What is COP31?

COP in brief

COP (Conference of the Parties) is the supreme decision-making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in 1992. Every year the Parties meet to review implementation of the Convention, assess global progress and take the decisions needed for an effective, coordinated response to climate change.¹

COPs are not only for governments: heads of state sit alongside scientists, business, local governments and civil society.¹

Three milestones

The Paris Agreement was adopted by 195 Parties on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.² It runs on a five-year cycle: countries submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), each expected to be more ambitious than the last, report under a transparency framework and take stock collectively through the global stocktake.²

COP31: Antalya, 9–20 November 2026

COP31 is the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties, hosted by Türkiye in Antalya on 9–20 November 2026.¹

• Parties: 197
• Expected participants: around 100,000
• COP31 President: Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change¹

The hosting arrangement was settled at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025: Türkiye hosts COP31 and holds the Presidency, including the World Leaders Summit, while Australia serves as President of Negotiations. The Pacific hosts the pre-COP.³⁴

Samed Ağırbaş, president of the Zero Waste Foundation, was appointed COP31 Climate High-Level Champion, tasked with mobilising cities, regions, businesses, investors and civil society alongside the negotiations.⁵

Blue Zone and Green Zone

The venue has two parts:⁶⁷

• Blue Zone: the UN-managed negotiation area, open only to accredited participants (delegations, observer organisations, media).
• Green Zone: coordinated by the host and open to the public — exhibitions, country and organisation pavilions, talks, workshops, cultural events and networking. Visitors can register on cop31.tr.

The backbone of the programme: thematic days

Each of the twelve days has its own priority. The World Leaders Climate Action Summit takes place on 11–12 November. For SMEs, the key date is 16 November, dedicated to science, green industrialisation, technology, digitalisation, low-carbon manufacturing — and SMEs by name.⁸⁹ See our calendar for the full list.

Why it matters: the Presidency frames COP31 as the moment "to move from negotiation to implementation".¹⁰ That means concrete projects, solutions and investment — a direct opportunity for business.