Tracking Progress Under the Paris Agreement: Transparency and Accountability

Parties to the Paris Agreement agreed to prepare successive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years, including domestic mitigation targets. To track progress on NDC implementation, Parties must submit biennial transparency reports, making transparency vital to building the trust necessary to accelerate ambitious climate action.

Robust voluntary initiatives can demonstrate progress toward ambitious NDCs, and it is important to strengthen their accountability. The High-Level Climate Champions (HLCs) play a fundamental role in activating the ambition loop, the cycle whereby non-Party stakeholders (NPS) and Parties scale-up ambitious climate action. The UNFCCC is upgrading the Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP) for enhanced transparency and accountability of voluntary initiatives.

Capitalizing On Transparency to Accelerate Climate Action (Discussion Paper)

This paper provides an overview of the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) and explores: (i) how the efficacy of one of the components of the ETF, the facilitative, multilateral consideration of progress (FMCP), can be maximized to highlight challenges and trigger dialogue on how they might be overcome; and (ii) key issues and opportunities that could be taken forward by the Brazilian COP30 Presidency, Parties, and/or civil society organizations (CSOs).

The Enhanced Transparency Framework (Discussion Paper)

This paper provides an overview of the state of the ETF under the PA and how its reporting and review processes function. It also considers how these modalities can be used to highlight climate action, foster confidence that Parties are contributing to collective climate efforts, and enhance international cooperation.

Enhanced Transparency Framework in Practice

This paper lays out the purpose of the Enhanced Transparency Framework and the biennial transparency reports, underscoring their vital role within the five-year ambition cycle of the Paris Agreement. 

The Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework

Under Enhanced Transparency Framework guidance, Parties must submit biennial reports. These reports disclose country greenhouse gas emissions and removals, adaptation actions and plans, finance and technological support provided and received, and—crucially—progress towards achievement of each Party’s NDC.

Through collaborative review processes, countries are able to share information and best practice while publicly available reports ensure that progress can be monitored, including by civil societies.

Accountability of non-Parties

Businesses, investors, cities, sub-national regions, civil society organizations, NGOs, and other actors play a key role in achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.

C2ES seeks to support efforts to enhance implementation, tracking, and accountability of voluntary, non-Party stakeholder initiatives.

C2ES’s Role

As climate pledges by countries, non-Party stakeholders, and private sector actors move into implementation and action, C2ES aims to:

Inform discussions and provide updates on the state of transparency and accountability efforts
Provide input to Paris Agreement processes and workstreams on reporting and accountability
Analyze reporting linkages within evolving elements of the climate regime