Technical support on climate finance transparency in developing countries under the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT)

The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) was established in 2015 at the COP that adopted the Paris Agreement to support implementation of the Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework. The Initiative works with over 50 developing countries ranging from large countries, like Nigeria, to small islands, such as Antigua & Barbuda and has initiated three Regional Climate Action Transparency Hubs (ReCATHs) in Central Africa, Central Asia and Central America.

ICAT provides countries with tailored support and practical tools and methodologies to build robust transparency frameworks needed for effective climate action in sync with national development priorities. The projects ICAT supports relate to: building or enhancing transparency frameworks for mitigation; building a monitoring and evaluation approach for adaptation; building or enhancing frameworks to track progress in implementing nationally determined contributions; assessing the impacts of climate policies;  estimating or enhancing projections of greenhouse gases; integrating and/or aggregating climate actions at the subnational level and by non-State actors; building a tracking system for just transition processes; establishing or enhancing a climate data system; and putting in place a framework to track climate finance.

To support these areas, ICAT offers a suite of practical, open-source tools and methodologies to provide effective support to the transparency efforts of countries around the world.

ICAT is an unincorporated multi-stakeholder partnership steered by the Donor Steering Committee (DSC), conformed by its donors, Austria; Canada; Germany; Italy and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and includes the UNFCCC Secretariat as the dedicated UN body with a climate change policy mandate, and UNOPS as an ex-officio member. The Initiative is managed by UNOPS on behalf of the DSC. Within UNOPS, the ICAT Secretariat manages ICAT day-to-day activities, coordinating and guiding the work of the implementing partners.

In the context of an ICAT country support project the objective is to provide international expert advice and support, i.e. technical support, training, and capacity building, to developing countries for their efforts in developing and implementing national climate finance transparency framework. The technical support provided will be in line with the ICAT Climate Finance Transparency Guide, and UNFCCC guidance for implementation of Article 13. 

Expert advice and support shall be based on country priorities and needs with the aim of equipping countries with the capacity to effectively assess their climate finance needs and flows, mobilize and efficiently manage financial resources dedicated to achieving their climate objectives, and fulfilling their transparency commitments under international frameworks, in particular the ETF.