As countries prepare for COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, the focus is shifting from making climate commitments to delivering on them. The COP31 presidency has pledged to make this an ‘Implementation COP,’ emphasizing the need for tangible and trackable progress. But how can countries assess whether their peers are following through?The Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake assesses collective progress toward climate goals. Countries must also submit national climate transparency reports, known as biennial transparency reports, every two years. But such written reports don’t capture the depth of action taking place in each country.For this, the agreement has another, less prominent mechanism: the facilitative, multilateral consideration of progress (FMCP). At these peer-exchange workshops, held during UN climate conferences, countries present their climate policies, progress and challenges, and field questions from their peers. The exchanges offer an opportunity for accountability and learning that has so far received relatively little attention.How the FMCP Supports Accountability and LearningTo date, nearly 50 countries have participated in the FMCP, fielding questions from one another. Although questions are non-confrontational, the process nonetheless allows countries to probe each other’s efforts. During the last FMCP session in June 2026, Canada, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Sweden, the UK and other countries were asked about their progress toward 2030 targets and which policies and measures they would put in place to achieve them. The UK, when asked how it would deliver the remaining emissions reductions needed to achieve its targets, identified buildings, road transport and industry as critical sectors. It also highlighted the challenge of replacing existing technologies, such as switching from boilers to heat pumps.Questions on progress are not limited to countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which set out their climate goals, including emissions-reduction targets. At the last FMCP workshop, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and the UK all received questions about the climate finance they provide to developing countries, including how they will contribute to the new climate finance goal of mobilizing at least $300 billion annually for developing countries’ climate action by 2035. Such exchanges help countries recognize progress but also spot gaps, revealing where more effort is needed.Peer exchanges are also useful for countries looking to learn from the experiences of others. At the June 2026 workshop, Saudi Arabia asked Denmark about the challenges of scaling up carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). It asked Japan, Sweden and Norway about the role the technology could play in meeting climate targets, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. Saudi Arabia’s own NDC includes plans to deploy CCUS, making these exchanges relevant to its domestic climate efforts.FMCP workshops also provide an opportunity for countries to describe their successes, challenges, barriers and opportunities. For example, during a workshop earlier this year, Australia highlighted its progress in advancing rooftop solar and household batteries. Australia has seen significant growth in the number of households using batteries — more than 430,000 households installed batteries over the last year, representing a storage capacity of more than 12 gigawatt-hours. During that same workshop, Mauritius touted its Fisheries Act of 2023 — which aims to protect seagrass ecosystems to sequester carbon and enhance resilience against storm surges — as a way to advance both mitigation and adaptation.Additionally, the FMCP can also provide opportunities to explore countries’ progress toward voluntary climate commitments outside their NDCs. Over the years, the number of intergovernmental cooperative initiatives and ‘coalitions of the willing’ has grown, with countries coming together and cooperating to tackle specific challenges. One example is the Global Methane Pledge, under which signatories have committed to collectively cut methane emissions by at least 30% between 2020 and 2030. Under the Paris Agreement, countries are not required to report on their efforts toward the Global Methane Pledge or other such commitments. In June 2026, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore and Thailand — all signatories to the pledge — received questions from other governments about their actions to reduce methane emissions.Elevating the FMCP at COP31Thirty-three countries are scheduled to participate in the next FMCP workshop, which will take place at COP31. These include India, Poland, Colombia and Peru.Questions submitted ahead of the workshop offer a preview of the issues countries will discuss:Colombia has been asked how it is building domestic consensus around the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.Belize has been asked about its progress in restoring mangroves and the lessons learned.Vanuatu has been asked to share lessons from its relatively circular economy, in which resources are reused and recycled rather than discarded.Such exchanges between countries about their progress, successes and challenges are vital to informing policies, investments and cooperation that can build more secure and resilient economies. Yet, despite its benefits, the FMCP is often overlooked, drawing only a small or technically minded crowd of participants from governments and civil society. To make the most of the FMCP at COP31, countries and other participants should do the following:Governments should ensure senior-level participation. Ministers, heads of delegation or other senior officials should represent their countries, lending greater political weight to the process.Countries should approach questions constructively, viewing them as opportunities to share their experiences, highlight their progress and discuss the challenges and barriers they face, rather than as confrontational exchanges.Civil society organizations and journalists should pay closer attention to the proceedings. Although observers cannot directly ask questions during FMCP workshops, they can propose questions for countries to raise. They can also use countries’ presentations and responses to scrutinize progress, inform public debate and press for further action nationally.Findings from the FMCP should inform other UN climate discussions. As countries review how the process operates in the coming years, they should consider how to make better use of the information shared during workshops. For example, the UN Climate Change secretariat could prepare more detailed summaries of countries’ progress and challenges, which could then inform discussions under other UN climate work programs.To make the most of the Paris Agreement, the FMCP cannot be relegated to the margins of the UN climate process.