Paris Agreement: Experts to discuss implementation progress of ETF at Japan forum

Over 170 government officials, experts, and representatives from international organizations will gather in Tokyo, Japan on Monday and Tuesday 20-21 May 2024 to engage and discuss implementation progress of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) and discuss gaps, challenges, good practices, and lessons learned.

In the coming months countries have two unique opportunities to take decisive action to tackle the climate emergency. 2024 is a pivotal year for climate transparency and ambition as countries are required to submit their first-ever Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) by December 31, 2024 under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement. Only two months later, by the end of February 2025, countries must also submit their next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

In preparation for these major milestones, developing countries, support providers, and donors are coming together in the first ever Global Transparency Forum on May 20-21 in Tokyo, Japan.

During the forum, a High-level Dialogue will address these dual imperatives, exploring the critical links between countries’ transparency reports and their commitments to climate action. The dialogue aims to shed light on how clear and comprehensive BTRs are instrumental in tracking progress towards achieving NDC goals, thereby influencing future climate commitments.

The session will commence with opening remarks from the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), followed by leaders from the Conference of the Parties presidencies of Azerbaijan and Brazil. These introductions set the stage for a deeper exploration of the interconnections between BTR and NDC preparation processes, to be detailed by experts from UNFCCC.

As we look toward a transformative year in global climate policy, the Global Transparency Forum stands as a crucial platform for fostering international cooperation and driving the ambitious action needed to tackle the climate emergency head-on.

In the context of climate change, transparency involves the comprehensive reporting and reviewing of essential climate-related data. The Enhanced Transparency Framework established by the Paris Agreement is crucial for consistently providing data on greenhouse gas emissions, the efficacy of policies and measures, and progress towards climate targets. By doing this, the ETF will spark mutual trust and accountability among nations, encouraging them to not only meet but potentially surpass their climate commitments. The ETF facilitates a global dialogue on progress and impact, allowing the international community to assess whether collective actions and investments are delivering expected results and, if not, to intensify efforts.

The forum is organized by the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency – Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP), with support from the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC), UNDP Climate Promise, and it is hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.

The Global Transparency Forum will be in person and on-site participation is by invitation. Organizers are encouraging online public attendance of the High-level Dialogue on Monday, May 20 at 16:45-18:15 (GMT+9). The event, entitled “The importance of Transparency in Enhancing NDC Ambition,” will gather representatives from the climate Troika (COP28, COP29 and COP30 presidencies), UN agencies, developing countries, least developing countries, and economies in transition.