Turkey Says 91 Leaders Join UN Climate Talks
Key Facts
- What: COP31, the UN’s annual climate conference (Conference of the Parties), opens in Antalya, Türkiye, on Nov. 9.
- When: Nov. 9-20, 2026; leaders meet Nov. 11-12. Antalya is eight hours ahead of US Eastern Time (ET).
- Leaders: 91 heads of state and government have confirmed, says conference president Murat Kurum.
- Not known: the official opening time and whether the United States will send a delegation.
Leader Count Keeps Rising
Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s environment minister and COP31 President, said on Saturday, Oct. 31, that 91 heads of state and government have confirmed for the Antalya conference, the centrepiece of our COP31 climate summit Antalya (leaders 11-12 Nov) coverage. The count was 85 on Oct. 22.
Kurum expects delegations from 196 countries, nearly 300 ministers and about 1.5 million visitors. These are his projections, and the conference website cites smaller figures.
Calendar and Venue
The conference runs from Nov. 9 to Nov. 20 at the Antalya Expo Center. The Leaders’ Summit follows on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 11-12, the third and fourth days.
The venue has a public Green Zone and a restricted Blue Zone for registered participants. The Blue Zone is the official negotiation area of the UN climate secretariat, known as the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).
The conference site lists the first Green Zone session on Monday, Nov. 9, at 10:30, without naming a time zone. If that is local time (UTC+3, three hours ahead of Greenwich time), it is 2:30 a.m. ET.
Who Runs the Talks
Kurum presides under a compromise reached at COP30, in which Türkiye hosts and Australia leads the negotiations. Chris Bowen, Australia’s climate and energy minister, is President of Negotiations.
Fatma Varank is Türkiye’s chief climate negotiator. Samed Ağırbaş, president of the Zero Waste Foundation, is High-Level Champion, tasked with mobilising business, cities and civil society.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will arrive on Nov. 10 and attend the summit, and is due in the Philippines on Nov. 13.
What Is at Stake
Organisers are pushing the Antalya Compact for Energy Efficient Buildings, an initiative open for endorsement by all countries taking part. The UN Environment Programme warned in October that emissions must fall by nearly one-fifth within four years.
Amnesty International, a human-rights group, published an explainer on Nov. 2. It criticises Türkiye’s treatment of civil society, environmental defenders and LGBTI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) groups.
What It Means for US Readers
The United States left the Paris Agreement on Jan. 27, 2026. It announced its exit from the UN climate convention in January, filed formal notice on Feb. 27, and the exit takes effect on Feb. 27, 2027.
Washington therefore remains technically a party for now, though we found no confirmed US delegation. Antalya is eight hours ahead of ET after US clocks went back on Nov. 1, so a 10:30 a.m. session there is 2:30 a.m. ET.
What Is Not Known
The official opening-plenary time and time zone are unconfirmed, and we found no webcast link for US viewers. Whether any pre-summit deal text exists is also unknown.
Türkiye’s leader count is an organiser claim, not an independent tally. The US sent no high-level delegation to COP30.
Sources
COP31 Presidency (cop31.tr); statements by COP31 President Murat Kurum, Oct. 22 and Oct. 31; Amnesty International explainer, Nov. 2, 2026; UNFCCC; The Rio Times COP31 hub.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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Frequently Asked Questions
When does COP31 start and where is it held?
COP31 runs from Nov. 9 to Nov. 20, 2026, at the Antalya Expo Center in Türkiye. The official opening time is not confirmed.
When is the Leaders’ Summit?
The Leaders’ Summit is on Nov. 11-12, the third and fourth days of the conference. Kurum says 91 heads of state and government have confirmed.
How can US readers follow COP31?
Antalya is eight hours ahead of ET, and our COP31 hub lists every report on the talks. A webcast link could not be confirmed.