UN Climate Change News, 9 October 2026 - The Host Country Agreement between the government of Türkiye and the UNFCCC has now been finalized and come into force, with a range of strengthened measures to support an inclusive, efficient and effective COP31 in Antalya in November this year.
The Host Country Agreement (HCA) provides the legal basis for organising and hosting the UN climate conference (the COP, or Conference of the Parties) each year.
Recently ratified by Türkiye's Parliament, the COP31 HCA will help to improve the efficiency of developing future HCAs.
The COP31 HCA consolidates a series of improvements made to HCAs in recent years and also includes important new innovations and efficiencies agreed with Türkiye this year. They include:
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A consolidated approach to human rights, including on inclusion, covering gender, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and persons with disabilities. This helps make inclusion and gender central organizing principles.
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Accommodation prices for participants funded through the Trust Fund for Participation are capped at 50% of the daily subsistence allowance, supporting full participation by countries with limited financial capacity.
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Arrangements for accommodation for all other participants have been strengthened through an additional obligation for early engagement with the hospitality sector and a requirement to inform participants of their customer rights under Turkish consumer law.
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The HCA recognizes the role of the Bureau by providing that it will be kept informed of any issues that arise, and by requiring the host country to report to the Bureau after COP31 on achievements and challenges in the organization of the conference and implementation of the HCA.
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The HCA extends to UN Climate Change meetings held in the host country before and after the COP. This will help facilitate future UN Climate Change meetings post-session. It is part of ongoing efforts to improve efficiency and reduce costs for the secretariat and host country, responding to calls from Parties for continued efficiencies.
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The agreement provides enhanced regulation of contractual arrangements for leasing delegation and pavilion space within the Conference premises.
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A new provision requires the host government to follow best practices for project management across COP operations. In practice, this includes monitoring risks, timelines and milestones, supporting modern conference management, efficiency and cost savings.
The agreement was co-signed by COP31 President-Designate, Minister Murat Kurum, and UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, during the SB64 June Meetings in Bonn.
It entered into force and was published in September by UN Climate Change, in accordance with the requirement for publication to follow both the ratification of the agreement by the Parliament of Türkiye (which took place on Friday 31 July), as well as the receipt by the secretariat of official confirming correspondence.
Türkiye and UN Climate Change have worked over many months to produce an HCA that gives greater clarity and predictability for participants and supports the practical delivery of a successful conference.
The COP31 HCA can be found here, reflecting the secretariat's commitment to transparency of HCAs.
