Consultation: GEF Support to the Enhanced Transparency Framework

The Global Environment Facility organized this consultation to respond to CMA 4 guidance on matters related to finance, and to provide an update on the status of the GEF support to Parties for the implementation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). The workshop was designed to enable sharing of information and early lessons between Parties regarding the initial experiences with Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) support and preparation.

As part of the Paris Agreement, Parties agreed to establish the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT), aiming to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of developing countries to meet the enhanced transparency requirements defined in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. In response to COP-21 guidance, the GEF established the CBIT in June 2016. The total CBIT project portfolio, as of February 16, 2023, comprises 88 projects in 87 countries; 82 are individual country projects, one is a regional project (including five countries), and five are global projects. These 87 countries represent 55.8 percent of all 154 non-Annex I Parties. The total CBIT support amounts to $144.6 million, including GEF project financing, Project Preparation Grants, and Agency fees.

In November 2022, the fourth Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 4) provided guidance to the GEF Secretariat on matters related to finance. In particular, paragraph 10 of decision 8c/CMA 4 reads as follows: [the CMA] “Acknowledges the challenges developing country Parties face in implementing the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement in a sustainable manner, including in establishing and enhancing reporting systems within their respective national governments, and requests the Global Environment Facility to consult with developing country Parties on how the support provided to them by the Facility for preparing their biennial transparency reports could best achieve this, in addition to the support provided for capacity-building provided through the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency.”

Under the eighth replenishment of the GEF (GEF-8), which runs from July 1st, 2022 to June 30th 2026, the budget available to support Enabling Activities under the climate change focal area has increased by more than 30% compared to GEF-7. This includes support for National Communications, BTRs, and the CBIT. Countries also continue to have access to resources intended for climate reporting obligations and CBIT support from set-aside funding that do not draw on country allocations.

The outcomes of this consultation were:

• Raised developing country Parties’ awareness of the support the GEF provides to the ETF.
• Identified developing country Parties’ challenges in establishing and enhancing their reporting systems under the ETF, particularly in terms of process streamlining, project structuring, training and workshops, as well as communication and outreach activities.
• Showcased good practices and early lessons from developing country Parties and agencies in implementing the ETF.
• Enhanced developing country Parties’ capacity to implement the ETF in a timely manner.