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 

The post VCMI partners with Government of Kenya to support Carbon Markets Conference appeared first on VCMI.

Running from 2^nd September to 7^th October, the consultation will be conducted in accordance with established best practice². Inviting feedback on an updated version of the Scope 3 Claim, the process will help build on and strengthen existing requirements and guardrails to finalize the claim and ensure that it maintains high standards of integrity, while also being practical to potential corporate adopters.

The Scope 3 Claim will offer a mechanism to enable companies to take greater action on scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions they have been unable to reduce. These are emissions that would otherwise not be accounted for or addressed by companies. It will also help support and grow wider participation in high-integrity voluntary carbon markets, that deliver critical flows of climate finance to emissions reduction and removal projects.

VCMI is actively engaging a wide range of stakeholders to encourage participation in the process.

“VCMI is committed to the highest standards of governance and transparency in the development of its guidance; gathering diverse perspectives is an essential part of this process,” explains Mark Kenber, Executive Director at VCMI. “The Scope 3 Claim is designed to incentivize companies to decarbonize across the whole of their value chain, while also investing in high quality projects that reduce and remove emissions. Responses to this consultation will be key to building a robust, credible framework for scope 3 impact to help meet our global climate goals.”  

Publication of consultation responses is planned for late 2024. The consultation is just one aspect of the wider development process³, with overall finalization of the Scope 3 Claim planned for Q1 2025. 

The public consultation will ensure the requirements and recommendations covered by the Scope 3 Claim are clear, effective and further strengthen transparency. Specific topics addressed include the core methodology for the claim, guardrails to ensure use of the claim drives further mitigation and prevents greenwashing, and approaches in addressing the gap in scope 3 emissions. 

Alongside wider stakeholder input, the process will also involve active input from VCMI’s Expert Advisory Group and Stakeholder Forum Group, in addition to formal approval and oversight by its Steering Committee. 

VCMI works closely with other organizations to develop a coherent approach for setting ambitious goals, enabling and assessing corporate progress towards decarbonization targets, and supporting the achievement of the goals at the heart of the Paris Agreement ⁴.

Further information on how to participate in the consultation will be shared on VCMI’s website and social media channels. To be notified of this information, please sign up to the VCMI newsletter and follow VCMI on LinkedIn and Twitter (X).

Notes to Editor:

1. Evolution of name and branding is an ongoing aspect of the beta development process. This includes a shortening of its name from ‘Scope 3 Flexibility Claim’ to ‘Scope 3 Claim’, as will be reflected in the forthcoming updated version of the Claim to accompany the consultation process. Further development of brand and naming will happen alongside the consultation.

2. The consultation process will be conducted in line with established best practice as defined by the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL).

3. See ‘Scope-3-Flexibility-Claim-Beta’ (November 2023) for more context on wider process. Key aspects of the Scope 3 Claim were also subject to an earlier consultation, as part of wider Claims Code development process, which received input from over 150 organizations.

4. The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is shortly due to seek input on its forthcoming Scope 3 discussion paper. This process is unrelated to VCMI’s forthcoming consultation.

About VCMI 

The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) is the issuing body behind the ‘Carbon Integrity’ mark. It is an international non-profit organization with a mission to enable high-integrity voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) that deliver real and additional benefits to the atmosphere, help protect nature, and accelerate the transition to ambitious, economy-wide climate policies and regulation.

www.vcmintegrity.org 

Contacts

For the latest updates, please follow us on: @wearevcmi

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

The post VCMI announces public consultation on beta Scope 3 Claim appeared first on VCMI.