Agencia de Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento

13 - National Platform for Transparency and Monitoring of Climate Adaptation in Uruguay

Brief description of the commitment: The National Platform for Transparency and Monitoring of Climate Adaptation in Uruguay will be created. This will be a public platform that will centralize and disseminate, in a clear and visual manner, Uruguay's commitments, actions, and progress in climate change adaptation. It will include a module for visualizing the progress in the implementation of the National Adaptation Plans, beginning with the Cities and Infrastructure Plan and then the Coastal Zones Plan.

In addition to its communication function, the platform will serve as a technical tool to support the planning, monitoring and evaluation of local adaptation, contributing to the strengthening of the national Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system and in line with the country's national and international objectives and commitments.

Organization leading the commitment: National Directorate of Climate Change - Ministry of Environment.

Responsible for the commitment: Fernanda Souza, National Director of Climate Change. Contact: fernanda.souza@ambiente.gub.uy

Technical head: Mario Jiménez, Technical Consultant in Climate Change Adaptation. Contact: mario.jimenez@ambiente.gub.uy

Implementation period: September 2025 - June 2029.

Stakeholders:

1. Government: National Government (sectoral portfolios), Departmental Governments, Higher Education and Research Centers.
2. Civil Society Organizations: Environmental organizations, citizen groups and social networks related to adaptation, which can provide information and experiences on actions carried out in the territory.
3. Other actors: Private sector related to infrastructure, water, health, agriculture and territory, with the potential to share relevant initiatives and advances in adaptation .

Definition of the problem

What problems does the commitment aim to address? 

Currently, information on adaptation is scattered across various platforms, with heterogeneous formats and levels of detail that hinder its consultation, understanding, and use by subnational governments, social organizations, academia, and citizens. This includes information on adaptation measures that have been implemented, as well as monitoring their progress and compliance with established commitments or plans. The lack of a specific, thematic, and visual tool that integrates these aspects limits the engagement with the policies, reduces opportunities for collaboration and learning, and weakens collective monitoring of implementation.

Strengthening communication about progress in adapting to climate change is key to consolidating institutional and social recognition of Uruguay's efforts in this area, and to capturing relevant actions developed by other actors in the territory.

What are the causes of the problem?

The main causes are related to the lack of a specific, thematic tool to compile, translate, and make progress in adaptation visible in a clear and systematic way. Although Uruguay has developed institutional and technical capacities to report climate commitments, adaptation information remains scattered across technical documents, institutional websites, and general reporting systems, making it difficult to access and use beyond specialized teams.

Furthermore, challenges persist related to the low appropriation of adaptation processes by territorial and social actors, due both to the limited visibility of what has been done, and to the lack of accessible channels to contribute local experiences, actions or demands related to adaptation.

Description of the commitment

What has been done so far to solve the problem?

Uruguay has made progress in strengthening climate transparency through the development of the First Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) viewer. This tool reports on the progress of the adaptation measures included in the NDC, using a system of fact sheets designed to document their context and progress in a structured way. Additionally, information related to adaptation—though not always explicitly categorized as such—has been collected and used through informal processes. This information has served as input for national reports submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

What solution does it propose? 

The development of a public, thematic platform on climate change adaptation is proposed. This platform will centralize and clearly, technically, and accessibly present the progress made by Uruguay in this area. This tool will integrate key information related to compliance with adaptation measures, as well as initiatives developed at the national, sectoral, and territorial levels, all within a single space.

The platform will be implemented in stages. Stage 1: Initial pilot, integrating information from the first five-year action plan of the National Adaptation Plan for Cities and Infrastructure, through fact sheets and progress indicators for its measurement. Stage 2: Incorporating the Five-Year Operational Plan of the National Adaptation Plan for Coastal Zones. Stage 3: This information will be complemented by a module that compiles and makes visible the complementary actions of subnational actors, academics, and civil society. In this way, the platform will not only facilitate public access to official information on adaptation progress but will also serve as a planning and learning resource. This process is expected to generate input for consolidating a national monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) system.

What results do we want to achieve with the implementation? 

To strengthen communication and transparency regarding climate change adaptation by centralizing information in a public and accessible system that clearly displays progress in the implementation of National Adaptation Plans, facilitating their institutional and social application. This system will also allow gathering adaptation actions from other stakeholders within the national territory.

• Technical data sheets with progress indicators for the measures of the National Adaptation Plan in Cities and Infrastructures as a pilot project.
• Online viewer with results of the first five-year action plan of the National Adaptation Plan in Cities.
• Progressive incorporation of the National Adaptation Plan of the Coastal Zone.
• Public and transparent access to information on adaptation.
• Gradual inclusion of contributions from civil society, academia and other actors.
• Contribution to the consolidation of the national Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system.

Commitment analysis

How will it provide transparency, accountability, participation, and citizen collaboration? 

The development of this platform will have several phases (3), which will address the three pillars of Open Government. First, it focuses on transparency, by providing a visualization tool for progress on the implementation of adaptation. Second, it is intended to promote accountability related to the commitments made in the monitored adaptation measures. Third, subsequent phases incorporate a module for registering adaptation actions by civil society, academia, and subnational governments, to be developed through consultative bodies and workshops.

Defined milestones will be achieved through a work process combining participatory and technical elements. Depending on the milestone and the expected outcome, workshops and technical exchanges will be held with stakeholders from the National Climate Change Response System, academia, civil society, and subnational governments to validate information and strengthen the platform's adoption. In parallel, specific technical work will be carried out with Agesic for the design, implementation, and operation of the digital platform, which will be a key component to ensure its functionality and sustainability.