulletin places the venue in the UTC+3 time zone with no daylight saving (Media Bulletin Note #1).

The UNFCCC's About COP31 page likewise places the conference at the Antalya Expo Center from Nov. 9 to 20, 2026 (About COP31).

Who is running COP31?

On the COP31 hub, the UNFCCC states: "Türkiye will host the Conference and Mr. Murat Kurum has been nominated as President of COP31 in Antalya. Mr. Chris Bowen of Australia will be the President of Negotiations" (UNFCCC).

What will negotiators discuss?

The UNFCCC's About COP31 page lists adaptation, reducing greenhouse gas pollution, climate finance and a just transition among the negotiation topics. It also describes a complementary Climate Action Agenda involving businesses, cities, states and civil society. These are topics for discussion, not guaranteed negotiated outcomes (About COP31).

International economic policy outside the UNFCCC process — for example, how U.S. tariff authority has been litigated — is covered in our separate explainer on IEEPA tariff refunds.

Who can attend?

Access splits into two zones:

• Blue Zone. The UNFCCC-authorized area of the venue. It is open only to accredited participants and hosts official negotiations, the World Climate Action Summit, country pavilions, presidency events and side events (UNFCCC IFP; Media Bulletin Note #1).
• Green Zone. Managed by the host country. The About page describes it as a public-access area for solutions and innovation (About COP31). The media bulletin adds that it is open to the public and accredited media, with a bus shuttle linking the two zones (Media Bulletin Note #1).

Registration for Parties, UN entities, admitted observers and media runs through the UNFCCC Online Registration System; visitor registration for the Green Zone is handled separately on the host side (UNFCCC IFP). The IFP also states that the Green Zone is closed to visitors during the Leaders' Summit on Nov. 11–12.

FAQ

What does COP stand for? Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — the 1992 treaty. COP31 is the 31st meeting of that body (UNFCCC).

Why are there two presidents? Türkiye hosts, and Murat Kurum has been nominated as President of COP31; Australia's Chris Bowen is President of Negotiations (UNFCCC). This guide states the arrangement only.

Can the public attend? The host-run Green Zone is open to the public; the Blue Zone is for accredited participants only (About COP31; Media Bulletin Note #1). The Green Zone closes to visitors during the Leaders' Summit on Nov. 11–12 (UNFCCC IFP).

When is the leaders' summit? Nov. 11–12, 2026 (UNFCCC IFP).

Sources

• UNFCCC, UN Climate Change Conference - Antalya, November 2026
• UNFCCC, About COP31
• UNFCCC, Information for COP 31 participants (A–Z)
• UNFCCC, Media Bulletin Note #1 (version 07/11/2026)

Photo: Esginmurat, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped to 16:9).

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By Monsaur Othman · Last updated Nov. 9, 2026

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources. Written and edited by The Whole Read newsroom under Monsaur Othman's editorial standards. How we use AI · Editorial policy · Corrections

General information, not legal or policy advice. The Whole Read is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates, parties or conference outcomes.

Schedule note: The UNFCCC's general get-ready page has different summit-date wording. This guide follows the more specific participant information and observer arrangements, which list Nov. 11–12. Schedules and access rules can change; check those official updates before making plans.