Assessing Adaptation of First Biennial Transparency Reports

The report analyzes the first round of Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the Paris Agreement's Enhanced Transparency Framework, focusing on the voluntary adaptation sections (A-BTR). By reviewing 10 diverse countries, the authors find that while there is strong commitment to reporting, most countries lack comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, leading to a gap in evidence regarding the actual effectiveness of adaptation actions. The report highlights significant reporting gaps for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), a lack of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) integration, and insufficient transparency regarding financial flows.

• As of April 12, 2025, 99 countries submitted their first BTRs, with 81 including a voluntary adaptation section (A-BTR). However, reporting capacity is lowest among those with the highest need: only 21% (8/39) of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and 11% (5/47) of least developed countries (LDCs) have submitted a BTR.
• Most reviewed countries lack comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, which prevents them from providing concrete evidence of the effectiveness of their adaptation actions. While some countries like Cambodia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Niger refer to indicators, nearly half of the reviewed A-BTRs provided no information on outcomes or impacts.
• Gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) considerations are largely missing from BTRs. Only six of the ten reviewed countries—Cambodia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Niger, Rwanda, and Vanuatu—included information on stakeholder engagement, ownership, or gender-responsive actions.
• There is a significant lack of transparency regarding financial flows in the adaptation sections of BTRs. Only Rwanda's A-BTR explicitly outlined financial flows, while others either reported only total allocations or skipped financial details entirely in sections E and F.
• Countries frequently deviate from the modalities, procedures, and guidelines (MPGs) to better fit national narratives, often by adding contextual information on climate vulnerabilities. Some parties, such as Australia and the EU, use hyperlinks to external reports rather than synthesizing the data within the BTR.
• None of the reviewed BTRs explicitly linked their MEL systems to the United Arab Emirates Framework for Global Climate Resilience (UAE FGCR), although some referenced the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

APA

Rosentreter, H., & Beauchamp, E. (2025). Assessing Adaptation of First Biennial Transparency Reports. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/napgn-en-2025-report-assessing-adaptation-btrs.pdf

Chicago

Rosentreter, Hillary, and Emilie Beauchamp. Assessing Adaptation of First Biennial Transparency Reports. NAP Global Network, 2025. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/napgn-en-2025-report-assessing-adaptation-btrs.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rosentreter |first1=Hillary |last2=Beauchamp |first2=Emilie |title=Assessing Adaptation of First Biennial Transparency Reports |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=August 2025 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/napgn-en-2025-report-assessing-adaptation-btrs.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rosentreter2025assessing, author = {Rosentreter, Hillary and Beauchamp, Emilie}, title = {{Assessing Adaptation of First Biennial Transparency Reports}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/napgn-en-2025-report-assessing-adaptation-btrs.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }