Vanuatu is hosting climate representatives from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Cook Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia for a five-day regional workshop aimed at strengthening climate reporting and tracking progress on national climate commitments.

The workshop, taking place at Iririki Island Resort and Spa from 17 to 21 August, focuses on the Enhanced Transparency Framework under the Paris Agreement.

The framework requires countries to report on climate action, greenhouse gas emissions and progress in implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions, known as NDCs.

The workshop will support participating countries in preparing Biennial Transparency Reports, developing national greenhouse gas inventories and improving systems to track progress on climate commitments.

Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have already submitted their first Biennial Transparency Reports, while other Pacific Island countries continue to progress with the implementation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework.

However, many Pacific countries face challenges due to their small populations, remote locations and limited technical and technological capacity, including difficulties accessing reliable internet services and collecting climate-related data.

Sharing Pacific Experience

The five-day workshop will use peer-to-peer discussions, practical exercises and a site visit to allow participants to share experiences and identify solutions to common challenges.

It will also provide training and information on tools, including software developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to support countries in preparing greenhouse gas inventories.

The workshop aims to strengthen collaboration between Pacific Island countries and help government agencies better understand reporting requirements under the Paris Agreement.

Participants include climate change officials, technical focal points and representatives from relevant government departments, including those responsible for climate change, statistics and national reporting.

Representatives from the Cook Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia are also expected to share regional experiences and practices in implementing climate transparency arrangements.

The workshop is organised by the Regional Pacific NDC Hub, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in collaboration with the Government of Australia.

It is hosted by the Government of Vanuatu, with technical support from the NDC Partnership and the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency Global Support Programme.