ICVCM Reports Wider Government Alignment on Carbon Market Integrity at COP30

Eleven governments publicly endorsed shared principles for high-integrity carbon market use at COP30 in Belém, signalling a significant step toward global alignment on voluntary carbon market standards. The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market marked the summit as a turning point for interconnected, CCP-aligned markets.

The Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets announced its shared principles for high-integrity carbon credit use in São Paulo before COP30, and the coalition grew to eleven government supporters by the summit's close. New adherents included Canada, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Peru, Switzerland, and Zambia, while Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and South Africa issued public statements of support. The coalition's shared principles explicitly reference the ICVCM and its Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry also formalised a strategic partnership with the Integrity Council to align the country's forestry carbon credits with CCP standards, with capacity building and knowledge exchange as central components.

The ICVCM also welcomed the TRACTION Final Report from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which examines scaling early coal plant retirement in Asia through high-integrity transition credits. The Integrity Council intends to incorporate the report's findings into its Continuous Improvement Work Program to develop recommendations for transition credit integrity. Separately, the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Engagement Forum launched its Carbon Market Engagement Strategy at COP30, opening global consultations — including in-person sessions and online surveys — to gather input on removing barriers to market entry and establishing best-practice benefit-sharing frameworks.

The ICVCM's engagement at COP30 spanned sessions on market fragmentation, nature-based solutions, and Indonesia's evolving carbon regulatory framework under Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulations No. 21/2022 and No. 7/2023. The Integrity Council views COP30 as confirmation that CCP-labelled credits are increasingly treated as the reference point for quality by buyers, regulators, and policymakers. The organisation said it will continue working with governments, project developers, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities to build trust and deliver measurable climate benefits across interconnected markets.

Key figure — 11 governments endorsing shared carbon market integrity principles at COP30