Belgium provides €1.25 Million contribution to UNDP to help countries transition

UNDP will implement the project through its flagship Climate Promise initiative.

The Belgium Government has provided a second contribution of €1.25 Million to UN Development Programme (UNDP) to help countries transition to an Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). UNDP will implement the project through its flagship Climate Promise initiative.

The financial contribution will boost UNDP’s decades-long history of supporting transparent reporting of climate action. To date, with UNDP’s help, over 110 countries have accessed GEF funds to comply with their National Communications, Biennial Update Reports, and now Biennial Transparency Reports to the UNFCCC. UNDP also provides technical assistance on REDD+ measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), and market readiness. Through UNDP’s support to National Adaptation Plans (NAP), adaptation metrics are being developed for enhanced reporting.

The first round of support from Belgium allowed UNDP to provide targeted technical assistance on transparency requirements to Francophone and Lusophone developing countries specifically. This new round will build on these efforts.

“Transparency is essential to reach the goals set in the Paris Agreement,” said Cassie Flynn, Head of Climate Strategies and Policy in UNDP. “Only by being able to track and measure progress with the best available data can the global climate community assess if we are truly on the path to limit global warming below 1.5 C degrees above pre-industrial levels.”

As part of the previous tranche, UNDP provided training to 35 countries and dedicated technical assistance to Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Niger, and Sao Tome and Principe.

“Mozambique has received tailored technical and scientific assistance from the Climate Promise, resulting in the alignment of our transparency and reporting instruments. This support was key in the preparation of our delegation to COP27 and will serve to catalyze additional climate finance,” said Jadwiga Massinga, the Climate Change Director of Mozambique.

In the next phase, more countries - including Angola, Benin, and Senegal - are expected to submit their requests for technical support through a new Transparency Helpdesk mechanism.

“It is of great importance that we provide the necessary support to countries in order to ensure adequate reporting under the Paris Agreement. Support, transparency and collaboration are essential if we are to realize our shared objectives. The Climate Promise initiative enables us to contribute on a demand driven basis, taking into account the specific situation and the needs of the country,” remarked Minister Khattabi, Belgian Federal Minister of Climate, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal.

Following COP27 currently taking place in Egypt, Francophone cluster countries will meet in Bonn, Germany to exchange on the outcomes of the negotiations and key steps to develop their first generation of Biennial Transparency Reports, which are expected to be submitted to the UNFCCC by December 2024.