COP presidency releases summary as climate talks resume after leaders' exit

Antalya: With the leaders now back to their capitals, negotiators are back at work in full swing. After nearly a week of eliciting views, the COP presidency on Friday released a "Summary of Reflections" that brings together all the issues and elements that countries said should be included in the cover decision.

The COP31 Presidency clarified that the document is a list and does not represent any consensus or indicate the strength or prevalence of individual positions. It lists key issues on the table: a global roadmap for the transition away from fossil fuels, electrification, the overshoot of the 1.5°C threshold and climate finance. It also includes some new asks, such as tracking adaptation commitments and recognising ocean-based solutions and opportunities.

The next step in the discussions will be to narrow down the list and identify elements that have the support of all parties. Even as discussions on the content of the decision move ahead, some countries have questioned the need for and purpose of a presidency-led negotiated cover decision. Russia, Saudi Arabia and the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs), a grouping that includes India and China, are among those that have questioned the need for a cover decision.


The Turkiye-Australia leadership team had announced its decision to pursue a presidency-led overarching negotiated decision at the pre-COP meeting in Fiji in October. Taking a leaf from the COP26 UK presidency, which was the first to introduce this practice, the COP31 leadership began work on the cover decision early. COP31 President of Negotiations Chris Bowen has consistently assured countries that while the effort is led by the presidency, the process will be transparent and inclusive. Hence, the decision to issue an elements list as a first step.