Transparency key to turning climate pledges into action – Experts

Stakeholders at the high-level dialogue on Transparency during Climate Week in Baku have declared that transparency remains the critical bridge between climate commitments and real action on the ground.

The dialogue, which focused on how climate reporting can translate into stronger policies, clearer investment priorities and measurable results, brought together COP Presidency representatives, national practitioners and international support providers to examine the role of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) in advancing the Paris Agreement.

Participants stressed the need to link climate reporting more closely with national decision-making and to invest in the people, institutions and data systems required to sustain effective reporting over time.

According to Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister and COP29 Lead Negotiator, Yalchin Rafiyev, said the world has moved from promises to delivery.

“We are entering a new phase of climate diplomacy. The central question is no longer what we have promised; increasingly, it is what we have delivered. That is why transparency is not a technical end of the climate process; it is a bridge between negotiation and implementation,” he said.

Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Chief Negotiator for the COP31 Presidency, Fatma Varank, described transparency as the backbone of the Paris Agreement.

“Transparency is the backbone of the Paris Agreement and is essential for the credibility of climate action. It is also a fundamental pillar for building trust, strengthening national policymaking processes, identifying and communicating needs, and supporting the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement,” Varank explained.

Australia’s Deputy Executive Director for the President of Negotiations, David Higgins, noted that participation in the ETF allows countries to better understand the impact of their climate policies and identify where support can drive stronger action.

“Participation in the ETF is the most effective way to further improve reporting and allow countries to reap the benefits of better understanding the tangible impacts of their climate policies,” he said.

COP30 Chief Executive Officer, Ana Toni, summed up the link between data and policy, said: “If you don’t have the right data, you cannot do the right policies to get you where you need to be.”

The first panel session explored how countries are using the ETF to shape policy, implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and attract climate finance.

Director for International Affairs and Climate Finance at the European Commission, Diana Acconcia, said transparency must be seen as the starting point for implementation.