The workshop is mainly for the technical experts to review Vanuatu BTR report and provide comments and feedback for improvements.
Background of Biennial Transparency Report :
The Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement
represents a fundamental shift in how countries account for and communicate their climate
actions. Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) – the first of which were due by 31 December
2024 – are the centerpiece of this framework, requiring countries to report on national
greenhouse gas inventories, progress towards their Nationally Determined Contributions,
climate change impacts and adaptation, and support needs and received.
For Pacific Island Countries (PICs), the BTR process has presented both extraordinary
opportunity and a formidable challenge. As Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with limited
human and institutional resources, many PICs confronted this first reporting cycle with minimal
dedicated capacity, constrained data systems, and the need to simultaneously establish
institutional coordination mechanisms while producing technically rigorous reports under
significant time pressure.
Despite these constraints, the Pacific region has demonstrated remarkable resolve. Several
countries – including Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands – have completed and
submitted their BTRs, despite the discretion of SIDS under the ETF, marking a historic milestone
in Pacific climate governance. Tuvalu is currently finalising its BTR document, and countries such
as Fiji and Palau are actively progressing with the preparation of their BTR. These achievements,
at varying stages, offer an invaluable body of lived experience that the region as a whole can learn
from.