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Analysis of the importance of climate transparency and the transition between reporting systems: from the Biennial Update Report to the Biennial Transparency Report
Under the Convention and the Paris Agreement, countries report information on their climate efforts following the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities. Under the Convention, developed countries (Annex I) submit more frequent and detailed reports than developing countries (non-Annex I). The Paris Agreement introduces the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), which unifies criteria with the Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), although with flexibilities for developing countries. This represents a shift from a bifurcated system to a single one that considers different national capacities. The first BTR was due in December 2024, but only 43% of countries complied, highlighting the challenges of the transition. Transparency is key to assessing progress and adjusting climate strategies at the national and global levels, strengthening international legitimacy, and facilitating access to financing and cooperation. Accountability through these reports is essential for the success of the multilateral process in the fight against climate change.
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Links between climate transparency and a just energy transition
Within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, multiple climate policy planning and reporting instruments exist through which countries communicate their commitments and progress, including Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), among others. Among these instruments, BTRs play a central role in reporting progress on NDC implementation, including information on mitigation and adaptation measures, as well as financial, technological, and capacity-building support, and in contributing to the Global Stocktake process, which assesses collective progress toward the Paris Agreement goals. In this context, BTRs offer a key opportunity for countries to report on their Just Energy Transition (JET) pathways and their environmental, economic, and social dimensions. However, many countries face difficulties in meeting reporting requirements. These limitations are related to gaps in national information systems, insufficient technical capacities, and barriers to accessing climate finance. This policy brief analyzes how BTRs can serve as a vehicle for countries to report progress on their TEJs, identifies the main challenges countries—particularly developing countries—face in doing so, and examines the progress made at COP30 in Belém to strengthen reporting capacities.
Links between climate transparency and a just energy transition
Within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, multiple climate policy planning and reporting instruments exist through which countries communicate their commitments and progress, including Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), among others. Among these instruments, BTRs play a central role in reporting progress on NDC implementation, including information on mitigation and adaptation measures, as well as financial, technological, and capacity-building support, and in contributing to the Global Stocktake process, which assesses collective progress toward the Paris Agreement goals. In this context, BTRs offer a key opportunity for countries to report on their Just Energy Transition (JET) pathways and their environmental, economic, and social dimensions. However, many countries face difficulties in meeting reporting requirements. These limitations are related to gaps in national information systems, insufficient technical capacities, and barriers to accessing climate finance. This policy brief analyzes how BTRs can serve as a vehicle for countries to report progress on their TEJs, identifies the main challenges countries—particularly developing countries—face in doing so, and examines the progress made at COP30 in Belém to strengthen reporting capacities.
Orchestrating complexity to prevent systemic fragmentation
As the international community moves from negotiation to implementation, one key challenge is translating global indicators into actionable, context-relevant monitoring systems at the national and subnational levels. In this regard, CoCoA “Collective Construction of Adaptation Indicators”, contributes with a bottom-up perspective by engaging civil society organisations, local actors, and technical experts across Latin America and the Caribbean to reflect on how adaptation indicators can be operationalised in real-world contexts. This approach helps bridge the gap between global methodological discussions and the realities of data availability, institutional capacities, and locally identified adaptation priorities. As a two-way learning process, CoCoA brings information on adaptation negotiations closer to communities and, at the same time, serves as a bridge connecting local and community experiences to the international level. To contribute to this process, this report provides updated information on recent developments in the negotiations and their main challenges leading up to the next sessions. It focuses on the COP30 process and outcomes on adaptation and the challenges they pose for accelerated implementation. Therefore, it is of particular interest to examine orchestration processes as a way to understand the interrelationships within and between climate regimes in a world where geopolitical threats have multiplied.
Orchestrating complexity to prevent systemic fragmentation
As the international community moves from negotiation to implementation, one key challenge is translating global indicators into actionable, context-relevant monitoring systems at the national and subnational levels. In this regard, CoCoA “Collective Construction of Adaptation Indicators”, contributes with a bottom-up perspective by engaging civil society organisations, local actors, and technical experts across Latin America and the Caribbean to reflect on how adaptation indicators can be operationalised in real-world contexts. This approach helps bridge the gap between global methodological discussions and the realities of data availability, institutional capacities, and locally identified adaptation priorities. As a two-way learning process, CoCoA brings information on adaptation negotiations closer to communities and, at the same time, serves as a bridge connecting local and community experiences to the international level. To contribute to this process, this report provides updated information on recent developments in the negotiations and their main challenges leading up to the next sessions. It focuses on the COP30 process and outcomes on adaptation and the challenges they pose for accelerated implementation. Therefore, it is of particular interest to examine orchestration processes as a way to understand the interrelationships within and between climate regimes in a world where geopolitical threats have multiplied.
On the road to Belem: proposals for a sucessful GGA outcome at COP30
Co-CoA “Collective Construction of Adaptation Indicators” is a regional collaborative process established in 2024 by Argentina 1.5 and Fundación Avina, on climate adaptation methodologies and indicators that involves 42 organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean with the potential to contribute to the implementation of the United Arab Emirates Framework on Global Climate Resilience and its associated Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system. The initiative aims to strengthen advocacy processes for the implementation of the Global Goal on Adaptation and the operationalization of its Framework. This technical paper builds on the one published in May of this year by Argentina 1.5 and Avina, as well as in previous years, seeking to conduct a state of play of the adaptation negotiations with a focus on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) at the UNFCCC, as well as to generate policy recommendations that can support the processes leading up to a successful outcome in COP30. Thus, this paper includes a brief overview of adaptation at the 62 session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) of the UNFCCC developed in June, along with an assessment of the latest version of indicators prepared by the experts and published on September 9, the identification of elements for a GGA decision at COP30, and an updated traffic light assessment.
On the road to Belem: proposals for a sucessful GGA outcome at COP30
Co-CoA “Collective Construction of Adaptation Indicators” is a regional collaborative process established in 2024 by Argentina 1.5 and Fundación Avina, on climate adaptation methodologies and indicators that involves 42 organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean with the potential to contribute to the implementation of the United Arab Emirates Framework on Global Climate Resilience and its associated Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system. The initiative aims to strengthen advocacy processes for the implementation of the Global Goal on Adaptation and the operationalization of its Framework. This technical paper builds on the one published in May of this year by Argentina 1.5 and Avina, as well as in previous years, seeking to conduct a state of play of the adaptation negotiations with a focus on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) at the UNFCCC, as well as to generate policy recommendations that can support the processes leading up to a successful outcome in COP30. Thus, this paper includes a brief overview of adaptation at the 62 session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) of the UNFCCC developed in June, along with an assessment of the latest version of indicators prepared by the experts and published on September 9, the identification of elements for a GGA decision at COP30, and an updated traffic light assessment.