Driving climate action forward with the Enhanced Transparency Framework
FAO facilitates commitment to the Paris Agreement
The new ‘Enhanced Transparency Framework on Climate change’ website, launched today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), supports country efforts to accurately track and report on climate impacts and action.
The new website underscores FAO’s commitment to transparency activities central to the Paris agreement, in the lead up to COP29 and the deadline for the first submission of BTRs (Biennial Transparency Reports) in November and December 2024 respectively.
Director of the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) Kaveh Zahedi affirms that transparent reporting drives accountability, builds trust and encourages collective action as the international community scales up efforts to combat climate change.
"Robust and self-sustaining transparency systems are crucial for meeting current and future reporting requirements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement,” Kaveh Zahedi says. “They are also key to unlocking additional benefits for governments, including more informed decision-making, increased political support for climate actions, and improved access to climate finance.”
What is the Enhanced Transparency Framework?
Countries that signed the Paris Agreement committed to keeping global temperatures well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, with each country outlining goals and approaches in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) is crucial for tracking and reporting progress on these climate commitments.
From December 2024, countries must submit Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) every two years to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), detailing emissions, NDC progress, climate impacts, and related funding. Supported by concrete evidence, the BTRs will demonstrate that countries are making genuine efforts to curb global warming. The transparency they provide will be vital in holding countries accountable and maintaining momentum in global climate action.
Why transparency matters and the role of FAO
The agriculture and land-use sectors are both sources and sinks of greenhouse gas emissions, holding significant potential for climate mitigation and adaptation. However, countries often face challenges in identifying and monitoring opportunities for climate action within these sectors due to data limitations and technical complexities.
FAO is actively addressing these challenges by providing tailored support, tools, and expertise to enhance transparency reporting. This strengthens global efforts to improve accuracy, bridge data gaps, design more informed policies, and ensure that climate action in these critical sectors is effectively documented and communicated.
FAO assists countries to secure climate finance to build capacity to address the ETF and enable reporting to the UNFCCC. Additionally, FAO fosters dialogue to improve coordination among institutions involved in transparency reporting, including non-state actors such as academia. This also helps ensure that countries are well-prepared to meet ETF commitments.
“FAO is supporting countries to address the requirements of the Enhanced Transparency Framework, with the objective of raising ambitions for more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems,” FAO Climate Change Transparency Expert Mirella Salvatore says. “This will ensure better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.”
Navigating FAO’s ETF website
The new ETF website is a comprehensive resource for countries seeking support in meeting their ETF obligations. A breakdown of what users can expect follows:
Understanding the ETF: The website clearly explains the ETF under the UNFCCC, emphasizing its relevance to the agriculture and land-use sectors. It highlights how the ETF helps countries track NDC progress and the importance of submitting BTRs by 31 December 2024.
Technical Support for Transparency: FAO provides extensive support, including capacity building, data collection improvement, and monitoring systems. The website details how FAO collaborates with national institutions to meet reporting requirements, from greenhouse gas inventories to adaptation tracking.
Access to Climate Finance: FAO assists countries to secure climate finance through initiatives like the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) and Enabling Activities (EA) funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The website outlines FAO's role in helping countries access these funds (see map), crucial for fulfilling transparency commitments.
Learning and Resources: The platform offers a variety of resources, including tools, datasets, guidelines, methodologies, and e-learning courses, to enhance transparency efforts and facilitate knowledge-sharing through case studies.
What’s next?
FAO is committed to continually enhancing its support for countries in meeting their transparency obligations. With the global focus on transparency intensifying ahead of COP29, FAO will keep the website updated with upcoming events to ensure countries stay well-prepared and informed.
FAO is now accepting applications from potential pilot countries seeking technical support for ETF reporting. For more information, contact [email protected].
Please note: only national public institutions directly responsible for ETF reporting are eligible to apply.
To further increase accessibility, FAO plans to make the website available in multiple languages. As transparency becomes even more central to global climate governance, FAO is not only supporting countries in meeting current commitments but also preparing them for the future of climate action and accountability.
Get involved
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