Background

The Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT), established under the Paris Agreement, supports developing countries in enhancing their institutional and technical capacities to meet the reporting requirements under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). Through financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), CBIT projects aim to strengthen systems for greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory development, monitoring of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and the overall quality and sustainability of climate data and reporting processes.

Lebanon has completed its first CBIT project and is now preparing to develop a second phase (CBIT2) to address remaining gaps and further build its national transparency system. In this context, the country has formally requested technical assistance from the CBIT-GSP MENA Network to initiate the preparation of its CBIT2 proposal, aligned with GEF requirements.

As a first step, a knowledge-sharing webinar between Lebanon and Uganda was held on 20 February 2025, during which Uganda shared its experience with the development and implementation of its CBIT Phase II. Following this, an initial technical meeting was held with Lebanese stakeholders to discuss the process, agree on next steps, and initiate the drafting of Lebanon’s CBIT2 proposal. Based on these discussions, Lebanon’s national team is currently preparing a first draft of the CBIT2 framework, informed by the challenges, lessons learned, and achievements from CBIT1.

To support this process, a virtual hands-on session titled “Benchmarking and Brainstorming for Lebanon’s CBIT Phase II Proposal: Learning from International Experiences and Hands-On Session on the CBIT II Logical Framework” will be organized on Monday, 26 May 2025, at 10:00 AM GMT (13:00 Beirut time). The session will serve as a space for brainstorming, technical discussion, and benchmarking with other countries that have advanced in the CBIT2 process, including Nicaragua, Georgia, and Uganda.

The session will also provide a platform for Lebanese team to present the initial draft CBIT2 framework and receive technical feedback and recommendations from CBIT-GSP experts. These inputs will help strengthen the proposal by aligning it with GEF criteria, national priorities, and global good practices. Ultimately, the support provided through this process will contribute to enhancing Lebanon’s long-term capacity to meet its ETF commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Objective

The session is intended to serve as a space for discussion, reflection, and technical exchange on the potential activities to be included in Phase 2 of the CBIT project in Lebanon. The national team will engage in a brainstorming exercise, drawing on benchmark experiences from other countries, including Nicaragua, Georgia, and Uganda, that have progressed in developing or implementing their CBIT Phase II projects.

The session will also provide an opportunity to learn from the lessons and best practices of these countries and explore how they addressed common challenges during the transition from CBIT Phase I to Phase II. This session will focus on comparing the scope and structure of CBIT I and II, highlighting how the second phase can build upon the achievements of the first, while addressing remaining institutional, technical, and data-related gaps. This will help inform the design of Lebanon’s CBIT II proposal and ensure alignment with GEF expectations and ETF requirements.

In addition, the session will provide a platform for the Lebanese team to present the initial draft of the CBIT2 framework and receive technical feedback and recommendations from CBIT-GSP experts. These inputs will help refine and strengthen the proposal by ensuring its alignment with GEF criteria, national development and climate strategies, and global good practices.

Target Audience and Language

This Hands on session is for the National Climate Change team of Lebanon’s, who are working on climate transparency and reporting. The meeting will be held in English.