Putting the ‘enhanced transparency framework’ into action: Priorities for a key pillar of the Paris Agreement

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the 'enhanced transparency framework' established under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. It identifies critical gaps in the framework's design, specifically regarding 'built-in flexibility' for developing countries, the tracking of climate finance, and the alignment of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) with reporting requirements. The document provides recommendations for the COP22 conference to establish a roadmap for a fully operational framework by 2018 to ensure data is available for the 2023 global stocktake.

• The Paris Agreement's 'enhanced transparency framework' includes 'built-in flexibility' for developing country Parties based on their capacities, but the Agreement does not specify how these capacities will be judged. Potential starting points for classification include World Bank income levels or criteria for Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
• There are several proposed options for implementing flexibility in reporting and review: linking reporting scope to the type of mitigation goal in the NDC, using a tiered system of reporting detail based on capacity, allowing LDCs and SIDS to report at their own discretion, and making in-country technical reviews optional for some Parties.
• The transparency framework is intended to provide input for the five-yearly global stocktake starting in 2023, using data such as greenhouse gas inventories and reports on NDC progress. However, its relationship with the Article 15 implementation and compliance mechanism remains unclear.
• Tracking progress on NDCs is complicated by the heterogeneity of current submissions, which include qualitative goals, substances other than greenhouse gases (such as black carbon), or commitments conditional on financial support.
• Current reporting on climate finance by developed countries is considered inadequate due to a lack of an agreed definition of climate finance and a lack of common accounting methodologies. While modalities are being developed for finance provided and mobilized through public interventions, there are no such modalities for financial support received.
• The Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT), supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was established to help developing countries meet transparency requirements. However, initial pledges of approximately US$35 million may be insufficient for the ongoing need to train national experts.

APA

van Asselt, H. (2016). Putting the ‘enhanced transparency framework’ into action: Priorities for a key pillar of the Paris Agreement. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-Transparency-under-Paris-Agreement.pdf

Chicago

van Asselt, Harro. Putting the ‘enhanced transparency framework’ into action: Priorities for a key pillar of the Paris Agreement. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2016. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-Transparency-under-Paris-Agreement.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=van Asselt |first1=Harro |title=Putting the ‘enhanced transparency framework’ into action: Priorities for a key pillar of the Paris Agreement |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-Transparency-under-Paris-Agreement.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vanasselt2016putting, author = {van Asselt, Harro}, title = {{Putting the ‘enhanced transparency framework’ into action: Priorities for a key pillar of the Paris Agreement}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-Transparency-under-Paris-Agreement.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }