Simon Stiell welcomes progress made at maiden Lead Reviewers meeting on BTRs
Photo caption: Group photograph of participants at the Lead Reviewers meeting. Credit: UN Climate Change / Yali Wang
Nearly 100 experts from around the world gathered in Bonn on 24-25 April for the first-ever meeting of Lead Reviewers under the Paris Agreement’s enhanced transparency framework (ETF), marking the launch of the review process under the ETF. The scope of this meeting was to provide guidance on the review of biennial transparency reports (BTRs): the new national climate progress reports that all countries are required to submit under the Paris Agreement.
The Lead Reviewers community embodies a wealth of experience gained over 20 years of involvement in reporting and review of national climate reports, including greenhouse gas inventories, National Communications, Biennial Reports, Biennial Update Reports and REDD+ reports. Leveraging their expertise and experience, Lead Reviewers ensure high-quality, objective and consistent reviews of national reports, adhering to internationally agreed guidelines.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell welcomed the progress made at the first meeting in providing guidance to BTR review experts. “The review process is key to independently assess countries’ progress toward their commitments under the Paris Agreement,” he said. “It fosters trust and cooperation in the fight against climate change, and helps to reinforce national credibility between countries and with stakeholders, including civil society, investors and businesses.”
Looking ahead to the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku later in the year, the incoming Presidency’s representative Ramil Abdullayev commended the work of the Lead Reviewers and conveyed the Government of Azerbaijan’s commitment to act as a facilitator among Parties, noting that transparency is a key ingredient for success in Baku. Highlighting the importance of BTRs in showcasing progress, Abdullayev further announced a confidence- and capacity-building workshop for BTR preparation, to be held in Azerbaijan mid-May in partnership with UN Climate Change.
The conclusions of the meeting will provide technical advice and guidance to the members of the technical expert review teams on some of the more complex issues in the review process. Over the coming years, the Lead Reviewers will continue to establish best practices, share lessons learned, guide the development of new tools and systems for reporting and review, and provide leadership to new experts.
To sustain the review process, UN Climate Change will need a growing number of qualified review experts nominated by Parties and relevant intergovernmental organizations. All eligible experts are therefore invited to take the ETF training courses and join the critical community of review experts.’
