COP31 and Climate Diplomacy: Türkiye's Zero Waste Initiative and Hosting Role

Why It Matters

Türkiye is due to host the 31st UN climate conference (COP31) in Antalya in November 2026 and to provide its president, under a compromise announced at COP30 in Belém in November 2025 in which Australia leads the negotiating track. The outcome gives Ankara a central convening role in global climate diplomacy, built on two assets it promotes internationally: the Zero Waste initiative and a 2053 net-zero goal. It also puts Türkiye's own climate record, including its coal use and the ambition of its targets, under closer international scrutiny.

Background

Türkiye's climate trajectory

Türkiye became a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2004 and to the Kyoto Protocol in 2009. It was listed in Annex I of the Convention, but COP7 in Marrakesh recognised its 'special circumstances' in decision 26/CP.7. Ankara argues that this distinguishes its position from that of other Annex I countries, particularly regarding access to climate finance.

The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) approved the Paris Agreement in October 2021, after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced at the UN General Assembly in September 2021 that Türkiye would proceed with ratification and aim for net-zero emissions by 2053. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change coordinates national climate policy. Türkiye's Climate Law, adopted by the TBMM in July 2025, provides a legal framework for the 2053 goal and for an emissions trading system.

The Zero Waste initiative

The Zero Waste project was launched in 2017 under the patronage of Emine Erdoğan, and the Zero Waste Regulation followed in 2019. The initiative promotes waste prevention, separate collection, and recycling across public institutions, businesses and households. It was taken to the UN level in 2020, when a High-Level Advisory Board on Zero Waste was set up under the UN Secretary-General with Emine Erdoğan as its honorary chair.

On 14 December 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 77/161, which declared 30 March the International Day of Zero Waste. The Day is facilitated by UNEP and UN-Habitat and was first observed in 2023. Türkiye sponsored the resolution, which was adopted with broad cross-regional support.

Timeline

The COP31 arrangement

COP presidencies rotate among the five UN regional groups, and COP31 falls to the Western European and Others Group (WEOG). Both Türkiye and Australia sought to host. Because UNFCCC decisions rely on consensus and WEOG did not settle the question internally, the matter went to COP30. The compromise announced there provides that Türkiye hosts the conference in Antalya and its nominee serves as COP31 President, while Australia takes a newly defined role, widely described as 'President of Negotiations', for leading the negotiating process, with a pre-COP meeting planned in the Pacific region. Türkiye's Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, has been named as the expected COP31 President. The detailed division of tasks is being formalised through the UNFCCC process and should be checked against current UNFCCC documents.

What a COP presidency means procedurally

The COP President is elected by the plenary at the opening session, and the role is traditionally held by a minister of the host country. The UNFCCC has never formally adopted its rules of procedure on voting, so decisions are taken by consensus. The presidency therefore has no power to impose outcomes. Its main functions are:

• Chairing plenary sessions and ruling on procedural matters.
• Convening consultations with negotiating blocs such as the G77 and China, the Least Developed Countries group, the Alliance of Small Island States and the EU.
• Proposing compromise texts, including the overarching 'cover decision' that often carries political signals.
• Setting the agenda tone through a presidency vision and thematic days.
• Working with the UNFCCC secretariat, which handles conference administration under a host country agreement.

The COP31 split between hosting and negotiation leadership is unusual, which is why observers are watching how responsibilities are written down.

Key Players & Positions

• UNFCCC secretariat and parties: The secretariat's published COP documents are the authoritative record of the decision and the host arrangements. Parties adopt outcomes only by consensus.
• Australia: The Australian government, led on this file by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, has stated that it will lead the negotiations at COP31 and has emphasised Pacific priorities, including the regional pre-COP. Australia had earlier bid to host with Pacific partners.
• Pacific island states and AOSIS: Small island states stress adaptation finance, loss and damage, and the 1.5°C temperature goal, and want the Pacific's concerns visible in the process.
• EU and other WEOG members: They generally favour stronger mitigation outcomes, a transition away from fossil fuels and credible implementation plans from all hosts.
• Developing-country groups: The G77 and China and the Least Developed Countries group prioritise climate finance, adaptation, and fair burden-sharing under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (Article 3 of the UNFCCC).
• Civil society and independent analysts: Groups such as Climate Action Tracker have in past assessments rated Türkiye's targets as 'critically insufficient' for the 1.5°C goal. They also point to continued coal-fired generation. Supporters of Türkiye's bid counter that hosting increases pressure for stronger action and that Türkiye's per-capita emissions are below the OECD average.

Source Comparison

Readers should consult the original UNFCCC documents and national submissions rather than rely on summaries. Our editorial principles explain how we separate reporting from stated positions, and the FAQ covers our methodology.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• COP (Conference of the Parties): The UNFCCC's supreme decision-making body, which meets annually.
• COP President: The presiding officer elected by the COP, normally a minister of the host country.
• President of Negotiations: A role announced for COP31 for Australia; it has no precedent in UNFCCC rules, so its detailed terms will be set in COP documents.
• NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution): A country's climate pledge under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement.
• Business-as-usual (BAU): A projected emissions baseline against which reductions are calculated. It differs from reductions measured against a historical base year, which complicates comparison between countries.
• Net zero: A balance between greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Target years and definitions vary by country.
• Zero Waste: Türkiye's initiative for preventing waste and improving recycling, recognised through UNGA resolution 77/161.
• Annex I: The UNFCCC list of industrialised countries and economies in transition, with specific commitments.

Related guides: About The Political Accord, UN Security Council reform: 'The world is bigger than five', and Russia–Ukraine mediation and the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The Political Accord presents global affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Role' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.

By The Political Accord Editorial Team.

Cross-Publication Dossiers & Sister Desk Perspectives

For complementary primary-source analysis across our specialist editorial network, consult:

• The State Papers: COP31 and Climate Diplomacy: Türkiye's Zero Waste Initiative and Hosting Role — How Türkiye's COP31 hosting role, Zero Waste initiative and 2053 net-zero target fit together: verified facts, stakeholder views and Ankara's stated policy.
• Bloc Politics: COP31 and Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy: Zero Waste, Hosting Role and What to Expect — How COP31 in Antalya works, what Türkiye's climate diplomacy and Zero Waste initiative mean, and how the EU, Global South and Pacific frame the talks.
• Borders & Blocs: COP31, Zero Waste and Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy — What does hosting COP31 mean for Türkiye? A guide to the Antalya arrangement, Zero Waste initiative, 2053 net-zero goal, Paris status and critics' views.