The Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency – Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP)

The CBIT-GSP is global project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), executed by UNEP and implemented by the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre. CBIT-GSP is a continuation and merging of two prior global progammes, the CBIT Global Coordination Platform and the Global Support Programme.

The Paris Agreement established the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), which introduces more comprehensive and stringent transparency requirements, which present a significant challenge for most developing countries. Targeted towards all developing countries, this five-year project supports countries in getting ready for the ETF and complying with the new reporting requirements from 2024 onwards, namely the delivery of Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR).

Transparency Networks

The project works through different support modalities, which cover global/multi-regional, regional and national support activities. The main support to countries is provided through its ten Transparency Networks, organised by region and language, and covering all developing countries around the globe. The CBIT-GSP Networks are the following:

• Anglophone Africa
• Anglophone Caribbean
• Asia
• Central Asia and the Caucasus
• Eurasia
• Francophone Network (implemented with UNDP)
• Lusophone Cluster (implemented with UNDP)
• Middle East and North Africa
• Pacific
• Spanish-speaking Latin America and the Caribbean

Two of the ten Transparency Networks – the Francophone Network and the Lusophone Cluster – are implemented in close collaboration with the UNDP Climate Promise Initiative. The main objective of the Transparency Networks is to be close to countries’ needs and, most importantly, facilitate peer-learning, south-south exchanges, and the sharing of good practices among network countries.

The approach taken in all Transparency Networks includes several steps: 1. securing nominations of thematic focal points from countries, 2. conducting comprehensive needs assessments with countries and 3. based on the assessment results developing a tailored annual network workplan, covering both regional and national support activities. The network workplans are living documents and are updated on a regular basis, based on countries’ needs and priorities.

The support provided through the Transparency Networks comprises various activities including:

• Direct in-country support, e.g. for IPCC software trainings, BTR roadmap development and defining NDC indicators.
• Regional in-person trainings, e.g., for NDC tracking and GHG inventory.
• Virtual workshops and technical webinars, e.g. on tracking support needed and received.
• Experience-sharing webinars, e.g. for institutional arrangements and data management systems.

More information on the above activities can be found in the various tabs here.

Overall, the support provided by the CBIT-GSP is demand- and needs-driven and flexible to accommodate for  support requests by countries, that can be received at any time.

You can read more about the various Transparency Networks on the Climate Transparency Platform here.

Partnerships 

To deliver effective and streamlined support to countries, CBIT-GSP collaborates closely with other support providers including UNFCCC, UNDP Climate Promise, FAO, ICAT and PATPA, among others. This partnership model has been proven successful over the years, especially in the delivery of trainings and in-country support and is crucial to achieve synergistic transparency outcomes in countries. 

Global Transparency Forums  

As part of its mandate, CBIT-GSP also organises Global Transparency Forums (GTF), bringing together transparency practitioners from countries around the globe as well as support providers to advance discussions on important transparency issues and provide a space for exchange and learning. The first GTF took place on 20-21 May 2024 in Tokyo, Japan and took stock of countries’ readiness for the Enhanced Transparency Framework as well as the interlinkages with the Nationally Determined Contributions. The next GTF is scheduled for 4-5 September to take place in Seoul, South Korea. Read more about the Global Transparency Forums here. 

Quality Checks and Knowledge Products

The CBIT-GSP project also offers quality checks of countries’ transparency reports prior to their submission to the UNFCCC in order provide specific feedback on how the reports can be improved. The reports reviewed cover National Communications, National Inventory Reports/Documents, Biennial Update Reports and now also Biennial Transparency Reports. The majority of  requests come from Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. An overview of our quality checks can be found on the Climate Transparency Platform under the Reviews tab here. 

A number of knowledge products are being developed under CBIT-GSP, including guidance documents, good practice briefs from countries and others. The guidance documents offer detailed and hands-on guidance to countries , for instance for the preparation of National Inventory Documents and the Adaptation Chapter in Biennial Transparency Reports (forthcoming). Good practice briefs are available from different countries across all the Transparency Networks. Our knowledge products can be found under the Knowledge Products tab here. 

Lastly, a Toolkit for Gender Responsive Biennial Transparency Reports is being developed under the project as part of a larger component on supporting countries in gender mainstreaming in climate transparency. 

Climate Transparency Platform

A cornerstone the project is the Climate Transparency Platform, a one-stop-shop for transparency, including information about all transparency projects, support providers, transparency events, news, opportunities and knowledge products as well as relevant transparency information about each developing country. The Climate Transparency Platform also features dedicated spaces for each of the Transparency Networks, including network forums, to foster exchange and learning among countries. An additional feature is the “Ask the Experts” page where users can post their transparency-related questions which are answered by experts. 

Importantly, countries can directly request support through the platform here. In addition, the Platform also caters for coordination among agencies through a common calendar of upcoming events, planning for knowledge products and most importantly, coordination of support as requested by countries.  

Explore and register yourself on the Climate Transparency Platform here