The agriculture sector occupies half of the world’s liveable land, sustains the livelihoods and health of billions of people, and generates approximately one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions1. The IPCC’s sixth assessment report makes it very clear that we will likely overshoot 1.5°C in the 2030s, and that limiting the damage requires an urgent, simultaneous scale-up of emissions reductions, removals, and adaptation. In no sector are these three imperatives more inextricably linked than in agriculture. 

Sustainable farming practices – such as improved pasture management, low-till cultivation, agroforestry, drought-resistant crops, and the restoration of degraded land – can deliver all three at once: reducing emissions, sequestering carbon, and building the climate resilience that smallholder farmers and global food security systems so desperately need. In Africa, a focus on soil health is central to unlocking these benefits: improving soil organic matter, structure, nutrient cycling, and moisture retention not only increases carbon sequestration in soils but also underpins productivity gains and resilience to droughts and floods. 

The central question is no longer what needs to be done, but how to finance a global transition at scale. Amid a widening climate finance gap and collapsing international development aid budgets, high-integrity carbon credit markets can offer a catalytic solution, provided they are embedded in the policy priorities and institutions of countries that host carbon projects. Most notably in Africa this includes the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as well as continental soil‑health strategies. 

Momentum behind the transition to climate resilient agriculture is building

The EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF)2, adopted in December 2024, established the first EU-wide voluntary framework for certifying carbon removals, including from the agriculture sector. Through the CRCF, EU farmers can generate new income streams by enhancing carbon sequestration in soils and vegetation through sustainable land management practices, otherwise known as carbon farming. This is a landmark step and can complement agricultural carbon credit methodologies recently approved under ICVCM’s Core Carbon Principles, and support fulfilment of the African Principles on Integrity and Equity on Carbon Markets. 

But these developments come with both opportunity and risk. The EU’s policy architecture is likely to influence investments in climate resilient agriculture, including carbon farming, globally. 

The critical question VCMI and our partners across the Global South are addressing is: will these investments reach the farmers across Africa, Latin America, and Asia who need them most, and protect their competitiveness? 

If history is anything to go by, without significant technical support for both policymakers and the farming community, the answer will almost certainly be no.  

Let’s consider Africa, where agriculture is a driving force of employment and food security, but is at risk of the rising tide of climate change. 

Agriculture employs 42% of Africa’s workforce3 and contributes 30% of GDP4, yet the smallholder farmers and SMEs that produce the majority of the continent’s food are dangerously exposed to the droughts, floods, and erratic seasons that climate change is accelerating.  

And yet with so much at stake, support for local farming communities to make the transition to climate resilient agricultural practices remains systemically underfunded5.  

High-integrity carbon credit markets can and must be part of the solution in Africa

Done right, carbon credit markets can support agricultural practices that could deliver millions of tonnes of CO2 sequestration across the African continent each year, while building resilience for Africa’s most vulnerable communities. Critical to this outcome is alignment with CAADP’s investment‑led approach and the continent’s soil‑health priorities: carbon finance should flow into interventions that raise productivity, improve nutrition outcomes, and restore degraded lands while delivering verifiable climate benefits.   

Despite this potential, to date only 1% of global carbon credit issuances have been for these kinds of agricultural practices6, and Africa remains largely on the sidelines of a market that could transform its food systems. The barriers are real: high complexity in navigating different carbon finance mechanisms, policy and regulatory gaps, weak institutional capacity, fragmented donor support, and a lack of the tailored market infrastructure needed to allow smallholders to participate meaningfully and equitably. 

This is precisely why the work of VCMI, The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), regional carbon market alliances, and our other key partners matters so much — and why the foundations built in Latin America, explored in our previous blog post, must be extended to Africa and beyond. 

Through its Access Strategies Program, VCMI empowers climate-vulnerable and developing nations to mobilize carbon finance to build resilience and drive sustainable development.  

The Partnership for Agricultural Carbon (PAC), launched at COP28 and incubated through VCMI’s Access Strategies Program, delivers this directly for the agriculture sector. PAC is the only expert-led, regionally anchored, international initiative dedicated exclusively to helping governments and farmers access carbon markets for adaptive agriculture. PAC’s recent outputs — including an Investment Readiness Index and a dedicated training course for policymakers — reflect a commitment to practical tools that bridge ambition and implementation. The partnership combines technical expertise, regional legitimacy, and the operational capacity needed to connect ambitious governments with international climate finance opportunities.  

Africa can build on this model and its existing policy architecture to build a thriving agricultural carbon market

The PAC model — and the hard-won lessons learned across Latin America — is directly transferable to the African context, where many similar challenges linked to market access and institutional readiness for agricultural carbon markets exist.  

But Africa is not starting from scratch. There is an existing continental architecture that can be mobilised. CAADP, embedded within the African Union’s agricultural transformation agenda, provides a policy and investment platform that member states and regional economic communities can use to mainstream carbon finance into national agricultural investment plans.  

CAADP’s emphasis on evidence‑based investment, public–private partnerships, and results‑oriented programming creates an entry point for integrating carbon‑favourable practices into public extension services, subsidy schemes, and national resilience plans. By aligning carbon market interventions with CAADP investment pillars and country compacts, governments can ensure carbon finance supports national food‑security goals, avoids perverse incentives, and strengthens agricultural value chains. 

The window of opportunity to unlock agricultural carbon finance for Africa is narrowing

Carbon credit demand is growing, driven by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, expanding compliance markets, the renewed confidence that integrity frameworks from ICVCM and VCMI are delivering, and the emerging government leadership to give corporate demand stimulus. Buyer coalitions are highly active in the nature-based solutions space, and significant latent demand exists through the insetting strategies of large agrifood producers. The conditions for a step-change in agricultural carbon finance have rarely been more favourable, and Africa must stand to benefit. 

African nations now need focussed support to build the policy frameworks, institutional capacity, and community-level readiness that will allow governments and smallholder farmers to participate in this next phase of carbon credit markets on their own terms. 

The alternative — an agricultural carbon market that leaves the world’s most climate-exposed rural communities behind — would be both a moral failure and a missed opportunity. VCMI’s Access Strategies work across Latin America shows it doesn’t have to be that way. 

VCMI’s collaboration with AUDA is focussed on ensuring African countries can leverage the catalytic role carbon markets can play in delivering climate-resilient agriculture, and climate-resilient economies more broadly. 

With the right partnerships and safeguards in place, Africa has the opportunity to lead a new era of climate-resilient agriculture that benefits farmers, economies, and the planet alike.

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The transition to resilient agriculture is at an inflection point – one that could translate lessons learned in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) into global climate and food security solutions.

The LAC region is ready to lead the transition to climate resilient agriculture, but finance is needed, and fast

LAC boasts a proud and highly skilled workforce of smallholder farmers whose livelihoods are being threatened by climate change. The region’s unique biodiversity and abundant biomass is capable of supporting climate resilient bioeconomy models, with strong potential in agroforestry and regenerative livestock systems, but only if finance is made available, and fast.

Recent data reveals a growing recognition of the need to finance climate resilient agriculture, but a concerning mismatch between flows of finance and the regions that need it most. From 2021-2022, global climate finance for agrifood systems tripled, reaching USD 94.9 billion,[1] but just 5% of total funding (about USD 6 billion) went to LAC, where agriculture accounts for 55% of emissions. To build sustainable agricultural solutions and rural resilience, the region needs a 27x increase in funding: USD 160 billion annually through 2050.

This imbalance in public finance for climate resilient agriculture is unfolding amid mounting fiscal constraints. In Central America, for instance, agricultural budgets have declined by an average of 8.57% annually over the past decade, and this decline could increase to up to 15% annually by 2030.

The conclusion is unavoidable: the region cannot rely solely on public finance to deliver the transition to climate resilient agricultural practices. Private finance must be part of the solution.

High-integrity carbon markets are well poised to catalyze the transition

With limited public finance on the table, high-integrity carbon markets can support LAC’s transition to climate resilient agriculture – driving regional impact, and developing a blueprint that the rest of the world can follow. Recent trends point to growing demand for carbon markets – including the acceleration of Article 6 agreements and approved methodologies – laying the groundwork for scaled transactions.[2]

Agriculture-based credits are also attracting a higher value – prices rose by 18–20% in 2024[3] – and surging retirements indicate increasing private-sector appetite.[4] But there is a risk that the opportunity presented by this growing demand for agriculture-based credits is not effectively leveraged in LAC, or other global south markets due to fragmented development of the market.

