Last week, Tbilisi, Georgia, hosted a transformative three-day training to strengthen greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory reporting under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework. The event brought together more than forty participants from fifteen countries across Eurasia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.
The training titled “Deep-dive into preparation and reporting of results of national GHG inventories under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement” was organized by the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency – Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP), hosted by the Government of Georgia and supported by the UNFCCC.
Essential knowledge and tools for climate reporting
The training equipped country representatives with essential knowledge and tools for enhancing their national systems and methods related to GHG inventory preparation and reporting.
As part of the new reporting requirements under the Enhanced Transparency Framework, countries are to submit their first Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) by December 2024. These reports require a more comprehensive reporting structure compared to the previous system known as Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV).
The training enabled country teams responsible for reporting the results of their National GHG Inventory process to improve the technical content of their National Inventory Reports and prepare their initial BTRs, guided by the considerations outlined in the Modalities, Procedures, and Guidelines (MPGs).
The training was also an opportunity for countries to use the new UNFCCC ETF reporting tools and get hands on training on the GHG tool that would enable them to report their GHG data as part of their BTR.
The training also provided a valuable platform for cross-regional exchange of experiences and best practices, fostering a collective commitment to combat climate change.
Streamlining support for the Enhanced Transparency Framework
The objective of the CBIT-GSP is to provide streamlined support and capacity-building to assist developing countries in responding to the reporting provisions under the Enhanced Transparency Framework, and ultimately increase ambition for climate action.
One of the ways to achieve this goal is through the establishment and work of 10 Regional Networks, fostering south-south collaboration, knowledge-sharing and learning among countries.
The training exercises on reporting the national GHG inventory under the MPGs were assessed as one of the priorities on capacity building for transparency in the Regional Networks for Central Asia and Caucasus and Eurasia.
Introductory webinar
The training workshop was initiated with an introductory webinar on tools and approaches to improve the preparation and presentation of results of national GHG inventories in accordance with guidelines adopted under the Paris Agreement.
The introductory webinar provided instructions for participants on other parts of the training workshop and summarized some of the most important materials that will be included in the in-person training.
