Transparent, accurate and frequent statistics on greenhouse gas emissions are crucial for measuring progress towards climate change objectives and building trust between countries. All countries have obligations to measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Despite the agreement of guidelines for what countries are to report and when, significant data gaps currently remain – particularly for partner economies. The land sector has an important role to play in the climate change mitigation policies of many countries.

Land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) refers to emissions and removals of greenhouse gases resulting from human activities in the land sector. In some countries, LULUCF is a significant net emissions source due to deforestation and conversion of peat lands. In others, it is a net sink due to absorption of CO2 by forests.