In the coming months countries have two unique opportunities to take decisive action to tackle the climate emergency. 2024 is a pivotal year for climate transparency and ambition as countries are required to submit their first-ever Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) by 31 December 2024 under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement. Only two months later, by the end of February 2025, countries must also submit their next and ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
In preparation for these major milestones, developing countries, support providers and donors are coming together in the first ever Global Transparency Forum on 20-21 May in Tokyo, Japan. Over 170 government officials, experts and representatives from international organisations will engage and discuss implementation progress of the ETF and discuss gaps, challenges, good practices and lessons learned.
Uniting global efforts
During the forum, a High-level Dialogue will address these dual imperatives, exploring the critical links between countries' transparency reports and their commitments to climate action. The dialogue aims to shed light on how clear and comprehensive BTRs are instrumental in tracking progress towards achieving NDC goals, thereby influencing future climate commitments.
The session will commence with opening remarks from the Ministry of Environment, Japan and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC secretariat), followed by leaders from the COP presidencies of Azerbaijan and Brazil. These introductions set the stage for a deeper exploration of the interconnections between BTR and NDC preparation processes, to be detailed by experts from the UN Climate Change.
As we look toward a transformative year in global climate policy, the Global Transparency Forum stands as a crucial platform for fostering international cooperation and driving the ambitious action needed to tackle the climate emergency head-on.
The key role of transparency
In the context of climate change, transparency involves the comprehensive reporting and reviewing of essential climate-related data. The Enhanced Transparency Framework established by the Paris Agreement, is crucial for consistently providing data on GHG emissions, the efficacy of policies and measures, and progress towards climate targets. By doing this, the ETF will spark mutual trust and accountability among nations, encouraging them to not only meet but potentially surpass their climate commitments. The ETF facilitates a global dialogue on progress and impact, allowing the international community to assess whether collective actions and investments are delivering expected results and, if not, to intensify efforts.
About the forum
The forum is organised by the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency - Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP), with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC), UNDP Climate Promise and it is hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.
The Global Transparency Forum will be fully in person and on-site participation is by invitation, organisers are encouraging on-line public attendance of the High-level Dialogue on Monday 20 May at 4:45-6:15 (GMT+9). The event, entitled, “The importance of Transparency in Enhancing NDC Ambition” will gather representatives from the climate Troika (COP28, COP29 and COP30 presidencies), UN Agencies, developing countries, least developing countries and economies in transition.
About CBIT-GSP
The Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency - Global Support Programme CBIT-GSP assists developing countries in meeting the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) requirements under the Paris Agreement by delivering support at the global, regional, and national levels. The project’s main modality of support is its ten Transparency Networks, organised by region and language and covering all developing countries around the globe. The project further provides a one-stop shop for transparency – the Climate Transparency Platform – and provides support for gender mainstreaming on climate transparency.
One of the project’s key elements is the organisation of global meetings of countries’ transparency focal points and support providers. The May’s forum in Tokyo is the first global forum organised under these joint efforts.
Join us in supporting this essential dialogue, either in person in Tokyo or from wherever you are around the world.
Register here to be notified and invited to join the live streaming.
More information and audiovisual materials around the forum are available in this Trello board.
Learn more about climate transparency: visit the UNFCCC website.