[Title] Baku Global Climate Transparency Platform

Background

In the context of climate change transparency refers to the reporting and review of relevant climate information and data. The scope of relevant data includes countries' greenhouse gas emissions and removals, policies and measures, progress towards targets, climate change impacts and adaptation, support provided and mobilized, needed and received. Transparency of climate action and support is key to building mutual trust and confidence among Parties.

A central component for improving transparency is the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), established by the Paris Agreement that provides common guidelines for all Parties while offering flexibility on some provisions for those developing country parties that need it in the light of their capacities.

The ETF includes three key elements:

1. Preparation and submission of National Inventory Reports (NIRs) and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), providing a snapshot of information on greenhouse gas emissions and removals, climate action, and climate support.

2. The Technical Expert Review (TER) of the NIRs and BTRs by a team of international experts, which reviews and analyzes the national climate reports submitted by Parties.

3. The Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress (FMCP), which allows for an open dialogue on climate actions, successes, and challenges.

Through the submission of the BTRs, the ETF provides an avenue for Parties to showcase how they are reducing net emissions through active climate policy, protecting their populations and ecosystems by adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change, and how support is provided and mobilized to implement the necessary transformations. Furthermore, the TER and the FMCP provide platforms for Parties and international experts to engage in a consultative and facilitative process to exchange experiences and lessons learned, leveraging technical feedback to accelerate the implementation of fair and ambitious climate action, as well as to identify areas for improvement and capacity-building.

The implementation of the ETF is guided by its modalities, procedures and guidelines (MPGs) which apply to all Parties. Recognizing that countries have different starting points, the ETF and its MPGs provide flexibility to those developing country Parties that need it in light of their capacities for some of the specific provisions of the MPGs. These flexibilities are expected to provide time and space for those developing country Parties that need it to meet the required reporting guidelines, just as all Parties improve over time.

For many developing country Parties, implementing the ETF will require a change of approach in how they implement their international reporting obligations. What was often a project-based or ad-hoc preparation of national communications (NCs) and biennial update reports (BURs) will now require a holistic and sustained approach to ensure timely submission of BTRs every two years and active participation in the TER and the FMCP.

2024 represents a significant milestone for the ETF implementation, as all Parties to the Paris Agreement are required to submit their first BTR at the latest by 31 December 2024 and every two years thereafter. Least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) may submit their first BTR at their discretion.

Achieving a comprehensive understanding of the ETF and of its practical requirements to identify, collect and report all the information prescribed by the MPGs is essential for timely preparation and submission of the BTRs.

The new online ETF reporting tools, officially launched on 28 June 2024 enable countries to track and submit crucial climate data and information, from greenhouse gas inventories to progress in implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). At a national level, these online reporting tools will enable Parties to compile data and generate reporting tables using agreed formats, ensuring a more streamlined and consistent reporting process, and enabling aggregation of data.

Objectives

With a view to contributing to the on-going efforts of developing country Parties to prepare and finalize their BTRs and achieve full implementation of the ETF, the COP29 Presidency, with the support of the UN Climate Change Secretariat is launching an initiative called the Baku Global Climate Transparency Platform (BTP).

Aimed at being a vital platform to facilitate the effective implementation of the ETF, the BTP will ensure political support in:

- Encouraging Parties to advance their transparency agenda, including through timely submission of BTRs while keeping in mind LDCs and SIDS`s discretion;

- Identifying policies and possible means of implementations, including various financial mechanisms and initiatives, that can accelerate timely submission of BTRs and facilitate subsequent process;

- Mobilizing targeted capacity-building for developing country Parties;

- Promoting exchange of experiences and lessons learned;

- Facilitating collaboration and coordination amongst stakeholders;

- Promoting networking among Parties and stakeholders that have the potential to provide support on preparation of BTRs;

- Enhancing the understanding of how to leverage the TER process to inform national policies and sustainable development;

- Building capacity and ensuring active participation of experts in the TER process.

The BTP is designed to build mutual trust and confidence among Parties, ensure support for developing country Parties in preparing and finalizing their BTRs, encourage full implementation of the ETF, and advance the transparency agenda during COP29 and beyond.

The BTP will also collaborate with existing transparency platforms and initiatives to ensure coherence and enhance the effectiveness of our collective efforts. It will provide a space for cooperation and coordination among stakeholders from all parts of society, including government, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector. By doing so, it will enhance our collective efforts by promoting the sharing of experiences, challenges, and successes of Parties in preparing their BTRs and implementing the ETF.

Operationalization of the BTP

The BTP will follow an interlinked two-stage approach aimed at enabling the timely delivery of BTRs and supporting the full implementation of the ETF.

In the first stage it will focus on generating political momentum for the submission of the first BTRs and enabling their delivery through capacity building activities. Building upon the first COP29 transparency workshop, held in Baku on May 13-14, 2024, the BTP has already initiated a series of follow-up in-person and online global and regional workshops with the support of interested partners and will continue to organize these workshops over the upcoming months in collaboration of the UNFCCC and other UN agencies and partners. The main purpose of the workshops is to build confidence among Parties and to contribute to the capacity building activities and on-going efforts of developing country Parties to prepare and finalize their BTR. The workshops are also to be used to generate public expression of intent by Parties to submit their BTRs by COP29, or their public affirmation that they will do so by 31 December 2024 at the latest.

Building on previous events and high-level dialogues, the Ministerial Meeting on Global Climate Transparency to be organized at COP29 as part of the BTP will become an important milestone in reinforcing the political commitment to transparency and accountability in climate action.

In the second stage, the BTP will serve as a space to exchange views on post-BTR submission developments and encourage the continuation of the initiative to take stock of progress made by Parties throughout the COP29 Presidency year and beyond. It will ensure targeted support for the full implementation of the ETF through the following key activities:

- Working with the UNFCCC Secretariat and other interested partners to continue mobilizing technical support to assist developing country Parties with submission of their BTRs;

- Offering an informal space for a diverse range of stakeholders to engage in the ETF with a view to further enhancing the role and use of transparency as a concrete tool for informed decision-making;

- Promoting active participation of experts in the TER process to build capacity and gain experience through on-the-job training and in-depth exchanges with other members of the expert review teams and with the BTR team in the country undergoing TER;

- Assisting developing country Parties with participating effectively in the TER and the FCMP, helping them to make best use of these processes to identify areas of improvement;

- Supporting developing country Parties in addressing areas of improvement and capacity-building needs identified by themselves and through the TER process;

- Promoting lessons learned and experiences, using them as a source of technical knowledge and informing the review of the MPGs;

- Facilitating coordination and collaboration among the entities involved in providing support to developing country Parties;

- Organizing an open dialogue with interested Parties and partners to take stock of the progress of the actions prescribed above and provide, as applicable, appropriate suggestions of how the platform could continue making impactful interventions;

- Initiating the Annual BTP Dialogue to engage with key stakeholders to better understand how the BTP can further promote transparency in climate action and meet the needs of Parties most effectively. The BTP dialogue will help to identify and address capacity gaps and technical needs of Parties, ensuring that all countries can be well-prepared to meet their transparency obligations.