The discussion paper intends to highlight benefits that a country can obtain through transparent and ambitious climate reporting and a robust and self-sustained MRV system, which go beyond the obvious benefit of fulfilling current and future reporting requirements under the UNFCCC. By highlighting the national benefits that are less visible at first glance, the discussion paper seeks to enhance the understanding of policy-makers and other stakeholders as to why transparency and MRV for climate reporting has merits of its own, and how countries may tap such national benefits. To this end, the discussion paper identifies and describes a number of such national benefits and provides concrete experiences and examples from various countries. Recognising that MRV systems for climate-related reporting require financial resources and personnel at the national level, the benefits described may help visualise how the outcomes of this allocation of budget and effort are wider and more impactful than merely the periodic reports to the UNFCCC.