Enviro News Asia, Bonn – International cooperation on climate transparency has intensified as countries work to meet reporting obligations under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), with coordinated support playing a central role in enabling developing countries to track progress and strengthen climate action.
Transparent reporting allows countries to assess needs, prioritize mitigation and adaptation measures, and monitor progress toward their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). It also reinforces trust among Parties by demonstrating progress in implementing the Paris Agreement, while providing donors and support providers with clearer insight into where assistance is most needed.
The timely submission of the first biennial transparency reports (BTRs), particularly by developing countries, has relied heavily on sustained financial, technical, and capacity-building assistance from the international community. As many countries prepare both their first and second BTRs, alignment among support providers has become increasingly critical to ensure effective and responsive assistance.
International agencies and partners have strengthened coordination through the ETF Group of Friends, an informal network of approximately 35 organizations that serves as a platform for information exchange, joint planning, and collaborative delivery of transparency support.
“No single organization can meet all transparency needs alone,” said a representative of UN Climate Change. The official added that closer collaboration among agencies helps ensure support is delivered coherently and generates stronger collective impact for countries implementing the ETF.
Established in 2016, the ETF Group of Friends has held more than 45 coordination meetings at global, regional, and national levels, including 24 meetings organized by UN Climate Change. Regional and thematic subgroup leads have also expanded their role in recent years, hosting 21 regional coordination meetings over the past 18 months alone.
Key partners involved in regional and subgroup coordination include the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency Global Support Programme, the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute, the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement, and the United Nations Development Programme.
Increased regional engagement has shifted coordination beyond information-sharing toward joint planning and in-country collaboration. Regular exchanges allow partners to map ongoing activities, identify synergies, and reduce duplication, contributing to more coherent and complementary support at the national level.
The network also supported six mandated ETF and first BTR workshops held in 2024 and 2025. These workshops convened developing countries, the Global Environment Facility, implementing agencies, and other partners to exchange experiences and review available assistance for preparing BTRs. An updated compilation of transparency support now provides countries with an overview of available resources and guidance on accessing them.
Looking ahead, regional and subgroup leads plan to expand engagement with national and regional actors to ensure follow-up actions translate coordination outcomes into tangible results. At the global level, UN Climate Change will continue facilitating information-sharing, linking regional outcomes to policy discussions, and promoting coordinated planning.
By connecting support providers and responding to country-specific needs, the ETF Group of Friends continues to strengthen a coordinated global approach to transparency, reinforcing collective efforts to track progress and implement the Enhanced Transparency Framework under the Paris Agreement. (*)