Carbon credit markets have historically developed project by project, but this model alone cannot mobilize the scale of finance required for the transition to climate resilient agriculture. Rather than isolated projects, investors increasingly seek system-level coherence, with markets underpinned by government-led frameworks that reduce risk, aggregate supply, and ensure environmental integrity. To lead the transition, LAC needs to transform carbon markets from fragmented credit generation into structured investment platforms that can mobilize debt-free finance that helps governments and farmers catalyze the sector’s just transition.

Governments need support to leverage catalytic carbon finance for climate resilient agriculture

To achieve this, governments must lead the way. A scale-up approach to agricultural carbon markets – characterized by national carbon project inventories, robust territorial or sectoral MRV systems, benefit sharing frameworks, and the integration of carbon markets within national climate strategies – is essential.

For institutional investors, development finance institutions, and corporates with long-term supply chain exposure, scale-up approaches reduce transaction costs and enhance confidence. They also serve to create the enabling environment for catalytic capital – such as blended finance, guarantees, and results-based payments – which can deliver a multiplier effect on top of carbon revenues, supporting climate resilient growth, strengthening rural incomes, enhancing smallholder resilience, and improving international competitiveness.

But designing scale-up approaches for agricultural carbon markets requires significant institutional capacity and tailored expertise within governments. Analysis by the Partnership for Agricultural Carbon (PAC) indicates that several Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia and Peru, could attract more finance by enhancing ‘investment readiness’ for agricultural carbon markets.

The challenge is therefore how governments in LAC – and beyond – can build and position carbon credit markets as structured investment platforms for delivering climate resilient agriculture. Promising developments in LAC are already underway:

• Peru’s Ministry of Agricultural Development and Irrigation [5] to promote participation of the sector in carbon markets and help famers access climate finance through high-integrity carbon credits.
• Paraguay and Peru are also front runners in Article 6 implementation, signing bilateral cooperation agreements with multiple countries, including partnerships with Singapore, which cover generation of carbon credits from sustainable grazing and rice methane reduction.
• Bolivia has recently started work on a national regenerative agriculture and livestock program intended to support climate mitigation in the agricultural sector. The initiative will establish the systems needed to measure soil carbon changes across large agricultural areas, laying the foundations needed for future carbon projects.

To take the role of carbon markets in the climate resilient agriculture transition across the LAC region, and worldwide, governments need tailored support. VCMI’s Access Strategies Program is designed to find and fill gaps in carbon markets participation around the world. Through the Program, the Partnership for Agricultural Carbon (PAC) has been supporting governments across LAC to build the institutional conditions needed to effectively leverage high-integrity carbon finance mechanisms in support of climate resilient agricultural solutions, through diagnostics, readiness frameworks, policy tools, and capacity-building programs that translate ambition into action. PAC is the only expert-led, international initiative dedicated exclusively to supporting governments and farmers to access the power of carbon markets for climate resilient agriculture.

With coordinated support, Latin America and the Caribbean can be a laboratory for the global transition to climate resilient agriculture

With coordinated support for governments to pioneer large-scale agricultural carbon markets, Latin America and the Caribbean has the potential to position itself as a strategic partner in delivering sustainable and adaptive agrifood systems for the world.

By prioritizing readiness and piloting innovative approaches Latin America and the Caribbean can be a ‘global laboratory’ for scaling high-integrity, market-ready approaches that fast track the transition to a more resilient agricultural sector. Other regions with rich natural capital and large-scale agriculture economies can follow in its footsteps.

The opportunity is clear. Agriculture cannot remain the underfunded frontier of climate action. If LAC can build the institutional readiness needed to scale high-integrity agricultural carbon markets, it will not only attract transformative investment but redefine the entire sector’s role in the global climate transition.

About the Partnership for Agricultural Carbon 

• The Partnership for Agricultural Carbon (PAC) is the only expert-led, international initiative dedicated exclusively to supporting governments and farmers to access the power of carbon markets for sustainable agriculture.  

• PAC is incubated and operationalized through VCMI’s Access Strategies Program, which supports countries to meaningfully participate in, and benefit from, high-integrity carbon markets. 

• PAC accelerates investment in agricultural carbon markets by supporting governments and famers to deliver clear, enabling policies, robust MRV systems, and effective local impact plans that build confidence amongst private sector investors.  

[1] Climate Policy Initiative’s (CPI) Landscape of Climate Finance for Agrifood Systems 2025

[2] Climate Focus report

[3] 2025 State of Voluntary Market report

[4] 2025 State of Voluntary Market report

[5] Guide to promote the participation of producers in the Agricultural and Irrigation sector in the Voluntary Carbon Market

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The guidance will support countries in the development of carbon markets strategies, bringing together the expertise of leading international technical assistance partners. Alongside the document, an infographic has been developed to clarify and visualize how each organization’s efforts come together to support countries. 

Carbon markets can support emerging markets and developing economies to access finance for mitigation activities, sustainable development and climate positive growth. This will help to meet the $1.3 trillion climate finance target, which is vital for achieving global climate goals. 

The guidance, structured in seven themes, provides support for navigating key policy choices—from whether and how to authorize credits, to how credits can be used and what institutional systems are needed to support implementation. The guidance is the result of a unique collaboration among leading international institutions intended to reduce fragmentation of technical assistance for navigating carbon markets.  

The initiative is a response to calls from countries to reduce the fragmentation of technical assistance, and support the development of coherent and well-informed strategies for engaging in international carbon markets. This set of guidance documents was the result of a joint effort between: the Article 6 Implementation Partnership (A6IP), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI), and the World Bank.  

On how the guidance helps to streamline technical assistance, VCMI’s Technical Director, Ana Carolina Avzaradel Szklo, said: “Carbon markets can deliver significant benefits for the planet and for people, especially in emerging markets and developing economies, but ensuring impact requires countries to navigate a complex, evolving landscape. The plethora of capacity building initiatives designed to support countries in this endeavour has at times led to confusion rather than clarity. This document provides a critical starting point for country-led carbon markets strategies by bringing together the expertise and experience of organizations committed to working together to support countries to design, implement and participate in high-integrity carbon markets.” 

The guidance was launched at the World Bank’s annual Innovate4Climate event in Seville, with a workshop enabling discussion between partners and country representatives on the challenges of developing a carbon market strategy and opportunities to use carbon markets to raise the ambition of climate goals and optimize co-benefits. Mark Kenber, Executive Director of VCMI, moderated the discussion.  

VCMI’s Access Strategies Program is one of the critical capacity building initiatives that host countries and regions can engage with to support the development of carbon market strategies that unlock the environmental, social and economic benefits of carbon finance within national climate plans. VCMI has worked across the world, from Peru to Kenya to India, to support the development of the policies, capacity and infrastructure needed to create thriving carbon markets. This work helps to unlock finance needed for nature preservation, the clean energy transition, and climate resilient agriculture, among other priorities, in support of low-carbon sustainable development.  

— ENDS —

Guidance Note: Country Guidance for Navigating Carbon Markets

Infographic: A harmonized approach to technical assistance for navigating carbon markets

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As Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) prepares for COP30 on home soil, the region’s leadership on nature-based and agriculture-aligned climate solutions is gaining traction. From forest protection to farm resilience, the opportunity to unlock high-integrity carbon finance has never been more urgent—or more achievable. At the recent Nature Summit in Panama, hosted alongside the UNFCCC’s inaugural Global Climate Week, the Partnership for Agricultural Carbon (PAC) and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) co-hosted a high-level conversation to reflect on what’s needed next to unlock this potential. Here’s what we heard—and where we’re headed.

Key Takeaways

• The panel “Unlocking Carbon Market Opportunities in Latin America for Agriculture and Nature-Based Solutions on the Road to COP30” reinforced growing regional appetite for high-integrity carbon market implementation.

• Strong alignment emerged around the need for enabling frameworks—not just project-level finance, but aggregated or jurisdictional approaches and methodologies—to scale climate solutions in rural sectors.

• The pre-launch of PAC’s Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Ag Carbon Policy Tracker generated enthusiastic engagement—confirming demand for actionable, comparative policy intelligence.

• The PAC–VCMI partnership demonstrates how collaborative, regionally grounded efforts can pool and enhance local expertise to bridge gaps in market access and policy capacity.

• Calls from panelists highlighted the importance of capacity building to support the development of robust safeguards and equitable benefit-sharing—building on REDD+ lessons and tailored to agriculture.

• COP30 was widely recognized as a defining moment to position Latin America and the Caribbean as a hub for nature-positive and people-centered carbon finance.

Fertile Ground: Creating the Policy Conditions for Scale

Kicking off the discussion, VCMI’s Ana Carolina Avzaradel Szklo emphasized the need for harmonized global policy and jurisdictional readiness: “We’ve seen exciting government momentum—from the UK’s endorsement of VCMI’s Claims Code to France’s Carbon Credit Charter. But without interoperable frameworks and regional policy alignment, it will be difficult to meet the scale of climate ambition or unlock consistent investor confidence.”

Through its Access Strategies Program, VCMI is working directly with countries and regions including Panama, Peru, Brazil and the Mexican state of Yucatán, helping them design frameworks that allow high-integrity carbon markets to complement—not replace—national climate ambition. The Partnership for Agricultural Carbon (PAC) is one such outcome of this initiative—supporting governments to build the institutional conditions needed to effectively leverage high-integrity carbon finance mechanisms in support of sustainable agricultural solutions.

From REDD+ to Agriculture: Embedding Equity and Inclusion

The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Judith Walcott brought an equally important lens to the discussion: equity and safeguards in carbon projects. With over 15 years of experience supporting countries under the UN-REDD Program, she outlined the importance of robust environmental and social safeguards—including equitable benefit-sharing systems, nesting strategies, and governance alignment—also applicable for the agriculture sector.

Scaling carbon markets without safeguards, she noted, risks reinforcing exclusion. If Ministries of Agriculture are equipped with the right peer-to-peer learning models, they can be empowered as full partners—rather than afterthoughts—in climate finance design.

This is precisely what PAC seeks to facilitate through its AgRAP initiative: a Rapid Acceleration Program that trains farmers to ensure fair and equitable participation in carbon markets and high-integrity project incubation.

Investing in Readiness and Regional Collaboration

CAF Development Bank’s Alicia Montalvo linked these themes to the bank’s broader climate finance strategy. CAF has committed to scaling its green agenda, including nature-positive agriculture and ecosystem finance. Alicia reminded the audience that markets alone won’t deliver outcomes—that to be most effective, they should be anchored in investment strategies that integrate public-private coordination and national priorities.

CAF’s support for early-stage readiness, particularly in policy and institutional development, will be critical. This aligns closely with PAC’s upcoming online course for Agricultural Carbon Policy Makers, designed to help governments translate carbon opportunity into bankable, implementable frameworks.

Innovative Tools for a Thriving Policy Landscape

The session saw the successful pre-launch of the LAC Ag Carbon Policy Tracker, a PAC-led tool designed to monitor country-level progress on enabling carbon markets in agriculture. With over 25 variables—spanning regulatory, institutional, and MRV readiness—the tracker aims to provide actionable insight for governments, investors, and development partners.

The enthusiastic reception of the tracker teaser and QR-based access confirmed an appetite for tools and coordination mechanisms that help countries engage more strategically—and equitably—with climate finance opportunities.

Looking Ahead to COP30: Leading with Integrity in Latin America and the Caribbean

From the panel discussion to hallway conversations, it was clear: COP30 in Belém will be more than a climate summit—it will be a call to action. Latin America has the ecosystems, the political will, and the innovation to lead. But its leadership must be matched with collaboration, and its ambition with action.

As Latin America prepares to host the world in Belém, the region faces a unique opportunity: to lead not only with ambition, but to foster carbon markets grounded in integrity, innovation, and inclusion. The work ahead must bring ministries, market players, and marginalized communities into the same conversation. And it must deliver results—not just promises—for agriculture and nature.

At PAC and VCMI, we are committed to continuing this collaboration. As the road to Belém unfolds, we invite others—governments, financial institutions, and civil society—to join us in scaling high-integrity carbon markets that deliver for people, for nature, and for the planet.

To learn more about PAC and stay updated on the latest outputs, click here.

To learn more about VCMI’s Access Strategies Program, click here.

