A Consultative Group of Experts Advances Climate Reporting Transparency Efforts

At their 10th meeting last month, the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) reviewed their yearly work plan and prepared a progress report for submission to the Subsidiary Body for Implementation. The CGE emphasised its commitment to assisting developing country Parties in completing their climate reporting requirements under the Paris Agreement's enhanced transparency framework (ETF).

The meeting was officially opened by Xiang Gao, Chair of the CGE, while Pheav Sovuthy, Under Secretary of State at Cambodia's Ministry of Environment, emphasised the importance of climate action, citing a 30% chance of global temperature hitting 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2026.

Jigme, Manager of the UN Climate Change Transparency Division, underlined the significant progress made in transparency-related talks and implementation, emphasising the CGE's vital role.

Among the CGE's noteworthy accomplishments in 2023 are:

The CGE organised three regional hands-on training workshops concentrating on reporting climate change impacts, adaptation, and support-related information, which benefited 157 participants from 78 poor countries (42 percent women and 58 percent men). The workshops aimed to improve participants' understanding of adaptation-related issues and reporting techniques under the Paris Agreement.

With 155 attendees, the CGE held three regional webinars to deliver freshly created training materials for reporting mitigation activity under the ETF. The CGE released the ETF Handbook's second version in all UN languages, as well as revised adaptation and mitigation training materials for ETF reporting. Interviews with Cuban and Zambian national experts on institutional frameworks for transparency reporting have also been released.

To identify transparency gaps and needs, a stocktake survey was undertaken, as well as an examination of the most recent national communications, biennial update reports (BURs), and summary reports on the technical analysis of BURs. The poll results and an updated technical document will help shape the CGE's work plan for 2024.

Refer to the CGE's progress report for a more detailed review of their accomplishments in 2023.

The CGE regularly seeks feedback and ideas on its operations and publications as it continues to assist developing nations in implementing transparency agreements. Participants are urged to interact with the CGE at COP28 by attending the following events:

Side Event on Transparency Support at COP28: On December 8, from 13:15 to 14:45 in Room 5, the CGE will host a side event to highlight its achievements and planned initiatives for transparency support. The event will also reveal the results of the CGE's capacity-building needs assessment, as well as provide a forum for exchanging experiences in drafting the first Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), as well as elicit comments on new support areas.

25th Anniversary: The CGE will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024. To mark this occasion, the CGE invites current and former members to a celebration. This is an excellent opportunity for members and transparency specialists to discuss the CGE and transparency efforts in general.

Source: unfccc.int