This publication explores the linkages and interactions between accounting, transparency and MRV, assesses these concepts’ evolution over time, and concludes by examining the status of activities under the Paris Agreement and what has been achieved so far. The three concepts addressed in this paper – measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), accounting and transparency – are closely linked, and sometimes mixed up, although their interexchangeability is limited. Applying a clear and distinctive language will help the definition of system structures at the international and domestic level for data on achieved emission reductions. Such systems help attend the requirements resulting from the Paris Agreement in terms of transparency and accounting, but also in terms of informing NDC implementation and design at the domestic level.