Through a series of speaking engagements and events, our team will highlight the role of high-integrity carbon markets to achieve a just and effective transition. Join us as we contribute to shaping the future of climate innovation and integrity. 

Mark Kenber, VCMI’s Executive Director, will offer insights on international carbon markets, as well as efforts to scale uptake of high-integrity carbon markets through credible claims and support for countries’ carbon markets strategies. 

George Hodgetts, Policy Associate, will be attending events and holding meetings with governments and partners in support of VCMI’s Access Strategies Programme.

  10th June       
  11:00-13:30
  Closed door

Corporate Leadership Roundtable: High-Integrity Carbon Credit Use Cases 

Hosted by the World Bank   |  Mark Kenber, Executive Director, VCMI speaking

This roundtable aims to gather leading businesses advancing credible climate action and developers of high-integrity mitigation projects from developing countries. 

  10th June       
  13:20-14:20

Building Trust in Carbon Markets: Ensuring Integrity and Real Climate Impact

Hosted by the World Bank   |  Mark Kenber, Executive Director, VCMI moderating

This session will explore how countries and market players are working to strengthen carbon market mechanisms—ensuring genuine emissions mitigation while implementing frameworks that channel carbon revenues to support communities in need. 

  12th June       
  09:30-10:30

Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) 2.0: Building Trust, Unlocking Climate Finance

Hosted by the World Bank   |  Mark Kenber, Executive Director, VCMI, speaking on panel

This session gathers bold leaders from across the value chain — countries, corporate buyers, standard-setters and financiers — to chart the course forward: scaling demand, restoring confidence, and unleashing the full potential of carbon markets to bridge the climate finance gap.

  12th June       
  10:40-11:40

Workshop: Navigating Decisions in International Carbon Markets: Foundations for a Coherent Strategy

Hosted by the World Bank   |  Mark Kenber, Executive Director, VCMI moderating & George Hodgetts, Policy Associate attending

This session will launch a new guidance note for host countries and feature a panel discussion with partners and country representatives discussing challenges in developing a carbon markets strategy and opportunities for host countries for reducing risks to their climate goals while optimizing benefits for the country. 

Learn more about Innovate for Climate Conference 2025

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VCMI requests proposals for an impact evaluation of VCMI’s Access Strategies Program since its inception (see section 2 in RfP for more detail). The report’s analysis will be unbiased, rigorous, and accessible to help inform the next phase of VCMI’s Access Strategies program.

Click here for further information on the RfP.

To be considered for this funding opportunity, applicants must include all requested materials, and send to info@vcmi-2025.in-beta.dev, with george.hodgetts@vcmi-2025.in-beta.dev in copy, by 5 pm ET on 5 March 2025 with the subject line: ‘FAO Policy: VCMI Access Strategies Report RFP submission.’ 

Note: VCMI only accepts electronic submissions. 

The post VCMI opens request for proposals: Independent evaluation of VCMI’s Access Strategies program appeared first on VCMI.

The private sector has a critical role to play in meeting global climate goals and financing climate action. It has been estimated that voluntary carbon markets could channel an additional $50 billion in finance for climate action from the private sector by 2030.

This announcement positions the UK among other leading countries, including the United States and the G7, in recognizing the essential role that high-integrity VCMs must play in the global low carbon transformation.

The UK Principles include a focus on biodiversity integration, claims integrity and mandatory reporting. A consultation in early 2025 will look at proposed implementation of these principles, through guidance, standards and regulatory oversight by UK Government.

“Companies and investors need clear signals that taking action and being ambitious on climate using voluntary carbon markets is supported and recommended by policy makers, and that is what the UK Government is providing today,” says Mark Kenber, Executive Director of VCMI. “The principles for high integrity voluntary carbon markets are well aligned with the VCMI Claims Code, establishing a robust framework for ambitious, transparent use of VCMs to fund climate action. Alongside the guidance and guardrails, we also need the incentives that will encourage the private sector to use carbon credits with integrity and confidence in this critical decade.”

“The climate crisis is here and disproportionately impacting society’s most vulnerable,” adds Usha Rao-Monari, VCMI Steering Committee Chair and previously Under Secretary-General of the UN Development Programme (UNDP). “The scale of the challenge only adds to the urgency of mobilizing critical sources of finance for climate action globally. The UK’s announcement makes an important contribution in harnessing this opportunity. The finance to be unlocked can help the UK Government deliver on its promise to show renewed climate leadership.”

Specific ways in which the Principles from the UK raise the global bar include:

• Explicitly incorporating biodiversity protection and nature-based solutions.
• Directly tackling misleading claims terminology (e.g., “carbon neutral”).
• Mandating sustainability reporting for credit use.
• Inclusion of an explicit focus on FPIC and Indigenous rights.
• Requiring detailed project-level disclosure.

Global organizations like VCMI and ICVCM have laid the groundwork, but government support, as demonstrated by the UK, is essential for ensuring a move to high-integrity market participation and ensuring impact of voluntary carbon markets.

VCMI welcomes alignment of the UK Principles with the VCMI Claims Code of Practice.  The inclusion of VCMI’s Scope 3 Claim (currently in beta) within the consultation is also an important step in addressing a complex issue which it is essential businesses are able to tackle. The Claim still being developed in parallel by VCMI, will enable companies to go further and faster in taking action, where progress on scope 3 emission has met challenges.

– Ends –

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