Third Informal Consultation on Financial Support for Biennial Transparency Reports

The Global Environment Facility organized this third consultation meeting to receive informal feedback to help identify and assess any necessary adjustments to the current operational guidelines and costing related to the support for biennial transparency report (BTR) preparation, in light of the guidance received at CMA.3. Participants included government representatives, members from the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE), the UNFCCC Secretariat, and relevant GEF implementing agencies.

The modalities, procedures, and guidelines for the transparency framework for action and support referred to in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement were adopted in December 2018 at the twenty-fourth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP24). The Global Environment Facility, as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism, was requested to support developing country Parties in preparing their first and subsequent BTRs.

In November 2021, the third Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA.3) provided specific guidance to the GEF, inter alia, it welcomed actions taken by the GEF to provide support to developing country Parties in preparing their BTRs in accordance with Article 13, paragraphs 14–15, of the Paris Agreement. It also reiterated its request to the GEF to consider increasing its support for the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement and requested the GEF to provide to the CMA an estimate of the cost related to support for reporting, capacity building and system establishment for reporting in developing countries.

In June 2020, the GEF organized the first virtual consultation meeting to discuss support needs, possible modalities, and timing for BTRs with partners. In November 2020, a second informal consultation was carried out to present the modalities made available by the GEF for supporting the BTRs and related reporting and get feedback from the various stakeholders. Following the informal consultations, the information note on the Financing of Biennial Transparency Reports for Developing Country Parties to the Paris Agreement was submitted to the 59th GEF Council, which met in December 2020. The GEF CEO then made the support modalities available and communicated them to all countries in February 2021. Since then, the GEF has started to receive and approve requests for support from developing country Parties for preparing their first BTRs.