​COP26 in Glasgow finalized the remaining technical details to bring the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement to life. The final biennial update reports under the existing measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) arrangements under the Convention by developing countries shall be submitted no later than 31 December 2024.  On the other hand, the first biennial transparency reports and national inventory report, if submitted as a stand-alone report, under the ETF shall be submitted at the latest by 31 December 2024. As Parties transition from the existing MRV arrangements to the ETF, support to developing countries is viewed as a critical factor to achieve universal participation in the ETF.

The ETF Group of Friends (formerly referred to as the "Group of Friends on the MRV/Transparency") is an informal network of stakeholders providing financial, technical, and capacity-building support to developing countries on MRV and transparency issues. To better support developing country Parties in this critical period, the Group has been meeting at the regional level to foster collaboration and synergies amongst themselves. Following the meeting organized for the Asia-Pacific region in December 2021, the Group met again on 17 March with a focus on the Africa region.

 The UNFCCC secretariat and Global Green Growth Institute co-organized this meeting. Meeting participants exchanged experiences and lessons learned on ongoing and planned support activities in the field of MRV/ETF system building, discussed collaboration opportunities and challenges, and brainstormed potential solutions to address these challenges.

 Many participants were of the view that the support needs on MRV and ETF from the developing country Parties are enormous. Synergies among different support activities will increase their effectiveness, and active information sharing is a crucial enabling factor for improved synergies. Some participants proposed that the Group of Friends should meet more frequently at the regional level to better coordinate support activities in each region. 

28 participants from 10 institutions attended this meeting. These institutions include Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization, German Federal Foreign Office, Global Green Growth Institute, Greenhouse Gas Management Institute, Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement, Initiative for Climate Action Transparency, IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, United Nations Environment Programme, and the UNFCCC secretariat.

 The next Group of Friend regional meeting is for Latin America and the Caribbean and will be held on 5 April 2022​.

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