Background

Transparency is a vital enabling tool for engaging key stakeholders and generating crucial data to help make informed decisions, design stronger climate policies over time, attract climate finance, and achieve broader sustainable development goals.

2026 represents a pivotal year for the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement as it enters the second cycle of implementation. About two thirds of Parties have already submitted their first Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR), with BTR 2 due by the end of this year. Parties are also continuing to engage in the technical expert review (TER) and facilitative multilateral consideration of progress (FMCP) processes under the framework. At the same time, some countries are continuing their efforts to prepare and submit their first BTRs. Least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in the light of their special circumstances, may submit the BTR at their discretion.

The successful implementation of the ETF, with no Party left behind, will enrich the political and technical discussions under the second Global Stocktake (GST), which will commence at CMA 8 (November 2026), informing the process with higher quality and country ownership of the data and information. In this BTR submission year, it will be crucial to generate enhanced political momentum and continue creating platforms for countries to access technical and financial support.

Event description 

Under the leadership of the COP 29, COP 30 and incoming COP 31 Presidencies, a technical workshop will be held at the Climate Week in Baku, Azerbaijan from 8 to 10 September 2026, jointly organized and supported by UN Climate Change through the #Together4Transparency initiative, UNEP, UNDP, FAO, the Baku Transparency Platform (BTP) and the government of Australia.

Last year in Belém, the CMA adopted decision 15/CMA.7 on the provision of financial and technical support to developing country Parties for reporting and capacity-building, which included an initial list of activities to be implemented by UN Climate Change in collaboration with the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) and other constituted bodies and relevant partners. In this context, the technical workshops will contribute to fulfilling the mandate from this decision.

The workshop will provide a practical space for countries to come together and resolve technical challenges through peer exchange and engagement with technical experts, in order to facilitate timely submission of their BTRs.

Unlike broader ETF capacity-building activities, this workshop will adopt a demand-driven, "last-mile" approach focused on resolving specific technical issues that countries are encountering in their own draft BTRs, including their CRTs and CTFs. Participants will work directly on their reports with support from technical experts, Lead Reviewers and peer practitioners, enabling them to leave the workshops with concrete progress toward submission.

Objectives

The main objective of the workshop is to provide targeted technical support to developing countries to advance the preparation of their BTRs. It will serve to create momentum and support Parties in the last mile of their BTR preparation through the support of “troubleshooting sessions” to facilitate a timely submission in 2026.

The specific objectives of the workshop are as follows:

1. Provide in-depth technical advice on the application of the ETF modalities, procedures and guidelines (MPGs), including the use of Common Reporting Tables (CRTs) and Common Tabular Formats (CTFs), along with tailored guidance on selected BTR sections, enabling Parties to focus on their individual challenges and needs;
2. Facilitate peer learning and exchange among workshop participants about their  ongoing work on different chapters of their BTRs;
3. Promote the sharing of lessons learned and experiences, particularly in overcoming certain technical issues and challenges in preparing the BTRs;
4. Provide tailored one-on-one support on the use of ETF reporting tools for the preparation of CRTs and CTFs, as well as the ETF User Management Tool and the ETF Submission Module;
5. Strengthen the confidence of developing countries to complete and submit their BTRs in 2026.

Target audience

The primary audience of this workshop will be national experts from developing country Parties that are actively working on their BTRs. National experts who play a significant role in preparing their BTR, including through the use of the ETF reporting tools, will be invited from each of the identified countries. This is an invitation-only event.

Participants will be strongly encouraged to bring their draft sections, working version, or other on-going work related to their BTRs - whether partially or wholly completed - to the workshop in order to maximize the value of the interactive exercises, hands-on troubleshooting sessions, discussions and tailored technical support.

Format

The workshop will take place in-person, with a hands-on and interactive approach for technical support, including expert guidance and peer-to-peer learning.

After scene setting presentations of different sections of the MPGs, including an overview of the key reporting provisions, common challenges in reporting and best practices to address them, as well as case studies, participants will have time to discuss in small groups and seek personalized support in different “stations”, where resource people (Lead Reviewers and technical experts from UN Climate Change and partner organizations (UNEP/UNDP/FAO)) will be ready to support participants on specific topics.

The thematic stations will focus on:

• National GHG inventories;
• Information necessary to track progress made in implementing and achieving NDCs;
• Information related to climate change impacts and adaptation;
• Information on financial, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support needed and received;
• ETF reporting tools and submission processes.

Indicative Agenda 

Tuesday 8 September 2026 – BTR workshop

Wednesday 9 September 2026 – BTR workshop

Thursday 10 September 2026