The first global stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement takes place from 2021–23 and serves as the first official checkpoint to assess Parties’ collective progress on climate action.

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is working closely with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on a project to help shape the GST process. This paper sets out a high-level, initial description of considerations that decision-makers might want to take into account—and elaborate further as needed—when deciding how to organize the work of the GST. The limited time available to the GST risks being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of relevant information. It will be vital to focus attention and facilitate the emergence of clear messages and priorities that can strengthen the impact of the GST on global climate ambition.