Australia says it won't co-host the COP31 climate summit with Türkiye amid an ongoing stalemate between the two countries over which one should stage the United Nations conference next year.
Türkiye had previously proposed jointly leading next year's UN climate summit with Australia as a compromise as both want to host it.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday during a media briefing in Melbourne, "No, we won't be co-hosting because co-hosting isn't provided for under the rules of the (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)."
"So that's not an option and people are aware that it is not an option, which is why it has been ruled out."
Australia and Türkiye both submitted bids in 2022 to host COP31 and neither has withdrawn, leading to an attention-sapping impasse that must be overcome at this year's COP30 meeting currently taking place in Belem, Brazil.
Australia's climate change minister Chris Bowen arrived in Belem on Sunday, which "has been a shot in the arm for Australia's bid", said Thom Woodroofe, a senior fellow with the Smart Energy Council in Australia.
Woodroofe said it would be difficult for Australia and Türkiye to co-host COP31 given the two countries have very different priorities, but added that Australia should find a way to accommodate Türkiye's desire to lead.
UN rules require unanimity among the 28-strong group of countries whose turn it is to host COP31. If neither Australia nor Türkiye compromises, hosting duties would default to Bonn in Germany, which houses the UN's climate headquarters.
German officials have said they do not want to host.
The annual COP, or Conference of the Parties, is the world's main forum for driving climate action. But it has grown over the years from diplomatic gatherings into vast trade shows where host countries can promote economic prospects.
The host matters because they set the agenda and lead the diplomacy needed to reach global agreements.
Albanese this month wrote to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an attempt to resolve the tussle as he pushes to host the summit with Pacific island nations for the first time.
A regional diplomatic bloc of 18 countries, the Pacific Islands Forum, is backing Australia's bid. Several Pacific island nations are at risk from rising seas.
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China and Kenya have agreed to revive a long-delayed railway project, signalling renewed momentum in infrastructure cooperation and a shift towards more sustainable financing models across Africa.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
The war in Iran has rapidly upended regional security, triggering spillover across the Middle East and raising fears of wider economic disruption that could threaten globalisation.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
Heavy rain, flash floods and lightning strikes across Afghanistan have killed 28 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Kabul, Herat and other provinces.
Central Asia is stepping up efforts to address rapid glacier melt, following United Nations warnings of unprecedented climate pressure on mountain ecosystems.
Europe's aviation sector hit - and may well have surpassed - a 2% mandate for green jet fuel use in 2025, a regulatory official and a source told Reuters, bolstering airlines' green credentials as the region seeks to cut reliance on hydrocarbons.
Central Asia’s energy systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable as countries depend heavily on single power sources while facing mounting climate pressures, a new report by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) warns.
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state has risen to 46, authorities said, with 21 people still reported missing. The storms triggered landslides and widespread flooding, displacing thousands across Juiz de Fora and Uba.
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