The United Nations (UN) plays a central role in the global efforts to address climate change. The Republic of Serbia and the UN are cooperating to strengthen Serbia’s institutional and human resources capacities to deal with climate change.
UNFCCC
The UN has provided a shared space for global discussion on climate change during the past several decades. At the 1992 Earth Summit, the UN took its first formal step in addressing climate issues by adopting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The ultimate objective of the UNFCCC is to prevent ‘dangerous’ human interference with the climate system. Today, the convention has a near-universal membership, with 198 Parties. The Republic of Serbia ratified the UNFCCC in 2001.
As a non-Annex I Party to the UNFCCC, the Republic of Serbia is required to provide information on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and removal, as well as details of the actions it has undertaken to implement the Convention and to integrate climate change into its broader development framework. This information must be reported to the UNFCCC every four years through National Communications (NCs), complemented by the Biennial Update Reports (BURs), which are submitted every two years as progress updates.
The Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, with the overarching goal of limiting global warming well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. It was adopted in 2015 at the Conference of Parties (COP21), and as of 2026, it has 194 Parties.
Under the Agreement, countries are required to communicate their national climate action plans by submitting their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) document every five years. Each successive NDC is expected to reflect increased ambition compared to the previous one, as achieving the Agreement’s goal requires broad economic and social transformation, supported by state-of-the-art science and technology.
In their NDCs, countries should outline their planned actions for reducing GHG emissions and building resilience, covering both mitigation and adaptation. Developing countries are also encouraged to include information on climate-related capacity-building needs, thereby facilitating international support.
To track progress in implementing these plans, countries are also obliged to report on their climate actions. Under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) established by the Paris Agreement, countries must submit Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) every two years, with the first submission due by 31 December 2024.
With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Republic of Serbia has been fulfilling its reporting obligations in a timely and consistent manner. As of 2026, the Republic of Serbia has submitted its Third National Communication (NC3) and Second Biennial Update Report (BUR2) under the UNFCCC, along with its Third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) and First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1) under the Paris Agreement.
