COP31 in Antalya: dates, venue, zones and how it works

What COP31 is

COP stands for "Conference of the Parties": the annual meeting of the nearly 200 countries that signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). COP31 is the 31st of these meetings. It is where governments negotiate how the Paris Agreement is implemented, how climate finance is scaled up and how progress is measured, and where the Türkiye Presidency runs its own "Action Agenda" of voluntary initiatives alongside the formal talks.

Alongside the negotiations, a COP is a two-week trade fair of climate policy: country pavilions, side events, press conferences, a Leaders' Summit and, in the public Green Zone, exhibitions and talks for anyone who registers.

When and where

COP31 takes place from Monday 9 to Friday 20 November 2026 at the ANFAŞ Antalya Expo Center in Soğucaksu, Aksu, on the eastern edge of Antalya and a few minutes from Antalya Airport. The World Leaders' Summit is scheduled for 11–12 November, on days three and four rather than at the opening, which is a departure from recent COPs.

Pre-sessional meetings take place in the days before the opening, and a pre-COP was held in Fiji on 5–8 October 2026 with a leaders' visit to Tuvalu. The detailed daily programme is published by the UNFCCC shortly before the conference starts.

Who runs it: the Türkiye–Australia arrangement

Both Türkiye and Australia bid to host COP31. Under the compromise reached in November 2025, Türkiye hosts the conference and holds the COP Presidency, while Australia presides over the formal negotiations. In practice that means Murat Kurum, Türkiye's Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, serves as COP President, and Chris Bowen, Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy, is President of Negotiations. Türkiye leads the Action Agenda; Samed Ağırbaş has been named High-Level Climate Champion.

Blue Zone and Green Zone

The Blue Zone is the official conference area managed by the UNFCCC: negotiation halls, the Leaders' Summit, country pavilions, press centre and accredited side events. Only people accredited through the UNFCCC process (party delegations, observers, UN agencies, media) can enter, with a badge collected in person against a passport or government ID.

The Green Zone is the public half of the venue, organised by the Türkiye Presidency: exhibitions, panels, workshops, film screenings, concerts and networking events. Entry is generally free but requires online registration and a valid ID; bags are screened. The organisers quote opening hours of roughly 09:00 to 20:00, which may vary by event, and note that most Green Zone sessions are in Turkish with some in English. Expect tighter security around the Leaders' Summit days; check the programme for any closures.

The ten presidency themes

The Türkiye Presidency has set ten thematic priorities for the conference, with finance, technology and capacity building running across all of them:

• Zero Waste
• Oceans and Seas
• Food Security
• Climate-Resilient Cities
• Climate Implementation Bridge (CIB)
• Youth and Education
• Green Industrialisation
• Clean Energy Transition
• Rio Synergy (climate, biodiversity and desertification together)
• Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems

Registration, badges and visas

Blue Zone access runs through the UNFCCC: parties nominate their delegations, admitted observer organisations nominated theirs by 10 August 2026, and media accreditation closed on 16 October. Badges are free and collected on site. Green Zone visitors register separately on the Presidency's website for day passes.

Registered participants who need a visa apply for a dedicated "COP31 Visa" on Türkiye's e-Visa portal using the registration code from their UNFCCC acknowledgement letter. According to the Presidency it is free, multiple-entry, valid from 1 to 30 November 2026 for stays of up to 30 days, and issued within about seven working days. Passports must be valid for at least 90 days after arrival, and Turkish regulations require travel medical insurance, which you may be asked to show at the border. Nationals who are visa-exempt can still request a Visa Exemption Certificate, and holders of UN laissez-passer must do so.

Health, and oral health, on the COP31 agenda

The World Health Organization runs a Health Pavilion in the Blue Zone for the whole conference, with its events live-streamed. Dentistry has its own programme: the 5th Global Oral Health & Climate Action Conference, led by Penn Dental Medicine with Antalya Bilim University as local host, launches on 6 November and runs 9–20 November alongside COP31 with more than 45 sessions. Our oral-health page explains both.

Getting there and staying

Antalya Airport (AYT) has direct flights from most European hubs and from Istanbul; the Expo Center is a short drive from the terminals. The Presidency says free transport will be provided for accredited participants and that dedicated COP31 shuttles will run between the venue and the main hotel areas. Official accommodation bookings are handled by the Presidency's partner portal.

For distances, hotel areas, taxis, trams, November weather and practical tips, see our Antalya page for COP31 visitors.