On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, the Leaders’ Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) began at the “Anadolu” Hall in the blue zone of the COP31 venue in Antalya, Turkey, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The summit will continue for two days and is being held as part of the wider conference taking place from November 9–20, bringing together representatives of 196 member countries and the European Union.
Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, is in Antalya at the head of a high-level Kurdistan Region delegation at the formal invitation of the Turkish president. He is participating in the Leaders’ Summit to present the Kurdistan Region’s measures to address climate change and protect the environment. Meanwhile, 102 leaders from 95 countries across six continents are expected to attend the summit.
Turkey is hosting the conference, which is chaired by Murat Kurum, Turkey’s minister of environment and urbanization. Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, is overseeing the negotiations. At the opening ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will outline his country’s position on climate issues. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will also deliver speeches, alongside leaders from more than 40 countries, focusing on the implementation of environmental commitments and the reduction of greenhouse gases.
A key topic in the leaders’ discussions is accelerating the transition to clean energy and electricity, while providing financial support to developing countries to address the effects of climate change. The ceremony’s program also includes a performance by the “Anadolu Ateşi” group, presenting a traditional dance tableau representing Turkey’s seven regions under the message “Diversity in Unity.” The conference’s official song, titled “Let’s Cop,” will also be performed, expressing the theme of “zero waste.”
Those participating at the leaders’ level include: the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Iraq, Austria, the United Kingdom, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Finland, the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Botswana, Burundi, Algeria, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Comoros, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, China, Indonesia, Armenia, Palestine, South Korea, Georgia, Iran, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Australia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Niue, Palau, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
