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On September 3, the city of Baku hosted a pivotal High-Level Dialogue focused on enhancing global climate transparency, as nations and international organizations prepare for COP29. The event, led by the incoming COP29 Presidency in collaboration with UN Climate Change, unveiled several key initiatives aimed at boosting transparency to support more effective climate action, ambition, and finance.

The dialogue saw participation from senior officials representing over 120 countries, alongside leaders from UN agencies and other global partners. The gathering highlighted the critical role of transparency in enabling countries to meet their climate commitments and enhance their climate strategies.

Importance of Transparency

As countries prepare their Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) due by December 31, 2024, these reports are expected to be instrumental in tracking progress and identifying areas requiring further action and investment. Mukhtar Babayev, COP President Designate and Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, emphasized the significance of BTRs: “BTRs will play a crucial role in tracking progress and identifying areas where more action and investment are needed. This will help to unlock and guide climate finance.

Transparency is seen as a fundamental tool to assess national progress, design effective policies, and attract necessary funding for climate initiatives. “By openly reporting our words and actions, our progress and our challenges, we can share with the world our commitment to achieving our climate goals,” Babayev added.

New Initiatives and Support

In response to the need for increased support for developing countries, the Baku Global Climate Transparency Platform (BTP) was launched. The BTP aims to assist countries with capacity challenges in preparing and submitting their transparency reports. Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, urged all nations to engage with the platform: “By using the support available – including this new platform – and submitting transparency reports without delay, all countries can harness transparency to drive the ambitious climate action our world so desperately needs.

The BTP will facilitate workshops across various regions, including Africa, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, to bolster BTR preparation and submission efforts.

Global Commitment and Upcoming Event

The incoming COP29 Presidency has also pledged to submit Azerbaijan’s own BTR before the December deadline, a commitment mirrored by other nations such as Brazil, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, the United States, and Uzbekistan. This move reflects a growing commitment among countries to prioritize transparency ahead of COP29

To reinforce the importance of transparency, a ‘High-Level Transparency Pair’ has been appointed: Zulfiya Suleimenova, Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan, and Francesco Corvaro, Italy’s Special Envoy for Climate Change. Their role will include overseeing the implementation of transparency initiatives and engaging with international stakeholders

The dialogue also featured thematic sessions addressing essential topics such as building national capacity for BTRs, enhancing transparency systems, and leveraging transparency for informed policy and finance decisions. Discussions were led by partners from the #Together4Transparency initiative, including UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, UN Development Programme, and the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency - Global Support Programme