Transparency

The Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) is the backbone of global climate accountability, designed to ensure that climate commitments are measured, tracked, and strengthened through credible data and evidence. However, its success faces significant challenges, including capacity constraints, fragmented institutions, data gaps, technical complexities, limited financing, and inadequate digital systems, particularly in developing countries, Small Island Developing States, and Least Developed Countries. Addressing these barriers is essential for informed policymaking, sound investment decisions, and accelerated climate action. 

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, entrusted with providing financial support to developing countries to meet their transparency obligations under the Convention and the ETF through:

1. The Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT);
2. Support for reporting obligations, i.e., National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs);
3. Global support for the ETF.

The GEF is the largest multilateral provider of financial and technical support for developing countries implementing the ETF under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. This support enables countries to establish sustainable national transparency systems that support climate policy, planning, investment, accountability, and reporting.  

Support for countries to build capacity and establish their monitoring and reporting systems is provided through the climate change focal area set-aside resources, which are additional to the country allocations under the GEF’s System for Transparency Allocation of Resources, or “STAR."  

Under the ninth replenishment cycle (GEF-9, from 2026-2030), $75 million in resources are available for CBIT programming. Additionally, $145 million in resources are provided for the preparation of NCs and BTRs. 

GEF support for the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency was established shortly after the adoption of the Paris Agreement to provide quick-access support to countries and to boost their capacity to enhance the transparency of inventories and action as well as the transparency of support received.  As such, the CBIT is a key channel of the GEF’s support for successfully implementing the Paris Agreement and its key pillars of transparency and accountability. It does so by enhancing institutional arrangements for climate transparency, strengthening national measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, and informing nationally-determined contributions (NDCs) enhancement and decision-making.

In GEF-9, the CBIT is embedded in the GEF Trust Fund’s climate change focal area strategy, and CBIT support is available to countries upon request and is provided in a timely manner. All developing country Parties that have ratified the Paris Agreement can access CBIT support. In addition, once countries have completed the first stage of their CBIT projects, they can request subsequent CBIT support.

The CBIT has three aims:

1. Strengthen national institutions for transparency-related activities in line with national priorities;  
2. Provide relevant tools, training, and assistance for meeting the provisions stipulated in Article 13 of the Agreement;  
3. Assist in the improvement of transparency over time.

Countries can access complementary support for the ETF with both the CBIT and reporting, such as with BTRs and NCs. 

The CBIT Global Support Program capitalizes on the experiences of previous global projects. The CBIT GSP is under implementation until the end of 2026 and provides streamlined support to countries in transition to the ETF through various global, regional, and national support modalities. Capitalizing on the experience from the previous GSP, the critical support modality is the collective 10 Regional Transparency Networks, which provide targeted support to countries and foster South-South exchange and learning within and across networks. This global support will be extended through the next phase of the program approved under GEF-8. 

Climate Transparency Platform

The Climate Transparency Platform was developed and launched in June 2023 during the 58th Subsidiary Body Meetings in Bonn, Germany, providing a one-stop-shop for the global climate transparency community, with the latest events, knowledge products, overview of transparency projects, and support providers as well as dedicated network pages for South-South exchange and peer learning.