Turkey withdraws as host of COP16, blames last year’s deadly quakes

The Turkish government has said it cannot host a major biodiversity meeting, currently slated to be held from October 21 to November 1 next year, as it addresses the consequences of a series of destructive quakes from earlier this year, according to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The UN body that oversees the high-profile talks said Turkey had decided to withdraw from presiding over the COP16 meeting “due to a force majeure situation created by the three destructive earthquakes that occurred in February 2023.”

The biodiversity meeting plans to build on a landmark deal reached at the meeting last year aimed at saving the planet’s species, oceans and lands from degradation, pollution and the raging climate emergency.

Turkey Expresses Regret Over Its Decision

The historic agreement, considered “a peace pact with nature” and similar to the 2015 Paris Climate Accords, was reached by the over 190 nations that are part of the UN biodiversity process. While climate Cops are held annually, biodiversity summits take place every two years.

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In a letter published on its website, the UN body said Turkey had “expressed its regrets” about the decision to withdraw as the host. It said it would request offers from other countries. Possible replacement destinations include Spain, France, Switzerland and the UK.

Governments agreed this decade’s biodiversity targets at the COP15 meeting in Montreal, Canada, last December. Last year’s deal, including promises to secure 30% of the Earth as a protected zone by the end of the decade, came after years of negotiations.