ABSTRACT
With the creation of the Paris Committee on Capacity Building in 2015, the Paris Agreement also specified the creation of the Capacity Building Initiative on Transparency (CBIT), to help developing countries fulfil their new reporting expectations under the agreement. The CBIT was established after acknowledging the fact that some nations do not presently have the capacity to fulfil the Agreement’s enhanced requirements for transparency. With the support of the Global Environment Facility, the CBIT was established to fill gaps. In the Paris Agreement, Article 13 calls for enhanced reporting and transparency requirements to oversee the level of progress of each individual country. In order to ensure that countries are moving forward, transparency systems are necessary in order to ensure the implementation of effective mitigation and adaptation practices. This chapter reviews transparency systems and the CBIT by analysing its implementation process, current progress and possible improvements for the future. A case study of Jamaica reviews its capacity for transparently reporting key climate change activities and emissions, gaps in that capacity, and directions for improvement.
