Keeping Track

This working paper by the World Resources Institute addresses the 'MRV' (measurement, reporting, and verification) challenge within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. It outlines key questions regarding the verification of supported actions, the governance of an international registry for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), and the role of national climate action plans to ensure country accountability for greenhouse gas emission mitigation and support obligations.

• The document identifies several critical areas for negotiation to ensure accountability in a new climate agreement, including the verification of supported and unilateral actions, the governance of an international registry for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and support contributions, and the principles governing the delivery of finance to ensure it is 'predictable, new, additional and adequate'.
• Regarding national climate action plans, the paper emphasizes the need to address sovereignty concerns and ensure the support allocation process remains demand-driven if these plans are subject to review or drafted according to international guidelines.
• The author recommends that Parties implement a gradation of MRV requirements based on the type of action and the cost and ease of verification, while building reporting structures upon existing domestic systems.
• The paper suggests that instead of defining types of acceptable actions, Parties should define the characteristics of acceptable NAMAs—such as timeframe, cost, and mitigation benefits—to allow for innovative, nationally specific actions that maintain environmental integrity.
• A successful accountability system for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation must achieve three primary goals: establishing trust that governments are keeping promises, allowing for the evaluation of country efforts, and recognizing that countries require varied, nationally specific actions to transition to low-carbon pathways.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Keeping Track. https://www.wri.org/research/keeping-track

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Keeping Track. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/keeping-track.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Keeping Track |url=https://www.wri.org/research/keeping-track |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendkeeping, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Keeping Track}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/keeping-track}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }