Unpacking Provisions Related to Transparency of Mitigation and Support in the Paris Agreement
A key outcome of the COP 21 climate change conference in Paris was the agreement of an enhanced transparency framework. Transparency in the context of the international climate change negotiations generally refers to the measurement and reporting of information relating to mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology and capacity building, together with processes for the subsequent review and consideration of some of this information.
Transparency is important because it helps to build trust between Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), increases confidence that Parties are meeting their obligations under the UNFCCC and doing what they say they are doing, helps countries identify gaps in climate change policies, and informs stakeholders of the importance of climate change action. Transparency also enables the tracking of progress towards individual and collective climate-related goals. The detailed modalities, procedures and guidelines for the enhanced transparency framework remain to be developed.