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This announcement closely follows the second annual Kenya Carbon Markets Conference, co-organized by the Government of Kenya, VCMI, CCA, FSD Kenya, and FSD Africa, where over 200 stakeholders from across government, finance, civil society, and the private sector came together to unlock Kenya’s carbon market potential.

Carbon finance as a solution to clean cooking challenges

Currently, approximately 1 billion people in Africa do not have access to clean cooking solutions and instead rely on inefficient and polluting biomass fuels such as firewood and charcoal to cook their daily meals. While Kenya has significantly improved access to clean cooking solutions over the past decade—up to 30% of its population in 2023 from 10% in 2010—millions of households still rely on polluting fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and kerosene.[i]

Clean cooking remains one of the most under-invested development challenges in the world. Carbon finance offers a critical source of capital to fill this gap, reducing how much consumers pay for clean cooking solutions and making them more accessible to low-income families who need them the most.

Partnership objectives

As part of VCMI’s Access Strategies program, this partnership with CCA will support financial market regulators to develop a framework that makes it easier to assess and prioritize which interventions could improve the integration of carbon-backed assets into mainstream finance – boosting carbon finance from clean cooking. The project intends to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to the Central Bank of Kenya, the Capital Markets Authority, the Insurance Regulatory Authority, the Kenya Bankers Association, and commercial banks.

Scaling up carbon finance for clean cooking and other projects has long been constrained by a lack of supportive regulatory frameworks, as well as concerns over project quality. This lack of clarity has stalled urgently needed government action, limiting the role that high-quality carbon credits can play in financing. At the same time, domestic banks, insurers, and capital market institutions have often faced barriers such as limited capacity and unclear risk, which have hindered their engagement in carbon markets.

Central banks and financial regulators are uniquely positioned to change this scenario – and thus align domestic financing with climate priorities – by providing clear, consistent regulatory guidance on carbon finance. This is precisely the process that VCMI and CCA aim to support through their new partnership.

“Unlocking the true potential of carbon markets requires more than just demand — it requires trust, transparency, and regulatory clarity,” said Feisal Hussain, Senior Director of Innovative Finance at CCA. “By working with financial regulators and institutions, we aim to turn carbon credits into widely accepted and trusted bankable assets that can help scale up clean cooking access across Africa. Kenya is leading the way in many regards, and we hope this model can inspire broader financial innovation across the continent.”

“VCMI is pleased to partner with the Clean Cooking Alliance to support the scale up of high-integrity clean cooking carbon market projects by advancing financial policy guidance that enables domestic financial institutions and the private sector to engage in carbon markets with confidence. When operated with integrity, these projects improve the livelihoods of Kenyans, drive real climate impact and contribute towards sustainable development goals—serving as a model for other countries to follow,” said at Bianca Gichangi, Regional Lead for Africa at VCMI.

Advancing high-integrity carbon markets

This work is informed by a policy brief, recently published by CCA, identifying 15 targeted interventions that financial regulators can take to increase the recognition and use of carbon credits within financial systems. It also builds on previous collaborative works like the Buyer’s Guide to High-Quality Cookstove Carbon Credits, which complements VCMI’s Claims Code of Practice by helping buyers understand how to responsibly engage in the clean cooking sector.

This partnership lays a critical foundation by guiding regulators toward actionable, high-impact interventions. By working closely with the Government of Kenya, this partnership will continue the country’s leadership in the global carbon market as a provider of high-quality carbon credits that not only deliver climate benefits but also respect and strengthen the rights and livelihoods of local communities, ensuring that carbon markets are inclusive, transparent, and deliver tangible, lasting value for local actors.

-ENDS-

The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) is an international non-profit committed to realizing the full potential of high-integrity voluntary carbon markets (VCMs). Our mission is to empower companies, governments, and non-state actors to maximize the impact of their climate actions through the use of high-quality carbon credits.

VCMI’s Codes of Practice provide rigorous, science-aligned guidance for organizations to take credible and transparent climate action using high-quality carbon credits, enabling them to align their climate transition plans with accelerating progress to global net zero.

Through our Access Strategies Program, VCMI supports host countries, regions, and sectors to participate in high-integrity carbon markets and unlock the environmental, social, and economic benefits of carbon finance within national climate plans. This program is instrumental in building the necessary infrastructure for countries to participate meaningfully and benefit from the global carbon market.

