Photo: © FAO

FAO and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change have launched a new project to strengthen the capacity of the Republic of Türkiye to comply with the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of climate change actions based on Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

The project commenced with an inaugural meeting held in Ankara, opened by FAO-GEF Portfolio Coordinator, Erdogan Ozevren, whohighlighted in his speech the adverse weather conditions and air pollution caused by climate change. These have resulted in numerous human and material losses and have negatively impacted the agriculture and food sectors. He emphasized the significant importance of climate-related projects and expressed his hope that this project would bring benefits on a global scale.

In her opening speech, Vice President of the Directorate of Climate Change, Tuğba Dinçbaş, explained that the establishment of the Climate Change Presidency following Türkiye’s ratification of the Paris Agreement and the setting of a net zero target, led to an intense period of activity. Following the organization of the Climate Summit and the drawing up of the 2053 roadmap, Türkiye’s updated NDCs were completed and submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Vice President also emphasized that the country’s climate goals will be monitored through the forthcoming Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy and Action Plans. Furthermore, she underscored the support received from the GEF during the 9th National Communication (9NC) and the First and Second Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1-BTR2) processes, adding that the capacity increase provided by this project is crucial for transparent reporting on Türkiye’s efforts to combat climate change.

The final opening speech was delivered by Ahmet Volkan Güngören, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Directorate-General for European Union and Foreign Relations. Güngören emphasized the global significance of the project’s focus on climate change and noted that despite numerous disasters such as earthquakes, the targets set for climate change are still being pursued, and relevant efforts are ongoing. He further stated that, “This project is of immense importance due to its determination to measure and share the results of the causes and consequences of climate change at both the national and international levels.”

FAO Natural Resources Specialist and Project Technical Leader Evetta Zenina began her speech by thanking Türkiye for implementing this project and initiating efforts to comply with the Paris Agreement. She elaborated: “Climate change and adaptation are global issues, and unfortunately, Türkiye is experiencing the consequences of climate change. This project can be considered as an example of how reporting capacity can be enhanced under the Paris Agreement, focusing not only on agriculture but all economic sectors. Article 13 of the Paris Agreement also includes provisions for establishing the Enhanced Transparency Framework to monitor a country’s progress. The Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency, established by the GEF, aims to enhance institutional and technical capacity for reporting under the UNFCCC.”
Evetta Zenina also emphasized the importance of strengthening national institutions and enhancing the development of appropriate tools, training, assistance and support to meet the requirements of the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement. She further highlighted the main objectives of the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) programme under the UNFCCC and underscored FAO’s technical expertise in supporting the relevant components of the CBIT.
She concluded her remarks by stating that successful implementation of this project would provide an opportunity to incorporate climate action at the national level and report on these actions in the future. She also pointed out that through the national climate action inventory platform established under this project, the Turkish Government could identify sectors and areas that require greater effort and attention.

The meeting concluded with presentations given by FAO REU-GEF Support Specialist Kaan Başaran on GEF-CBIT Programme Processes and an overview of the project provided by FAO Experts Pavlina Zdraveva and Rıfat Sayman.