The annual climate summit begins on Monday in the Turkish city of Antalya and runs through November 20. Turkey holds the presidency for this year conference, which addresses key decisions on sustainable development and climate policies.
First held in Berlin in 1995, the conference provides a platform for parties to the convention to assess progress in combating climate change, develop common solutions, and shape global climate policies. Organisers have prepared a 1.1 million-square-meter venue in Antalya for the event.
The summit operates under the theme COP of the Future – COP of Implementation, built around three pillars of dialogue, consensus, and action. The conference aims to strengthen trust and cooperation among countries, promote shared responsibility, and translate climate commitments into concrete, measurable actions.
Activities are divided between two designated areas known as the Blue Zone and the Green Zone. Official negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, high-level meetings, and diplomatic talks take place in the Blue Zone under UN accreditation rules.
The Blue Zone includes plenary halls, delegation offices, pavilions, a press and media center, and restaurants. It also hosts side events and panels covering climate adaptation, clean energy, zero waste, sustainable cities, climate finance, technology, health, and green transformation.
The Green Zone encourages public participation through thematic centres where government agencies, businesses, academics, civil society organisations, and young people share climate solutions, technologies, and best practices. Facilities include the Turkey Pavilion, Science Center, Green Industrialization, Resilient Cities, Energy and Transportation, Culture and Civilization, COPArt, and a Start-up Zone.
As part of the Zero Waste Movement, the venue features a Zero Waste Hub, practice and workshop centres, a kitchen, a temporary storage and composting facility, and a Zero Waste Museum housed in a five-petal structure called the Time Tunnel. The Green Zone also features an Antalya House reflecting traditional Yoruk culture and a turtle pavilion built from zero-waste materials.
Meeting rooms and conference halls across the venue are named after landmarks, historical figures, and cultural elements reflecting Anatolian heritage and Turkish-Islamic civilisation. The largest plenary hall in the Blue Zone holds a capacity of 1,794 people and is named Anadolu, while the Green Zone includes a hall with a capacity of 5,000 named Gaza Hall.
Security and operational logistics involve the deployment of 27,957 personnel from police, gendarmerie, and coast guard units. A crisis management center operates under the Antalya Governor’s Office, supported by five medical stations, seven active ambulances, two reserve ambulances, and 20 mobile National Medical Rescue Teams.
Transport for participants relies on a fleet of 630 low-emission, environmentally friendly buses supplied by 25 municipalities.
