Thirty-seven countries, including Ghana and Kenya, have submitted their first Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the Paris Agreement, marking the largest participation to date in the Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress (FMCP).
Gatekeepers News reports that the reports were presented during the third session of the FMCP, held as part of the June Climate Meetings (SB64) in Bonn, Germany.
The Biennial Transparency Reports provide updates on countries’ progress in implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), outlining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and provide support to developing nations.
Four working group sessions were held between June 10 and 13, bringing together countries from every continent to share their progress under the Paris Agreement.
The FMCP is a dialogue-based mechanism established under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework, enabling countries to assess one another’s climate actions, exchange experiences and strengthen accountability.
André Corrêa do Lago, President-designate of COP30, described transparency as a cornerstone of effective climate action.
“Transparency is indispensable to implementation. Without transparency, there can be no credible way of assessing whether we are delivering on the commitments we have made, learning from best practices and correcting courses where needed,” he said.
“The FMCP reinforces transparency within the climate regime and, in doing so, strengthens the credibility of the UNFCCC by making each party’s progress more visible and comprehensible to all.”
The participating countries included Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Others were Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Sweden, Uruguay, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, the Maldives, Mauritius and Uzbekistan.
As part of the review process, 25 parties submitted 148 questions to the presenting countries, with nearly half focusing on the implementation of emissions reduction policies and Nationally Determined Contributions.
Additional discussions centred on institutional arrangements under the Enhanced Transparency Framework, climate finance, technology transfer and carbon market mechanisms.
Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy and President of the COP31 negotiations, Chris Bowen, highlighted his country’s progress in expanding renewable energy.
“In the last six years, we’ve doubled the share of renewable energy in our electricity grids, and with our current policies, we’ll double again to 82% by 2030,” Bowen said.
“One in three Australian households draws its energy from rooftop solar. We’re now installing 1,200 batteries in households a day.”
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said the record participation in the third FMCP demonstrates growing global commitment to climate transparency as countries prepare for the next phase of implementing the Paris Agreement.
The fourth session of the Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress is expected to take place during COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, where about 40 countries are projected to present their climate progress and experiences.
