UNEP DTU Partnership hosted a two-day technical workshop on the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency on 19-20 April at the UN City in Copenhagen.
Organized in partnership with UN Development Programme and UN Environment, the workshop aimed at strengthening the understanding of the priorities and needs for the implementation of the transparency framework established by the Paris Agreement. It provided a space for sharing experiences on ongoing transparency initiatives, discussions on gaps and needs faced by countries in the implementation of the enhanced transparency framework, and presentation of technical support available.
In particular, the workshop presented the capacity building initiative for transparency (CBIT), a new trust fund established by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in the aftermath of COP21 with the goal of enhancing institutional and technical capacities of developing countries to meet the transparency requirements set out by the Paris Agreement. This included an overview of CBIT’s programming directions, priorities, and financial arrangements, and also the introduction of the CBIT Global Coordination Platform. This platform will convene countries, donors, and agencies to enable coordination, maximize learning opportunities, and facilitate knowledge sharing.
Among other transparency and MRV focused initiatives, the workshop allowed for the presentation of the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) as a key partner to CBIT and the CBIT Coordination Platform. As one of the newer initiatives, many discussions were around ICAT’s development of GHG reduction methodologies with its unique focus on climate policies and measures, and the pairing of these with hands-on training in 21 developing countries. Its objective is to have methodological development supported by capacity building and vice-versa. In addition, ICAT is also developing guidance for sustainable development impacts and a working definition for transformational change. It is also at the scoping stage of starting methodological development related to adaptation. It is this holistic approach that positions ICAT as a key partner to CBIT.