With less than two weeks to go before COP31 opens in Antalya, the negotiators who will try to bridge the summit’s hardest divides now have names. Five ministerial pairs from ten countries have been appointed to steer consultations on mitigation, adaptation, finance, just transition and oceans, according to a report on the appointments, as Türkiye and Australia step up preparations for the 9–20 November conference.
The appointments were announced by Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, who will serve as COP31 President of Negotiations. Türkiye will hold the conference presidency, with Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum as President.
Who will guide the five discussions
According to the report, the five pairs will focus on the following areas. Each pair brings together representatives from different regions, a design intended to build trust across negotiating groups and help identify common ground.
On mitigation, India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Germany’s Environment Minister Carsten Schneider will facilitate discussions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening climate action.
On adaptation, the United Kingdom’s Miatta Fahnbulleh and Sierra Leone’s Jiwoh Abdulai will guide consultations on strengthening resilience to climate impacts and supporting vulnerable countries.
On finance, France’s Monique Barbut will work alongside Robert E. A. Borje of the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission.
On just transition, Mexico’s Alicia Bárcena and Poland’s Krzysztof Bolesta will facilitate discussions on ensuring that the shift towards cleaner economies protects workers, communities and vulnerable groups.
On oceans, Palau’s Steven Victor and Canada’s Julie Dabrusin will help gather views on ocean-based climate solutions and coastal resilience.
What facilitators can — and cannot — do
Facilitators do not decide outcomes. Their role is to consult informally with countries and negotiating groups, narrow differences and help ministers find wording they can all accept. Final decisions at COP31 still require agreement among the participating countries.
That limit matters because the issues on their tables are among the most politically sensitive in the negotiations. Finance, the pace of the energy transition and support for vulnerable countries have divided countries at past summits, and the ocean consultations are reported as gathering priorities and opportunities rather than necessarily forming a separate formal negotiating track.
Bowen is reported as hoping the facilitators’ involvement will help deliver “an ambitious outcome based on implementation and acceleration”, and as thanking the appointees on behalf of himself and Kurum.
Why this COP is framed around implementation
Türkiye and Australia have jointly described COP31 as an implementation conference — a summit judged less by new promises than by whether existing commitments become projects, finance and results on the ground. The joint presidency letter sets out six priority areas under the Global Climate Action Agenda, including electrification and the energy transition, the circular economy, resilient cities, sustainable agriculture and food systems, green industrial transformation and climate finance.
Finance is expected to be a central test. At COP29 in Baku, countries agreed that climate finance for developing countries should reach at least 300 billion dollars a year by 2035. Bowen has pointed to the uneven spread of that finance, noting that only 0.2 per cent of worldwide climate finance supports small island developing countries, despite their acute vulnerability.
For background on how finance and the fossil-fuel debate have shaped the road to Antalya, see COP31 in Antalya: Finance, Fossil-Fuel Roadmap and Belém Action Mechanism Take Shape on Negotiation Agenda.
FAKTA
- What: Five pairs of co-facilitators appointed for COP31 talks on mitigation, adaptation, finance, just transition and oceans.
- When and where: COP31, 9–20 November 2026, Antalya Expo Center, Antalya, Türkiye.
- Leadership: Türkiye holds the presidency (Murat Kurum); Australia leads the negotiations (Chris Bowen).
- Role: Facilitators build consensus; they do not impose decisions.
- Key test: Whether finance, adaptation and a fair transition move from pledges to accessible, usable support.
What happens next
The facilitators are expected to consult countries informally before the summit and to help resolve outstanding issues during the conference itself. Their success will be measured in Antalya not by the appointments, but by whether ministers leave with agreements that vulnerable countries can actually use.
