On March 3-6, 2025, more than 20 of the Kyrgyz Republic’s top climate experts convened to advance their knowledge of important climate transparency and reporting mechanisms central to the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement.
The experts received capacity building training via two consecutive workshops conducted jointly by the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) and the Capacity-Building Initiative for Transparency – Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP). Both initiatives work with country partners and sector stakeholders globally to help countries enhance the quality of their climate mitigation planning, tracking, and reporting.
The participants in the workshop represented The Kyrgyz Republic’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as specialists in energy, infrastructure, and transport from the Bishkek Municipality and City Hall, senior researchers from the National Academy of Sciences and Kyrgyz Technical University, and independent climate experts across major emitting sectors.
The workshop included the launch of a new ICAT project in the Kyrgyz Republic which seeks to develop national standardised frameworks for greenhouse gas (GHG) projections and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) tracking for the energy and transport sector, using Greenhouse Gas Abatement Cost Model (GACMO) tool as well as other tools.
GACMO: a powerful tool for emission projections
The Kyrgyz Republic is currently preparing its first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR), as well as updating its NDC. NDC tracking and GHG emissions inventory are essential components of BTRs. The GACMO tool can be useful not only for GHG emissions projections but also for NDC tracking, since it can be used for assessing both expected and achieved emissions reductions from mitigation measures.
The GACMO tool helps enhance the capacity of national experts to use and apply a standardised methodology in their efforts to track NDC progress and project GHG emissions. Transparency data also provides valuable information on emission trajectories and the impact of mitigation actions, helping identify gaps, challenges and opportunities. BTR data can be used to strengthen Kyrgyzstan’s NDC in an evidence-based approach in line with the national context and priorities. As Kyrgyzstan’s NDC is an emission reduction target against a business-as-usual scenario, accurate emissions projections are crucial for tracking such type of NDC.
Workshop participants gained experience using real country data input into the tool as well as training in how to analyze the results. This level of detailed understanding also helped inform discussions on the most suitable mitigation options for Kyrgyzstan, such as renewable energy sources, efficient stoves, fuel switching from coal to gas, bicycle lanes, electric vehicles, and efficient cars.
Workshop survey respondents universally reported the workshop improved their knowledge of the GACMO tool, as well as building cross institutional networks. Anonymised participant feedback included comments such as “I received very useful information, learned a lot, and also became better acquainted with our leading experts in the field of energy and ecology” and “based on the model you can see the economic efficiency of the proposed solutions, automation makes calculations easier…”.
Strengthening national expertise in reporting NDC tracking data
Building on the ICAT workshop, CBIT-GSP support for NDC tracking was also provided to the same cohort of experts, providing a deep-dive into NDC mitigation commitments under the Paris Agreement. This workshop focused on providing experts with a technical understanding of the goals, principles, and actions associated with the reporting process for NDC mitigation commitments under the Paris Agreement.
CBIT-GSP support also used practical exercises based on real country data to train Kyrgyz Republic experts on filling in 12 common tabular format tables for NDC tracking as part of their BTR reporting.
CBIT-GSP support in the workshop also explored factors unique to the Kyrgyz Republic’s development and emissions context. This includes the capacity for developing countries like the Kyrgyz Republic to use flexibility provisions in their BTRs. As a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario serves as the basis for setting Kyrgyz Republic’s NDC target, practical examples were used to demonstrate how NDC tracking can be conducted, providing participants with hands-on insights into reporting for NDC tracking purposes.
Further participant statements from the post-workshop survey included “Many details have been clarified. I got acquainted with the methodology for working on NDCs, proven and tested in several countries,” and “Participation in this training is of great importance, as it facilitates the application of this practice at work.”
The ICAT and CBIT-GSP trainings exemplify the synergies of coordination between initiatives as they cover interconnected and complementary topics related to climate transparency.
After developing GACMO exercises during the first training, the second workshop on NDC tracking was much clearer for participants on how the GACMO tool can assist in filling out some of the Common Tabular Format (CTF) Tables for NDC tracking. These two trainings also complement each other by providing detailed insights into the BTR NDC tracking chapter and offering technical tools for projections and estimating the mitigation impact of interventions.
The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) supports improved transparency and capacity building under the Paris Agreement. ICAT integrates guidance, capacity building and knowledge sharing to engage countries in the use of a common framework to assess the impacts of their policies and actions and report progress, fostering greater transparency, effectiveness and ambition. ICAT’s approach is country led.
