As delivered

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, 

As we gather under the Amazonian sky, the Southern Cross offers us both a compass and a metaphor. It reminds us that the Paris Agreement’s five pillars — mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, and capacity-building — must be navigated not in isolation, but as a constellation. Transparency is the light that connects these stars, allowing us to chart a common course grounded in trust, accountability, and cooperation. 

The Enhanced Transparency Framework is not simply an instrument for reporting. It is the gravitational force that binds the Paris Agreement together. 

Through the first Biennial Transparency Reports, countries have shown that transparency empowers national policy, strengthens governance, and attracts investment. When data are credible and institutions strong, ambition becomes measurable — and progress becomes visible. 

The ETF allows us to move beyond promises towards proof, and from proof towards performance. 

The “Southern Cross” vision calls for integration — for transparency to illuminate all five points of our collective response: 

• Mitigation: Reliable emissions data to identify pathways consistent with 1.5 °C.
• Adaptation: Transparent assessment of climate risks
• Finance: Transparent information on needs, flows, and effectiveness for predictable partnerships.
• Technology: Transparency accelerates technology deployment and strengthens trust between innovators and users.
• Capacity-building: evolve from ad-hoc projects to institutionalized national processes. 

In this integrated vision, transparency is not a sixth pillar — it is the thread that weaves the five together. 

The first transparency cycle marks a turning point. It moves us from negotiation to implementation — from text to transformation. 

The ETF is our fulcrum: the fixed point that allows us to move the needle and leverage finance, technology, and knowledge to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. 

Support mechanisms like the GEF and CGE must be predictable, accessible, and responsive. UNDP is a member of the CGE and, under our flagship Climate Promise initiative, we support over 40 countries in developing BTRs with GEF funding, in addition to delivering technical assistance on reporting to 35 Francophone and Lusophone countries through our collaboration with UNEP on the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) global programme. Our goal is that no country is left behind on transparency. 

Moving forward, the UN Secretary-General has requested UNDP to build on the Climate Promise architecture and work across the UN system to support countries during the implementation of NDCs. Transparency will continue to play a key role in this renewed effort.  

Transparency fosters trust; trust enables cooperation; and cooperation delivers transformation. 

As we celebrate the first ETF cycle, let us recognize that every BTR submitted, every review completed, and every multilateral dialogue held represents a step toward a world where climate ambition is informed by evidence and inspired by solidarity. 

The Brazilian Presidency’s call for a global mutirão — a collective effort of humanity — echoes the very spirit of the United Nations. 

In that spirit, let us use transparency not only as a technical tool, but as a moral compass — one that points toward honesty in our commitments, equity in our support, and coherence in our actions. 

Guided by the Southern Cross, we can turn data into direction, ambition into action, and transparency into transformation. 

Thank you.