As Parties to the Paris Agreement, all countries agreed to an enhanced transparency framework (ETF) for action and support (Article 13) which considers building mutual trust, and confidence and promoting effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and the NDCs. The ETF demands substantial and immediate progress in countries’ domestic monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) systems and strategic de-carbonization planning. This entails moving from often disintegrated, not consistently updated, and different methodologies and processes of data collection, to integrated and robust systems and requires countries to set up new transparency governance structures, develop and implement MRV methodologies and tools, and update, implement, and integrate new data and information flows with pre-defined periodicity. 

A robust MRV system is important for national policy decisions and is a key requirement for reporting under UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Seychelles is expected to participate in existing MRV arrangements of the UNFCCC including preparation and submission of National GHG Inventory Reports, National Communications, Biennial Update Reports (BURs) and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the Paris Agreement.  In addition to facilitative process for international consultation and analysis. All of which build on the existing national arrangements.

Digital systems are an important technological element of the Paris Agreement that enables transparency and credibility for the progress reporting of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). However, the use of digital technology in achieving the Paris Agreement tends to happen in silos. Governments or market innovators create point solutions that may create fragmented standards, applications, and data that may not work well with each other. 

UNDP saw a unique opportunity to cooperatively create open-source, open data, open AI models, open standards, and a ‘ready to install’ modular transparency system that adheres to privacy and other applicable best practices. The system is built so that Governments can leverage a proven codebase to easily install and launch a sovereign system with different modules allowing for tracking mitigations and adaptations progress, received and needed support, Inventory GHG as well as benefiting from future upgrades as technology evolves.

Globally, UNDP as a co-host of the Digital Public Goods Alliance is shepherding the next frontier of digital public infrastructure built as digital public goods components that are oriented towards sectoral transformation, with climate being one of the key sectors of UNDP’s global leadership. By adopting a Digital Public Infrastructure approach, we have an opportunity to accelerate the reach and impact of digital technologies in this sector and potentially serve as the new frameworks required for the achievement of the ambitious Paris Climate Accord. 

A key condition for the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement’s transparency requirements is the provision requiring adequate and sustainable financial support and capacity building to enable developing countries to significantly strengthen their efforts to build robust domestic MRV processes and digital systems. 

The Government of Seychelles, through the ​Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, sought support from the transparency Helpdesk _An established support Funded by the Government of Belgium and channeled through UNDP to enhance countries’ MRV and Transparency Systems_ to ​design configure and install a digital MRV/transparency system for NDC tracking based on the UNDP open-source DPG transparency system codebase. 

The system would be aligned with the ETF and ensure NDC updates are reflected and have an easy process for iterative upgrade. 

Generally, the set-up of the DPG Transparency system is done through different phases: 

1. A Scoping phase to design the key building blocks for the national systems​, engage national institutions and identify User Interface.
2. An Installation or configuration phase, where all the resources needed such as server, domain, teams, and budget are utilized to install and customize to meet countries' specifics requirements. 
3. An end-to-end testing and dissemination phase, where the support to enter existing data into the system is provided and a handover training to the government is often organized to ensure knowledge and skill transfer.