Integrity Council launches public consultation on proposed Clarifications under CCP Rule Architecture
In December 2025, the Integrity Council’s Governing Board decided that government-administered programs may be assessed and may, if they meet the relevant criteria and requirements, become CCP-Eligible so long as the Assessment Framework threshold for integrity is maintained and the relevant legal arrangements for assurance and enforcement are agreed with the relevant national authority.
As the Integrity Council prepares to assess a wider range of programs, including government-administered programs, it has identified board independence and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities as two areas where greater clarity would support the consistent and transparent application of existing Assessment Framework requirements.
The proposed Clarifications address:
- How the Integrity Council assesses whether a carbon-crediting program’s board is comprised of independent members; and
- How programs can demonstrate that their safeguards protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in line with international standards.
The consultation is open until 3 December 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
Why this consultation matters
The Core Carbon Principles and the CCP Assessment Framework establish a global threshold for high-integrity carbon credits. All carbon-crediting programs (including those administered by governments) applying for assessment must meet the same threshold.
What is being consulted on?
The consultation seeks views on two proposed Clarifications of general application.
Board independence
The first proposed Clarification records how the Integrity Council assesses board independence under criterion 1.1 a) 1) of the CCP Assessment Framework.
It outlines:
- which governing or decision-making bodies the requirement applies to;
- how relationships and interests are considered when assessing whether a member is independent;
- the expected composition of a board or equivalent governing body; and
- how programs may demonstrate that requirements concerning fiduciary responsibility and bylaws are met.
Under the proposed Clarification, it is recorded that independence is assessed by reference to whether a member has a relationship or interest that could reasonably be expected to affect their judgement in relation to the program’s decisions.
Rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities
The second proposed Clarification records how the Integrity Council applies criterion 7.6 a) 1) of the Assessment Framework, relating to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
It confirms that the same standard of protection applies to every carbon-crediting program and mitigation activity, irrespective of whether the country in which the activity is located has ratified ILO Convention 169 or endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Programs whose rules do not refer to these instruments by name may meet the criterion by demonstrating that their own safeguards provide at least equivalent protection in areas including collective rights to lands, territories and resources; free, prior and informed consent; cultural heritage; non-discrimination; and access to remedy. Programs relying on this approach would be required to make their demonstration of equivalence publicly available.
Applying a consistent integrity threshold
Although the CCP Rule Architecture does not normally require public consultations on Clarifications, the Integrity Council is consulting in this instance to support broad discussion about how a consistent integrity threshold can be maintained across different types of carbon-crediting program. This does not change the process for Clarifications or create an expectation that future Clarifications will be subject to public consultation.
How to take part
Please read the consultation document and submit feedback through the online consultation form.
The Integrity Council will review and consider all consultation responses and publish them alongside a high-level summary. It will then determine whether and how the proposed Clarifications should be refined before they proceed through the Integrity Council’s governance process.