Transparency Capacity-Building: UN Climate Change and China Kick Off First Joint Workshop
By: Abudu Olalekan
Getting developing countries to report on their climate actions can be a complex undertaking, often requiring a certain degree of technical expertise to navigate.
This is why UN Climate Change and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China have partnered together to provide assistance in this area.
Their joint activity took place in Wuhu, China, from 20 to 23 July, kicking off their collaboration formalized during COP30 through the signing of a Letter of Intent.
This consultative group of experts (CGE) workshop, which was the 2026 hands-on training event for Asia, the Pacific and Eastern Europe, was attended by 27 experts from 24 developing countries, as well as 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).
Instead of a traditional lecture-style presentation, participants shared their national experience and engaged in country presentations, panel discussions, interactive sessions, technical briefings and a number of peer-to-peer exchange events, with a main focus on country reports, technical expert reviews and the facilitative multilateral consideration of progress, as well as how to apply the modalities, procedures and guidelines, and flexibility provisions, enhance continuous improvement and strengthen institutional arrangements.
They also were able to go on field visits to learn about China’s climate action and green development first-hand. These included tours of Chery New Energy, Wuhu Shipyard Research Institute and the Yangtze Riverside Protection initiative, during which many participants noted the value of being able to see climate friendly technologies and practices in real-life applications.
At the opening session of the event, Xuehong Wang, Director of Transparency at UN Climate Change, stated that the implementation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) “has entered a new phase,” given that, as of July 2026, 134 Parties have submitted their BTRs, of which 86 have completed a Technical Expert Review and 49 have taken part in the Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress.
“The exchange of views and experiences, sharing of good practices and lessons learned are particularly pertinent and pertinent as Parties prepare to undertake their second cycle of reporting under the ETF,” Wang added.
“Transparency is not only a reporting issue, but also an important means to promote enhanced domestic oversight, policy formulation, finance attraction and overall trust and confidence building among stakeholders.”
Meanwhile, Xia Yingxian, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, reiterated China’s strong commitment to South-South cooperation in the areas of climate action and climate governance.
“In the past decades, China has trained over 10000 climate change experts from developing countries, making an active contribution to enhancing climate governance capabilities in the South,” Xia stated.
Representatives from the Department of Ecology and Environment of Anhui Province, as well as the Wuhu Municipal Government, also provided participants with an overview of coordinated policies, innovative technologies and measures being taken at the local level to promote green and low carbon development in China.
For delegates, this exchange of peer-to-peer expertise was not only helpful in its own right, but also marked the start of a larger collaborative process.
As the first event under the Letter of Intent signed at COP30, with further activities expected to take place in the future, it provided an opportunity for UN Climate Change and China to build on their longstanding cooperation, scale up their support to developing countries, intensify joint efforts to promote South-South cooperation, and accelerate the implementation of the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement.
Olalekan A. Abudu is a seasoned and dedicated News Journalist at REPORTERS ROOM, with over eight years of experience. He specializes in politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial issues. Committed to accuracy and balanced reporting, Olalekan exemplifies the principles of public-interest journalism.
