UN Climate Change News, 31 July 2026 - UN Climate Change and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China have taken the first step in a new partnership to strengthen institutional and technical transparency capacity in developing countries, holding their first joint activity since signing a Letter of Intent at COP30.
The 2026 Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) Hands-on Training Workshop for Asia, the Pacific and Eastern Europe, held in Wuhu from 20 to 23 July, marked the beginning of practical cooperation under the agreement. The partnership supports developing countries in strengthening implementation of the Paris Agreement's Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) through South-South cooperation, training and peer learning.
The workshop brought together 27 experts from 24 developing countries, alongside resource persons from the CGE, UN Climate Change, the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency - Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Participants exchanged experiences, good practices and lessons learned from implementing the ETF through country presentations, panel discussions, interactive exercises, technical clinics and peer-to-peer discussions. The programme focused on practical aspects of preparing Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), participating in Technical Expert Reviews and the Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress (FMCP) as well as applying the Modalities, Procedures and Guidelines (MPGs), flexibility provisions, planning continuous improvements and strengthening institutional arrangements.
The programme also included visits to Chery New Energy, the Wuhu Shipyard Research Institute and the Yangtze Riverside Protection initiative, giving participants the opportunity to see examples of climate action and green development in practice. Participants highlighted the value of exchanging practical country experiences and learning directly from peers facing similar implementation challenges.
Opening the workshop, Xuehong Wang, Director of Transparency at UN Climate Change, noted that implementation of the ETF has entered a new phase.
"As of July 2026, 134 Parties have submitted their Biennial Transparency Reports, 86 have completed Technical Expert Reviews and 49 have participated in the Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress," Wang said.
"As Parties move towards preparing their second BTRs, the exchange of experiences, good practices and lessons learned becomes even more relevant and important. Transparency is not only a reporting requirement. It is also a strategic tool that helps countries assess progress, identify gaps, improve policies, attract support and investment, and build trust".
Xia Yingxian, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change at China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, reaffirmed China's long-standing commitment to South-South cooperation on climate action, and highlighted that China has trained more than 10,000 experts from developing countries. This has contributed to strengthening climate capacity and supporting sustainable development across the Global South.
Representatives from the Department of Ecology and Environment of Anhui Province and the Wuhu Municipal Government also shared examples of how coordinated policies, technological innovation and local implementation are advancing the country's green and low-carbon development.
As the first activity delivered under the Letter of Intent signed at COP30, the workshop marks the beginning of broader collaboration between UN Climate Change and China to strengthen transparency-related capacity building. Through continued joint activities, the partnership aims to expand support for developing countries, foster peer learning and accelerate implementation of the ETF under the Paris Agreement.
