UN Climate Change News, 23 July 2026 - The Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC) has made significant progress this year on its work to facilitate compliance at a critical time in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
By the end of its 17th meeting earlier this month, the PAICC found that NDC submissions had increased to 149 Parties, while compliance with mandatory reporting requirements under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), including the submission of Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), reached 105 Parties.
The Committee continued to support Parties facing implementation challenges, strengthened outreach activities, and advanced its work on identifying systemic issues, as well as significant and persistent inconsistencies of Parties' reporting with the modalities, procedures and guidelines of the ETF.
In light of the importance of clear and explicit deadlines, the Committee underlined key deadlines, including for the submissions of Parties' second BTRs and, in the case of developed country Parties, the submission of Biennial Communications of information under Article 9, paragraph 5, of the Paris Agreement - both due on 31 December 2026 - as well as for the communication of 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which will be due on 11 February 2030, unless otherwise decided by the CMA.
The following highlights some of the Committee's key achievements in 2026 to date:
PAICC-16
The first meeting of 2026 was held in March under the joint leadership of continuing Co-Chair Eyad AlJubran, and new/returning Co-Chair Christina Voigt who previously served in this role from 2020 to 2024. At PAICC16, the Committee was able to see firsthand the results of its work in the previous year.
In 2025, following the deadlines for Parties' new NDCs after the first Global Stocktake and their first BTRs, the Committee managed an unprecedented caseload, navigating uncharted territory by initiating a 'consideration of issues' in 208 cases, given that an overwhelming majority of Parties had not yet communicated their new NDCs and many had not submitted their first BTRs.
In its notification letters to those Parties with outstanding obligations, the Committee allowed an extended timeline for responses and reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating implementation of, and promoting compliance with, the provisions of the Paris Agreement.
The Committee actively engaged with Parties through individual letters, reminders, and consultations with the Committee. By the time of PAICC-16, the Committee welcomed a further 75 new NDCs and further 13 mandatory submissions of BTRs submitted since PAICC-15 (2 October 2025), as well as another 9 BTRs from the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS), acknowledging that LDCs and SIDS have discretion as to when to submit their BTRs.
In considering how 'Action for Climate Empowerment' (ACE) can be implemented under its workstreams, the Committee welcomed the secretariat's efforts to enhance the process to facilitate observer participation at PAICC meetings and committed to further increase opportunities for observers to engage as well as its outreach activities.
Side event at SB64
As one of such outreach and engagement activities, the Committee held a side event at the 64th session of the Subsidiary Bodies, entitled "Advancing Implementation and Compliance under the Paris Agreement: Supporting Parties through PAICC."
The event was led by Co-Chairs Eyad AlJubran and Christina Voigt, and featured Marianne Karlsen, the head of the Norwegian delegation, Kamil Salazar, Chair of the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE), and the director of the UNFCCC Legal Affairs division, Christine Adam.
This event raised awareness on the functions of the PAICC and its collaboration with the CGE and other bodies, reminded Parties of and clarified their core obligations and upcoming deadlines under the Paris Agreement, provided an update on PAICC's work in 2025-26 and an outlook on the rest of 2026. Participants took part in a question-and-answer session with the panel.
PAICC-17
Building on the momentum of the first half of the year, the Committee convened for its 17th meeting in July and was able to welcome further progress by Parties since PAICC-16, including the communication of 10 additional NDCs, the submission of mandatory ETF reports and information by 1 additional Party, with 2 Parties from LDCs and SIDS submitting their BTRs, as of 10 July 2026. The Committee also confirmed that all Paris Agreement Parties currently maintain an applicable NDC in the public NDC registry.
Nonetheless, by the conclusion of PAICC-17, 45 Parties had not yet communicated their NDCs, while 14 Parties had not yet submitted all mandatory reports and information required under the ETF. The Committee continues to be concerned considering the large number of Parties that have still not submitted their new NDCs and the significant number that had not submitted their BTRs - a concern echoed by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in his message to Parties sent on 1 June 2026.
On the facilitative, multilateral consideration of progress (FMCP), the Committee noted the participation of 37 Parties in the third working group session (FMCP3) at SBI 64 and welcomed the enhanced efficiency and time management achieved at these sessions. While another 37 Parties are scheduled to participate in FMCP4 at SBI 65 in November 2026, there is still a large number of Parties (i.e., 108) that will, after SBI 65, still need to participate in the FMCP related to the first BTRs.
The Committee also considered a range of tools and databases designed to support its work. It further advanced the preparation of its contribution to the technical assessment component of the second global stocktake (GST2), for the first quarter of 2027.
The Committee finalized a guide that provides orientation to Parties on available resources to support the preparation of their NDCs and BTRs. The guide responds to the challenges identified by Parties in their engagement with the PAICC, as detailed in its 2025 Annual report (para. 60). Intended as a practical, living resource, the guide and its addendum will be regularly updated to reflect Parties' evolving needs and implementation challenges, new requirements as well as new resources, and will be disseminated broadly, including in correspondence with Parties to assist them in meeting their reporting obligations.
Next Steps
Continuing into 2027 - a pivotal year for transparency reporting - Parties are reminded of their obligations regarding the submission of their second BTR and national inventory report (if submitted as a stand-alone report), as well as, for developed country Parties, biennial communications under Article 9, paragraph 5 of the Paris Agreement, all due by 31 December 2026. The Committee reaffirms its non-adversarial and non-punitive nature, alongside its willingness to engage constructively with Parties and pay particular attention to their national capabilities and circumstances.
The Committee's 18th meeting will be held from 1-4 September 2026, and its 19th meeting, in early 2027. At both upcoming meetings, the Committee will engage in consultations with all Parties who so request and consider the most up-to-date information on the communication and maintenance of NDCs, the submissions of mandatory reports and information under the ETF, and any information that Parties concerned may provide in their responses to the Committee's notifications.