At VCMI, we are committed to integrity, transparency, and impact, ensuring that every carbon credit used contributes to real, verifiable climate progress.

vcmintegrity.org

The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) works with a global network of partners to build an inclusive industry that makes clean cooking accessible to the 2.1 billion people who live each day without it. Established in 2010, CCA is driving consumer demand, mobilizing investment to build a pipeline of scalable businesses, and fostering an enabling environment that allows the sector to thrive. Clean cooking transforms lives by improving health, protecting the climate and the environment, empowering women, and helping consumers save time and money.

CleanCooking.org

[i] IEA, 2025

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Taking place from May 28 to 30, 2025, this event fosters dialogue on climate and sustainable development solutions in West Africa, bringing together ministers, policymakers, the private sector, and civil society to advance carbon market solutions across the region.

VCMI is proud to partner with the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets, alongside partners including the Senegalese Ministry of Environment, IETA, and others, to support this event.

Our shared goal is to accelerate the implementation of Article 6, ensure justice and quality in carbon initiatives, and catalyze regional collaboration in support of a just climate transition.

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The partnership was formally launched during UNFCCC Climate Week 2025, hosted in Panama City, where VCMI, the Partnership for Agricultural Carbon (PAC) and Panama’s Ministry of Environment (MINAM) co-hosted the event “Unlocking Carbon Market Opportunities in Latin America for Agriculture and Nature-Based Solutions on the Road to COP30.”

This session took place on the main stage of the Nature Summit, bringing together ministers, technical experts, leaders from the agriculture community, investors, and other stakeholders to explore how accelerated carbon finance flows across the region can support the scaling of nature-based solutions and sustainable agriculture systems.

“We are delighted to collaborate with the Government of Panama to demonstrate how carbon markets—when designed and governed with integrity—can be a powerful tool for financing sustainable development, protecting nature, and supporting local communities,” said Mark Kenber, Executive Director of VCMI.

Panama is located in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, covered 60% by forest, and is committed to delivering real-world climate action through high-integrity carbon markets. Through the partnership, VCMI is providing in-house support to the Ministry of Environment through the hiring of two regional experts who will:

· Support the design of robust, transparent carbon market governance aligned with global best practice and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

· Ensure the market is strategically aligned with the domestic policy landscape and can be scaled up over time

· Facilitate knowledge exchange, capacity building, and engagement with local stakeholders to ensure the market works for people and planet.

Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, Special Representative for Climate Change & National Climate Change Director of the Ministry of Environment of Panama, said: “Panama is committed to leading by example in building a carbon market that delivers real climate action, respects nature, and benefits our people. This partnership with VCMI supports our ambition to develop a high-integrity framework that attracts international investment while safeguarding environmental and social integrity. Looking ahead to COP30, we see carbon markets scaling up as an essential tool to mobilize finance and drive sustainable development across Latin America and beyond.”

George Hodgetts, Senior Policy Associate at VCMI, said: “Panama’s leadership on the design and implementation of innovative climate finance mechanisms shows what’s possible when climate ambition is paired with a commitment to integrity. We are excited to support the Ministry’s vision and help mobilize global investment to communities driving real-world climate solutions.”

UNFCCC Climate Week provides a platform for collaboration between governments ahead of COP30 in Brazil, where carbon markets are expected to play a key role in global climate negotiations, providing an essential tool for channelling finance to the Global South.

-ENDS-

About VCMI

The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) is an international non-profit committed to realizing the full potential of high-integrity voluntary carbon markets (VCMs). Our mission is to empower companies, governments, and non-state actors to maximize the impact of their climate actions through the use of high-quality carbon credits.

VCMI’s Codes of Practice provide rigorous, science-aligned guidance for organizations to take credible and transparent climate action using high-quality carbon credits, enabling them to align their climate transition plans with accelerating progress to global net zero.

Through our Access Strategies Program, VCMI supports host countries, regions, and sectors to participate in high-integrity carbon markets and unlock the environmental, social, and economic benefits of carbon finance within national climate plans. This program is instrumental in building the necessary infrastructure for countries to participate meaningfully and benefit from the global carbon market.

