NEW YORK, 31st October, 2026 (WAM) -- Three reports published by UN Climate Change show governments increasingly taking whole-of-economy, whole-of-society approaches to climate policy-making. However, the reports again show overall progress remains substantially insufficient, and highlight key barriers to further acceleration and implementation of national targets and pledges.
UN Climate Change is mandated to produce the three reports – the NDC Synthesis Report, the BTR Synthesis Report and the NAPs Progress Report – ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference – or Conference of the Parties (COP). This year, COP31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9-20 November.
COP31 will be an important opportunity to make progress through negotiations on a range of practical issues which can support greater implementation.
In parallel to negotiations, the Global Climate Action Agenda will present opportunities to boost electrification, improve access to finance, and reduce waste and the impacts of the super-pollutant methane.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said: "These reports show more governments are taking climate action right across their economies, to bank the vast benefits of clean energy and climate resilience. In this respect, these reports are more evidence that almost every major economy – and many medium-sized and smaller economies – now see climate action as a central driver of economic growth, jobs, and affordable and secure energy.
While the reports are another reminder of the difficult headwinds of this moment, they also show nations standing firm and pushing ahead. This makes total sense, as climate impacts hit every population and every economy harder each year. Because climate action means safer communities, more competitive economies, and lower costs for households, governments and businesses, especially amid the ongoing fossil fuel cost crisis.
However, he noted, this year's reports demonstrate again that collective progress remains clearly insufficient, that global transitions are very uneven, and that many countries face substantial barriers to delivering their targets and pledges.
The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Synthesis Report provides further evidence of how countries are turning their Paris Agreement commitments into concrete actions and progress, by providing new data about progress being made and the major challenges that remain.
Between 1 January 2024 and 31 August 2026, 127 new NDCs, representing 154 Parties to the Paris Agreement, were recorded in the NDC registry. Together, they cover around 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
90% of Parties say the findings and commitments of the first global stocktake of climate action informed their NDCs. 65%of the Parties highlighted the contribution of clean energy to energy security.
The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Progress Report marks a shift from tracking the formulation of NAPs towards assessing their implementation.
As of 20 October 2026, 146 countries had initiated and launched the NAP process. While a total of 81 developing countries, including 29 LDCs and 17 SIDS, have submitted their NAPs, significant barriers remain, particularly in accessing finance.
The Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) Synthesis Report summarizes progress in implementing nationally determined contributions during the reporting period of the first round of BTRs (2020-2022). The report shows climate policymaking increasingly mainstreamed in many countries. Policies and actions to implement NDCs increasingly cover whole economies and involve all or many segments of society. For example, 80% of Parties involve non-Party stakeholders in climate action. Ninety-two per cent of Parties link climate action to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Since last year's inaugural BTR Synthesis Report, over 30 new BTRs have been submitted, taking the total number of Parties who have now submitted to 137. BTRs now cover some 85 per cent of global emissions. Between 2020 and 2022, 61 Parties (representing about 66 per cent of global emissions in 2020) made progress against their NDC targets.
This year’s BTR Synthesis report shows adaptation emerging as a central focus in countries’ BTRs. Although providing such information is not mandatory, 92% of Parties have included an adaptation component in their BTRs.
UN Climate Change will soon publish the Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2026, an annual report highlighting progress and gaps in climate action and showcasing concrete initiatives by non-Party stakeholders.