The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), in collaboration with the UNFCCC Secretariat, the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency-Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP), the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC), and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), is pleased to announce the successful completion of the most recent round of the Facilitated E-Learning Course on Climate Transparency and the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).

The training, which kicked off in early April and concluded in June 2025, was offered to senior government officials and technical practitioners from 21 countries across Africa. Participants engaged in a comprehensive learning experience, which included self-paced online modules, weekly virtual sessions with subject matter experts, peer-to-peer exchanges, and practical exercises.

The course enabled participants to better understand the ETF and its implications for national climate strategies. It covered essential topics such as assessment of mitigation actions, tracking climate finance, and the development of institutional arrangements for effective climate transparency frameworks. In addition, participants explored a wide range of tools, guides, and methodological resources, including those in the ICAT toolbox, designed to support the planning, implementation, and reporting of climate action.

“The course helps gain a deeper understanding of the roles of ministries and other national actors in the context of the Paris Agreement and its ETF, and become more familiar with the data needs and methods for assessing and reporting on mitigation actions. These are critical aspects of designing, implementing, and tracking countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)–so critically important this year when NDC updates are due,” highlighted ICAT Director, Dr. Henning Wuester. 

The 2025 edition of the course was structured around a series of interactive webinars. An introduction to the ETF encouraged participants to reflect on their national transparency capacities and the challenges they face. Thematic sessions followed, covering critical topics such as assessing greenhouse gas impacts of policies and measures, evaluating sustainable development impacts and transformational change potential, establishing effective institutional arrangements, and developing national climate finance transparency frameworks. Technical experts from African countries, including Kenya, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, contributed as speakers, sharing relevant examples to enhance practical understanding and facilitate peer exchange.

53 participants completed the course and received certificates recognizing their achievement. They can use the knowledge gained to improve their countries’ national efforts, including developing the biennial transparency reports required under the Paris Agreement, and using data to design stronger climate policies and NDCs. 

The e-learning course is part of a blended training program. A select number of participants who completed the e-learning course and are actively engaged in national climate policy processes will attend an in-person workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, from 5-8 August 2025. The workshop is designed to deepen the learning experience and strengthen regional collaboration in an integrated approach that links climate action to development planning.

Building on five successful rounds targeting regions including Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Balkans, Caucasus, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East, this 2025 edition was offered specifically for Anglophone and Lusophone African countries. Follow-up rounds are envisioned for participants from other regions in 2025 and beyond.