Press conference, COP30, Belem, Brazil

MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE & ENERGY, CHRIS BOWEN: Quite a few meetings, so just a very quick chat with you. Australia's motivation in bidding to host COP31 has always been to, one, elevate the views, and the interests of our Pacific brothers and sisters. Two, to support multilateralism, particularly as it comes under criticism, and three, of course, to act in Australia's best interests.

Now, there's a little way to go in these discussions. Western Europe group has some discussions to undertake over the next 24 hours, but a model in which pre-COP is hosted in the Pacific, in a Pacific island, and it's a pledging event for the Pacific Resilience Fund, which is so important to us. Where the COP is held in Turkiye, but Australia, myself, is appointed COP President for Negotiations, for the purposes of negotiations, is an outcome which achieves those objectives. Obviously, it would be great if Australia could have it all. But we can't have it all. This process works on consensus. 

And consensus means if someone objected to our bid, he would go to Bonn. That would mean 12 months, with a lack of leadership, no COP President in place, no plan. That would be irresponsible for multilateralism and this challenging environment. And we didn't want that to happen. So hence, it was important to strike an agreement with Turkiye, our competitor. I believe the model that I've talked about, pre-COP in the Pacific, Australia as President of the COP for the purposes of negotiations.

So, President of COP Negotiations. COP being held in Turkiye and therefore avoiding it going to Germany, is a model which achieves those objectives. I know some people would be disappointed in that outcome, other people, of course, would be even more disappointed if it had gone to Bonn without a COP President in place.

This is a better outcome than that. I have one or two questions, and I have other meetings to get to.

JOURNALIST: Can you explain the nuance between COP President of Negotiations?

BOWEN: They're separate. Obviously, the WEOG has some questions about that, but basically, as COP President of Negotiations, I would have, all the powers of COP presidency to manage, to handle the negotiations, to appoint co-facilitators, to prepare draft text, and to issue the cover decision. Obviously, it's tradition that the COP President is the host, and handles the venues and the operation of the COP.

JOURNALIST: It's a significant concession for Australia, Minister.

BOWEN: It’s also a significant concession for Turkiye to agree that Australia will be the COP President for the purposes of the negotiations. Significant concession is what's required when you are trying to find consensus.

JOURNALIST: Will Turkiye also appoint a COP President for the rest of it?

BOWEN: So, Turkey would be the COP President for the purposes of that. I would be the COP President for the purposes of the negotiations, working to ensure, good outcomes. Last question.

JOURNALIST: How did this happen if Turkey really only had Turkey backing it in WEOG?

BOWEN: Well because the process is- Australia has a huge support in WEOG, including in the meeting, that was just occurred, where countries expressed their support for Australia. But the process is that any one country can lodge an objection. Once that happens, it goes to automatically, automatically - it doesn't matter if you had 190 votes or 189. One. Now, that's not the process I would design if I was in charge of COP selection from scratch. But it's the process that we've inherited. That's the process we work under. Thanks, guys.