At VCMI, we are committed to integrity, transparency, and impact, ensuring that every carbon credit used contributes to real, verifiable climate progress.

For media enquiries, please contact: VCMI@bcw-global.com

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Titled Unlocking Kenya’s carbon market potential: Overcoming barriers and harnessing opportunities, the conference will take place from 19–20 May 2025, in Nairobi.

VCMI’s Executive Director, Mark Kenber, will deliver a keynote address at the conference’s opening session, and VCMI’s Regional Lead for Africa, Bianca Gichangi, will moderate a panel session on the first day: Shifting buyer preferences: navigating demand for high-integrity carbon credits.

The conference’s primary objectives include:

1. Build consensus on actionable strategies for Kenya’s carbon market.

2. Validate and endorse the 2025 Carbon Market Decision Paper, a stakeholder-led output that will serve as a roadmap and accountability framework.

3. Showcase innovations in project financing, MRV, and benefit-sharing, positioning Kenya as a hub for next-generation carbon solutions.

4. Mobilize partnerships across public, private, and community actors to catalyze investment and co-develop integrity-focused market reforms.

5. Empower youth and communities by spotlighting inclusive business models, co-ownership frameworks, and skilling programs.

Kindly contact Bianca Gichangi if you will also be attending and wish to connect.

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VCMI’s Executive Director Mark Kenber will deliver the keynote address during the conference’s opening session. In addition, Bianca Gichangi, VCMI’s Regional Lead for Africa, will moderate a panel discussion on Shifting Buyer Preferences: Navigating Demand for High-Integrity Carbon Credits on Day 1 at 12:30 PM.

This partnership marks a critical milestone as Kenya accelerates its ambition to become a continental and global leader in high-integrity carbon markets. Its recent policy developments, including the 2024 Carbon Market Regulations and the operationalization of a Designated National Authority, have positioned it at the forefront of carbon market innovation and integrity in Africa and beyond.

Backed by VCMI’s Access Strategies program, the conference builds on a series of high-level stakeholder dialogues hosted between March and April 2025. These pre-conference sessions explored the pillars of integrity and trust, investment and innovation, and collaboration and inclusion, laying the foundation for an inclusive and actionable roadmap.

Key objectives of the conference include:

1. Reaching consensus on strategies to drive Kenya’s carbon market forward, informed by stakeholder insights.
2. Validating the 2025 Carbon Market Decision Paper, a stakeholder-led roadmap and accountability tool.
3. Showcasing innovations in carbon project finance, MRV systems, and benefit-sharing models.
4. Mobilizing multi-sector partnerships to support market reforms grounded in integrity.
5. Empowering youth and communities through inclusive business models, co-ownership strategies, and skills development programs.

The expected outcomes of this pivotal conference include the release of a shared action plan to guide the operationalization of Kenya’s carbon market, enhanced clarity on Article 6.2 and 6.4 readiness, and the formation of cross-sectoral working groups to carry forward key recommendations.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Amb Ali Mohamed, Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change in the Executive Office of the President, said:

“The Kenya Carbon Markets Conference presents a model of public-private collaboration that other governments can replicate to unlock private sector finance for climate and sustainable development. By building strong, transparent markets, we can direct vital finance to communities, accelerate sustainable development, and build a more resilient future for Kenya and beyond.”

ENDS

About VCMI

The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) is an international non-profit committed to realising the full potential of high-integrity voluntary carbon markets (VCMs). Our mission is to empower companies, governments, and non-state actors to maximise the impact of their climate actions through the use of high-quality carbon credits.

VCMI’s Codes of Practice provide rigorous, science-aligned guidance for organisations to take credible and transparent climate action using high-quality carbon credits, enabling them to align their climate transition plans with accelerating progress to global net zero.

Through our Access Strategies Program, VCMI supports host countries, regions, and sectors to participate in high-integrity carbon markets and unlock the environmental, social, and economic benefits of carbon finance within national climate plans. This programme is instrumental in building the necessary infrastructure for countries to participate meaningfully and benefit from the global carbon market.

At VCMI, we are committed to integrity, transparency, and impact, ensuring that every carbon credit used contributes to real, verifiable climate progress.

For media enquiries, please contact: VCMI@bcw-global.com 

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