Background

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) lie at the core of the Paris Agreement and play a key role in achieving its long-term objectives. The NDCs represent the collective efforts of each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. As per the Paris Agreement, every participating Party is required to develop, communicate, and consistently update their NDCs, outlining their intended contributions aimed at achieving specific climate goals.

The Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), established under the Paris Agreement, required all Parties to submit their Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) by the end of 2024. The Modalities, Procedures and Guidelines (MPGs), formulated to implement transparency in reporting under the Paris Agreement, defined specific new requirements for reporting progress made in implementing and achieving nationally determined contribution (NDC) [Article 13.7(b)]. Each Party shall provide the information necessary to track progress in implementing and achieving its NDC under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement. As such, all Parties shall undergo the facilitative multilateral consideration of progress with respect to efforts under Article 9, and its respective implementation and achievement of its NDCs [Article 13.11]. The results should be included in a specific chapter of the BTR (Chapter II). Additionally, all Parties must submit the common tabular formats (CTFs) to the UNFCCC as part of each country’s BTR submission process.

Reporting information necessary to track progress made in implementing and achieving national determined contributions transparently is a key requirement under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). The provision of clear and understandable data and information in the BTR and the NDC plays a crucial role in ensuring transparency under the Enhanced Transparency Frameworks (ETF) and supports achieving the objectives of the Convention and the Paris Agreement. The year 2024 marked a new beginning of biennial transparency reporting, which will be every two years thereafter. In December 2024, about five countries from MENA were able to submit their first BTR; however, the task of periodic reporting requires continuous capacity building on the associated BTR development processes such as use and adoption of the new formats are also key aspects to ensure that countries comply with the transparency conditions established in the Article 13.

In addition, this year 2025 Parties are requested to submit the next round of NDCs (NDC 3.0) to the UNFCCC secretariat. Parties are expected to submit updated NDCs every five years (e.g., by 2020, 2025, 2030), regardless of their respective implementation time frames. In the updated NDC, Parties may at any time adjust their existing Nationally Determined Contribution with a view to enhancing its level of ambition (Article 4, paragraph 11).

Bahrain is preparing for its upcoming Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submission and is keen to ensure robust reporting under the Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs). The country faced challenges in reporting progress on its previous NDC due to the nature of its mitigation target, which focused on co-benefits from adaptation and economic diversification plans. To address these complexities and strengthen future reporting, Bahrain has requested technical guidance and a virtual session with the CBIT-GSP team. This discussion will focus on understanding the linkages between their NDCs, integrating effective tracking indicators, and navigating common timeframes for reporting.

Objective

This session is intended to serve as a focused technical discussion to provide comprehensive guidance to Bahrain on addressing its targets and indicators in its upcoming NDC to facilitate effective reporting under the BTR.

Specifically, the session will aim to:

• Facilitate a detailed discussion on understanding the linkages between Bahrain’s first and second NDCs and strategies for raising ambition, including the permissibility of selecting different targets from the first NDC and the required consistency or linkage between NDCs.
• Provide guidance on how NDC tracking indicators may be effectively integrated into the upcoming NDC to ensure robust reporting in future BTR cycles.
• Discuss common timeframes for NDCs and how these timeframes will carry through the next cycle of BTRs, particularly as Bahrain's first NDC contained timeframes up to 2035, and explore the inclusion of multiple sectoral targets with different timeframes.

Target Audience and Language

This technical discussion is specifically for Bahrain's national team involved in climate change policy, NDC development, and transparency reporting. The meeting will be conducted in English.

Duration and Time Zone

This session will last of 2 hours (12:00-14:00 Bahrain Time), with sufficient time dedicated to discussion and Q&A sessions.