The prospects and challenges of the Enhanced Transparency Framework as a driver of climate ambition
27 October 2022
10:00 – 11:30 CET
13:30 – 15:00 IST

Recording
Key take-aways






Background
“Measure what you treasure” the saying goes. If what we treasure is ambitious climate action, how then should we go about measuring it? The Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement contains a detailed set of reporting and review provisions that aim to make visible how countries perform vis-à-vis their climate targets.
The assumed prospects of this new transparency framework are substantial. Repeated reporting and review cycles may result in learning and trust-building between countries. Moreover, domestic data collection and processing may improve policy making and stakeholder engagement. The Enhanced Transparency Framework can also be an important building block for a successful Global Stocktake.
Yet, demanding reporting and review provisions also come with serious challenges. Capacity constraints might prevent developing countries from collecting and reporting information. Moreover, the transparency framework could collapse under its own weight, if information is not prioritized and synthesized to bring to light most pertinent issues. Perhaps more importantly, will more information help to catalyse climate action in the context of highly political debates around who should take responsibility and when?
With the ETF becoming operational in 2024 and with hopes pinned on transparency, it is timely and important to explore diverse perspectives on the promises and perils of the ETF. Speakers covered various topics including transparency in relation to mitigation, adaptation, finance, gender, and equity.
Objective
This webinar convened a diverse group of researchers and practitioners to explore the prospects and challenges of the Enhanced Transparency Framework. The webinar was organized as a precursor for a side-event hosted live at COP27. This webinar provided a space to kick-off the discussion.
This session aimed to reach actors involved or interested in global climate transparency. This includes Parties, observers, students, academics, practitioners, and other interested actors. The talk catered to both novices and experts in the field of climate transparency.
The webinar is recorded and published online as a reference source for interested students, academics, and practitioners.
Speakers

Prof. Dr. Aarti Gupta
Wageningen University & Research
Aarti Gupta is principal investigator of the TRANSGOV project. She is a Professor of Global Environmental Governance with the Environmental Policy Group, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University. Her research is in the field of global environmental and climate governance, with a focus on transparency and accountability and the challenges of anticipatory governance of novel technologies, including climate engineering. She has published extensively in these fields, including the edited volume, Transparency in Global Environmental Governance: Critical Perspectives (2014, MIT Press). She holds a PhD from Yale University and is a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Earth System Governance Research Alliance.

Mr. R. R. Rashmi
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) @teriin
Mr. R. R. Rashmi is Distinguished Fellow of the Energy and Resources Institute, Delhi. As a former civil servant with over 35 years’ experience of public service, Mr Rashmi has been involved with climate change policy making in India in the run up to and after the Paris Agreement. He was India’s key negotiator for climate change for several years. He held the position of Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Climate Change, Govt of India and later the Chief Secretary, Govt of Manipur.
He has been a member of the Sub Committee of the Ministry of Finance on Climate Finance. Currently, he is a Member of the Technical Advisory Body of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Environment Advisory Group of the National Human Rights Commission.

Dr. Britta Rennkamp
The University of Cape Town (UCT) African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI)

Shikha Bhasin
The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) @CEEWIndia
Shikha Bhasin is Senior Programme Lead in the Technology, Finance and Trade team at The Council. A co-author of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), she continues to represent CEEW as a member of ICAP working groups to implement its R&D and servicing sector goals. Her research focusses on enhancing access to sustainable cooling in India, as well supporting the technology and market transitions required to meet India’s Kigali Amendment commitments. Shikha also leads research on climate negotiations, with a particular focus on aspects of the Paris Agreement rulebook, and national ambitions set out under the aegis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
A graduate of Delhi University and the London School of Economics and Politics, Shikha has worked extensively on policy-focused international technology cooperation research projects on climate change for over seven years with the German Development Institute (Bonn), the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (Amsterdam), and Radboud University (Nijmegen).

Dr. Laode M. Syarif
The Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan)
Dr. Syarif is an expert in good governance, transparency issues, particularly anti-corruption and legal/judicial reform. At present he is the Executive Director of Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan), a leading Indonesian national organisation in the issue of good governance in Indonesia. KEMITRAAN major field of work are: Anti-Corruption, Democratization, Law Enforcement Reform, Sustainable Economic and Environmental Governance. He was the Commissioner of Indonesia Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for the period of 2015-2019.
Dr. Syarif also teaches at Hasanuddin University, Faculty of Law, Makassar, Indonesia. He taught Environmental Law, International Environmental Law, and developed Anti-Corruption and Environmental Law Clinics in several Law Schools in Indonesia. He also served as one of the principal trainers of the Supreme Court of Indonesia in the area of Environmental Law and Judicial Code of Conduct since early 2000 and a regular guest lecturer at the University of Sydney Law School, University of Melbourne, School Government, University of South Pacific Law School in Port Villa, National University of Singapore Law School, and Cebu University Law School. He widely published in the issue of transboundary pollution, environmental law, and anti-corruption.
Programme
10:00 – 10:05 | Welcome and Introduction Moderator: Robert Bergsvik (WUR) |
10:05 – 11:05 | Presentations (5 minute presentation + 5 minute Q&A) 1. Transparency and climate action: Prof. Aarti Gupta (WUR) 2. Transparency and the Global Stocktake: Mr. R. R. Rashmi (TERI) 3. Transparency and capacity building: Dr. Md. Masumur Rahman (SACEP) 4. Transparency and equity: Dr. Britta Rennkamp (UCT) 5. Transparency and accountability: Shikha Bhasin (CEEW) 6. Transparency and gender: Dr. Laode M. Syarif (The Partnership) |
11:05– 11:25 | Question & Answer |
11:25 – 11:30 | What is Next? Road to COP27 |
Contact
Max van Deursen (Max.vandeursen@wur.nl)