As the dust settles on the United Nations June Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany, which concluded on 26 June, one question continues to shape global climate discourse: How can countries ensure that the next generation of climate commitments is not only more ambitious but also credible, actionable, and effective?

The question has acquired an increasing sense of urgency, following the 2025 deadline for the submission of the third round of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0). As of the February deadline, only 13 of the 195 Parties to the Paris Agreement had communicated their updated NDC 3.0. Across many countries, fatigue is setting in. Some are reluctant to push forward, questioning whether a new NDC should be prioritised at all.

So, where did the momentum begin to wane, and how can it be revived?

For many developing countries, turning climate pledges into tangible results remains a major hurdle. The obstacles are not only numerous—they are deeply interconnected, spanning technical, financial, institutional, and socio-political dimensions.

Key challenges include:

These overlapping challenges can erode trust, slow implementation, and limit the effectiveness of climate policies. Addressing them requires not only stronger national systems, but also sustained international cooperation, predictable finance, and knowledge-sharing.

Against this backdrop, therefore, climate transparency offers a practical and strategic framework to help address many of these barriers.

While transparency alone cannot solve deeply rooted barriers, it is essential for addressing them. By enabling countries to track finance flows, monitor policy implementation and effectiveness, coordinate across institutions, and demonstrate accountability, transparency strengthens the foundations for effective climate action.

Transparency is no longer just a technical obligation; it is the bedrock of credibility, ambition, and delivery**.** With the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement now operational, countries have new tools to assess priorities, plan action, track progress, spot gaps, and adjust course over time.

Furthermore, a transparent climate action framework allows countries to:

Transparency, therefore, enhances policy coherence, strengthens institutions**,** and lowers the cost of implementation, making it indispensable for results-driven, evidence-based climate action.

For NDC 3.0 to succeed, countries must move beyond aspirational targets. The next round of climate plans should be results-based, attractive for investors, and aligned with national development agendas. This requires, among others:

Transparency strengthens each of these elements–anchoring ambition in evidence and enhancing credibility with investors, partners and the public.

As countries prepare for NDC 3.0, the need for robust transparency frameworks is greater than ever. In this regard, the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) is helping countries to use transparency for effective implementation. ICAT country projects span a broad range—from sector-specific monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems to policy impact assessments, NDC tracking, climate finance tracking, and monitoring of just transitions.

• Built a robust MRV system with ICAT’s support, strengthening emissions tracking and policy evaluation in the energy and agriculture sectors.
• : ICAT supported enhancements to the national GHG inventory and policy assessment frameworks, providing a stronger evidence base for climate planning and international reporting.
• Building on the achievements of Phase 1, the ICAT Phase 2 project expanded the use of GACMO to support NDC revision, enhancing Ghana’s capacity to evaluate mitigation strategies effectively. The project also improved data collection and reporting processes across sectors, addressing institutional weaknesses and gaps identified in Phase 1, and enhancing the quality of its 4th BUR submitted in 2024.

These examples demonstrate how transparency frameworks, when properly implemented, can empower decision-makers and stakeholders with the data and tools needed to scale what works. By turning data into decisions and reporting into results, transparency ensures that climate commitments move from paper to progress.