The submission of the National Report marks the beginning of a new reporting cycle. NFPs should start planning their implementation and reporting activities according to the latest report format adopted or the latest National Report in the cases when one has been submitted. It should be noted that decisions taken at the meetings of the decision-making bodies can lead to changes in the report formats. NFPs must therefore ensure that they adjust their implementation and reporting to reflect the new report format once it becomes available.

When the revised formats have been approved, they will be made available by the Secretariat/Coordinating Unit.

Once the National Report has been submitted, the full report will be made publicly available on the website of CMS or the instrument concerned. All national reports submitted by countries will be uploaded on a central webpage and will be permanently archived and made accessible through the Internet by the individual Secretariat/Coordinating Unit. In addition, National Reports that have been submitted to the CMS Family instruments will also be further distributed and made available through online portals such as InforMEA (www.informea.org) in future, where they will become part of the global information base of National Reports submitted by countries to Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs).