Tracking Progress Under the Paris Agreement: Transparency and Accountability

Parties to the Paris Agreement agreed to prepare successive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years, including domestic mitigation targets. To track progress on NDC implementation, Parties must submit biennial transparency reports, making transparency vital to building the trust necessary to accelerate ambitious climate action.

Robust voluntary initiatives can demonstrate progress toward ambitious NDCs, and it is important to strengthen their accountability. The High-Level Climate Champions (HLCs) play a fundamental role in activating the ambition loop, the cycle whereby non-Party stakeholders (NPS) and Parties scale-up ambitious climate action. The UNFCCC is upgrading the Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP) for enhanced transparency and accountability of voluntary initiatives.

The Enhanced Transparency Framework in Practice

This paper lays out the purpose of the Enhanced Transparency Framework and the biennial transparency reports, underscoring their vital role within the five-year ambition cycle of the Paris Agreement. 

2030 Climate Solutions: implementation as the new measure of ambition

This blog delves into the role of the Marrakech Partnership’s 2030 Climate Solutions in supporting accountability in the implementation of climate goals and commitments.

Enhanced Transparency Framework Goes Live in 2024

This publication provides a brief explanation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework and challenges to transparent reporting faced by Parties to the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework

Under Enhanced Transparency Framework guidance, Parties must submit biennial reports. These reports disclose country greenhouse gas emissions and removals, adaptation actions and plans, finance and technological support provided and received, and—crucially—progress towards achievement of each Party’s NDC.

Through collaborative review processes, countries are able to share information and best practice while publicly available reports ensure that progress can be monitored, including by civil societies.

Accountability of non-Parties

Businesses, investors, cities, sub-national regions, civil society organizations, NGOs, and other actors play a key role in achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.

C2ES seeks to support efforts to enhance implementation, tracking, and accountability of voluntary, non-Party stakeholder initiatives.

C2ES’s Role

As climate pledges by countries, non-Party stakeholders, and private sector actors move into implementation and action, C2ES aims to:

Inform discussions and provide updates on the state of transparency and accountability efforts
Provide input to Paris Agreement processes and workstreams on reporting and accountability
Analyze reporting linkages within evolving elements of the climate regime