The potential of international institutions to foster transitions. The example of the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement

• Novel conceptual framework for how international institutions can promote transitions. • Paris Agreement Global Stocktake broke new ground discussing system transitions. • Outcome enhanced guidance and signal but with unequal system coverage and limited follow-up. • Further UN climate process and processes beyond can further build on this outcome. Socio-technical transitions literature has so far engaged very little with the question of how international institutions could foster transitions. Conversely, international climate policy literature shows gaps in engaging with transformational change. To address these gaps, this article analyses the potential of the first Global Stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement to foster transitions. The article first develops a novel conceptual framework for how international institutions can promote transitions. On this basis, the article synthesises recommendations for the GST outcome from literature and the GST process and compares them with the actual outcome. The article finds that the GST sent important signals and fostered knowledge and learning on key aspects of low-emission transitions. However, it mostly focused on energy systems and failed to establish mechanisms and resources to promote actual implementation.