Based on the support request received from Bhutan, CBIT GSP has organized the In Country Support Activity for Bhutan.
The Paris Agreement established the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) to promote clarity and understanding of climate action and support. The operationalization of the ETF is guided by the modalities, procedures and guidelines (MPGs) and corresponding common reporting tables, common tabular formats and outlines. The 3 core components of the ETF are reporting through the biennial transparency report (BTR), technical expert review (TER) and facilitative, multilateral consideration of progress (FMCP).
Countries that are Parties to the Paris Agreement are expected to submit their first BTR by 31 December 2024 and every two years thereon. The process to prepare a BTR and products stemming from it will:
- Enable countries to build a stronger evidence base to identify needs and set priorities on how to strengthen climate policies over time;
- Send donors and investors a clear signal about the scale of opportunity, as well as needs;
- Provide a better assessment of collective global progress on climate action, and where more action and support are needed;
- Include greenhouse gas inventories and information on tracking progress towards achieving NDCs, helping to build trust and enabling countries to prepare for the next round of NDCs, due in 2025.
In nutshell, the process of the preparation of BTR can be a vital enabling tool for all governments as it can crucial data to help make informed decisions, design stronger climate policies over time, attract climate finance and achieve broader development goals.
Bhutan, demonstrating its commitment to implement the Paris Agreement, successfully submitted its first BTR by the stipulated deadline of 31 December 2024. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the country's strong environment track record, while also highlighting the importance of building sustainable domestic capacity for future reporting cycles. The preparation of subsequent BTRs requires sustained engagement of all key stakeholders in the country whose contribution can be maximized through targeted capacity-building.
Upon request of the Royal Government of Bhutan, the UNFCCC secretariat, the GEF-funded Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency-Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations agreed to provide technical support to the national team of Bhutan, in particular, to further develop its capacity to prepare its subsequent biennial transparency reports. This note outlines the scope and timeline of the requested technical support. The technical support and work of the national team will build on and take into account lessons learned and experiences from the preparation of the first BTR as well as on-going on the preparation of NDC 3.0.
Objectives and purpose of the training
This comprehensive training program aims to enhance Bhutan's ability to report on climate action transparently under the enhanced transparency framework of the Paris Agreement. This program will be structured in a manner to provide participants with essential knowledge and insights on transparency related modalities, guidelines and procedures (MPGs) as well as science and methods while as the same time taking stock of success stories from and gaps with the first BTR with a view to getting a clear sense of areas of improvement for the subsequent BTRs.
Specific objectives:
- Equip participants with a deeper understanding of MPGs for the preparation of BTRs, including common reporting tables (CRTs) and common tabular formats, the 2006 IPCC guidelines for national GHG inventories;
- Guide participants in developing a comprehensive national inventory document and offer practical training on how to effectively employ the CRTs for reporting;
- Promote understanding of mechanics of tracking progress of implementation and achievement of NDCs;
- Conduct consistency check of first BTR with the MPGs with a view to understanding areas of improvement and associated stakeholders which can form as a basis to further enhance the institutional arrangements;
- Understand linkages between GHG inventory, tracking progress of NDC and NDC 3.0;
- Exchange experiences and lessons learned from first BTR, including on the application of 2006 IPCC guidelines and software and UNFCCC reporting tools.
Expected Outcomes:
- Enhanced technical capacity for national team of Bhutan and other stakeholders involved in reporting under the Paris Agreement;
- Developed expertise in putting in a sustainable process for preparing national GHG inventories and tracking progress of implementation and achievement of NDCs;
- Improved understanding of sector-specific methodologies and calculations;
- Identified gaps and areas of improvement from the first BTR.