With the implementation of the reinforced transparency framework of the Paris Agreement, countries are called upon to submit their first biennial transparency report (BTR), in accordance with the modalities, procedures and guidelines1 (MPD), no later than 31 December 2024. BTRs, which will replace Biennial Update Reports (BURs), will provide information on actions taken and progress made on mitigation, adaptation, and support provided, required, or received. This information gathered through the BTRs will feed into the Global Stocktake, which will assess collective progress toward long-term climate goals.

As a way of providing support to developing countries, PATPA and FAO developed the BTR Roadmap and Guidance Tool 2 (BTR Tool). This tool, based on MS Excel, uses a series of questions to obtain answers related to national technical capacities, institutional arrangements, and the information necessary for the development of BTRs. Based on these responses, the tool generates a simple roadmap that helps countries manage the process of planning, preparing, and submitting their BTRs.

Lesotho has partly taken stock to understand the current BUR/MRV system, which covers the BTR requirements under ETF. Lesotho will conduct a detailed gap analysis while implementing the national CBIT project. There is generally a limited number on the team with the knowledge to understand how much the current MRV system covers the BTR requirements under ETF. The institutions have already been identified, and there are plans to provide regular meetings among the team members. 

While the roadmap is a valuable resource for countries, there are opportunities to improve the applicability of the BTR tool with the aim of generating an improved roadmap that accurately reflects national circumstances and capacities. 

For this purpose, the Global Support Program (CBIT-GSP) conducted this activity for the development of a roadmap for the first BTR. This activity will help Lesotho to encourage the involvement and support of their task forces and relevant stakeholders, support the efficient collection of information for the BTR tool, and generate an improved roadmap that ensures its applicability and easy implementation. Having an improved roadmap will help Lesotho attract donor funds for both the BTR and elements of a national transparency system and will support the development of the first BTR in line with the reporting requirements of the framework reinforced transparency.

Objective of the activity

The objective of the activity was to technically support Lesotho in the generation of a country-specific roadmap for the planning, elaboration and presentation of the first BTR through the effective application of the PATPA/FAO BTR tool.