Bulgaria is gearing up for the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP31. The forum will run from November 9 to 20, 2026, in the Turkish city of Antalya, and Bulgaria will have an official delegation and national pavilion there. The Ministry of Environment and Water's press office announced this.
COP31 aims to speed up implementation of the Paris Agreement and turn international commitments into concrete action. Many topics will be on the negotiating table, including countries' nationally determined contributions, adaptation to climate change, and the Global Goal on Adaptation. Discussions will also cover climate finance, loss and damage, transparency of the process, a just transition, capacity building, and technology development and transfer.
Alongside the official negotiations, several other sessions will take place, including the 21st session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the 8th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement. The 65th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation will also convene.
Beyond the formal negotiations, organizers are planning a series of thematic events under COP31's Action Agenda. These will cover the energy transition, transport, sustainable cities, food and agriculture, health, science and technology, oceans, and nature. There will also be events focused on youth and education.
The Bulgarian delegation is already preparing. In addition to taking part in the negotiations, Bulgaria will have a National Pavilion in the conference's Blue Zone, through which it will showcase its climate policies, initiatives, and best practices. It will also organize thematic events and meetings with representatives from institutions, international organizations, academia, business, and other stakeholders. The organization and program for the Bulgarian pavilion's activities are currently being prepared by the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
The conference itself will take place across two separate zones. The Blue Zone is the official zone of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, accessible only with accreditation. This is where the official negotiations, plenary sessions, subsidiary body meetings, official side events, and national pavilion activities — including Bulgaria's — will take place.
The Green Zone, organized by host country Turkey, is open to wider participation. It will welcome institutions, representatives from academia and science, business, civil society, non-governmental organizations, young people, and members of the general public with an interest in the topic. It will feature a range of thematic initiatives, discussions, and forums focused on practical solutions and new approaches to tackling climate change. The Green Zone will serve as a meeting place for exchanging ideas among those involved in climate action, as well as a venue for showcasing initiatives, projects, technologies, and best practices outside the formal negotiating process.
Organizers envision COP31 as a forum with broad participation from governments, academic and scientific communities, civil society, the private sector, and young people, with an emphasis on practical solutions and faster climate action.
The ministry announced that the accreditation process is now open for journalists wishing to cover the conference. Applications for individual accreditation must be submitted through the online registration system of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Once all representatives of a given media outlet have submitted their applications individually, they must designate a media coordinator, who then submits an application on behalf of the outlet through the Indico UN platform. The deadline for submissions is October 16, 2026.
Last year's edition of the UN Climate Change Conference was held in the Brazilian city of Belém.