Rights groups raise concerns over Türkiye’s COP31 agreement, warning that legal provisions could affect how activists and delegates engage during the summit.
A clause in Türkiye’s host country agreement for the COP31 climate summit is drawing criticism from rights groups, who warn it could discourage activists and delegates from speaking freely when the talks open in Antalya this November.
The agreement with the UN climate secretariat, which took effect on September 18, grants accredited participants certain protections for statements and actions connected with the conference. It also requires them to respect Turkish law and avoid interfering in the country’s “internal affairs”. The agreement does not explicitly bar criticism or demonstrations.
According to Climate Home News, comparable language appeared in the hosting agreements for COP28 in the United Arab Emirates and COP29 in Azerbaijan but was left out of the agreement for COP30 in Brazil.
Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s climate justice policy adviser, warned that the clause could have a “wider chilling effect” on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Campaigners fear it may deter participants from criticising government policy or speaking up for communities on the frontlines of climate change.
The concern comes amid criticism of Türkiye’s treatment of opposition figures, journalists and activists. Authorities imposed a blanket ban on demonstrations around a NATO summit in Ankara in July.
Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s COP31 president-designate, said earlier this month that organisers would try to give civil society space to express its views. The hosting agreement also states a commitment to uphold participants’ fundamental human rights.
COP31 is scheduled for November 9-20. Whether delegates and activists in Antalya can protest peacefully, scrutinise climate policy and report freely will be a key test of that commitment.
