Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), climate transparency, through the guidelines for reporting Parties’ actions, aims to build confidence in implementing the Paris Agreement and addressing the climate crisis. Now, Mexico and the rest of the countries will have to make additional efforts to comply with the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) and implement climate policies aligned to the 1.5°C pathway.

Iniciativa Climática de México (Mexico’s Climate Initiative, ICM) convened “Mexico’s Climate Transparency Dialogues” in collaboration with the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA), El Poder del Consumidor (EPC), Climate Finance Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GFLAC), the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), Mexico Transparency (TM), and World Resources Institute (WRI Mexico).

The multi-stakeholder dialogue objective was to start a domestic discussion around climate transparency in the national context. The online event gathered more than 200 participants and nine national and international non-governmental organizations, including the youth movement Fridays for Future Mexico.

During a three-day event (June 21-23), international specialists, representatives of the government and civil society organizations and academics, discussed climate transparency during several panels. They also identified the national needs to implement it and fulfil the climate ambition required to comply with Mexico’s climate commitments. The first key lecture was given by Dr Katia Simeonova, former SBSTA coordinator and climate transparency expert, introducing climate transparency at the Paris Agreement and the transition to an Enhanced Transparency Framework.

The first day of dialogues focused on analyzing climate transparency from the international perspective and the Convention requirement. The Environment and Foreign Affairs Ministries representatives shared their experience on how Mexico understands and applies these requirements for planning the climate policies and transparency frameworks.

On the second day, the discussions were around climate transparency as a tool for the NDC implementation. Dr Andrew Marquard gave a key lecture on the NDC Transparency Check, whose methodology facilitates an evaluation of the information presented in the NDC and allows to determinate their transparency degree. During this panel, participants discussed the transparency needs for implementing and measuring Mexico’s NDC. Jorge Villareal from ICM remarked on the necessity of having technically robust data on the results and impacts of climate action for accountability. Andres Flores from WRI shared an overview on the efforts made by civil society to enable systems and mechanisms that strengthen the transparency of climate actions.

The second panel also presented a social perspective of how climate action is essential for human rights. This dialogue was attended by the CEMDA, El Poder del Consumidor, Fridays For Future Mexico and the Supreme Court of Justice. They highlighted that Mexico’s failure to comply with climate transparency could violate human rights to a healthy environment.

During the last panel session, NGOs and the Environment Ministry presented different instruments, tools, and existing institutional practices that allow accountability and information access to climate transparency exercises. For example, GFLAC shared their contributions with the Sustainable Finance Index, which identifies that Mexico has progressed in budget transparency. Still, more should be done about prioritizing the budget distribution for climate action. El Poder del Consumidor, for instance, pointed out the role of transparency as necessary to enhance governance, democratic participation, access to information, and demanding transparency in the socio-economic processes like supply chains.

The conclusion emphasized the relevance of transparency as a mechanism for decision-making and participation in the climate change agenda – vital elements for the institutional arrangements necessary for governance. In Mexico’s case, it is necessary to continue multi-stakeholder dialogues to strengthen the existing transparency mechanisms, implement ambitious climate policies, and meet the country’s socio-environmental and economic needs.

Mexico’s Climate Transparency Dialogues was possible thanks to the very generous support of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety from Germany (BMU)

You can find the Executive Summary of the event here as well as recordings of the dialogue (available only in Spanish).