Five developing countries made a significant move toward climate transparency by participating in the thirty-third round of technical analysis for Biennial Update Reports (BURs) held from October 14 to 18, 2024, in Bonn, Germany.
During this round, experts analyzed national climate data from Algeria, the Central African Republic, Mali, Seychelles, and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting these nations’ varied efforts and challenges in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This analysis round featured 15 experts from 14 countries and one intergovernmental organization, ensuring balanced regional and gender representation. Three participants were current or former members of the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE), contributing extensive experience to the process. So far, 661 experts have taken part in 72 teams, resulting in 159 published summary reports—demonstrating a strong collaborative drive for climate transparency.
Donald Cooper, Director of UN Climate Change Transparency, commended the collaborative spirit of these reviews, stating, “The technical analysis process has worked very well. Experts have not only acted as appraisers but also as capacity-builders alongside the Parties,” said Donald.
He emphasized that this collaboration has provided essential support to developing countries, enabling them to enhance their reporting and seamlessly transition to the Enhanced Transparency Framework.
The individual reports highlighted each country’s progress, needs, and goals:
- Algeria outlined its emissions reduction target of 22% by 2030, focusing on mitigation efforts in energy and forestry.
- The Central African Republic presented its Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system, outlining emission targets for 2025 and 2030 in the energy, agriculture, and forestry sectors while addressing technical capacity needs.
- Mali shared its renewable energy and emissions reduction targets for 2030 across energy, agriculture, and forestry, noting challenges in institutional coordination.
- Seychelles is advancing its renewable energy and energy efficiency capacities with specific emission reduction targets for 2030.
- The United Arab Emirates provided details on its Net Zero by 2050 initiative, including plans to decarbonize power and water generation by leveraging clean energy sources.
These reports reflect both the advancements and the support still required, particularly in institutional and technical areas, as these countries prepare to transition to the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the approach to ten years by February 2025 demands a global stocktake in Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation plans hence renowned for a decade of Capacity-Building for Transparency.
Beyond improving report quality, technical analyses serve as practical capacity-building exercises for developing countries as they maneuver their way around reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Insights gained from these reviews have shaped the support strategies of the CGE and other organizations, making these expert evaluations a foundational element of the ETF. Through this, they reinforce global efforts to address the climate crisis with transparent reporting.
