Our work with Indigenous Peoples and local communities
Working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to tackle the global climate emergency
Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs and LCs) are key partners in the voluntary carbon market and critical to the fight against the climate crisis.
They manage and protect 40% of the planet’s ecologically intact landscape. Our ability to limit global warming to 1.5°C therefore depends on ensuring IPs and LCs can continue managing these vital ecosystems. This means they must be included in planning and implementing climate projects that impact their lives.
It is critical that we collaborate with IPs and LCs to make sure the voluntary carbon market functions in a way that protects and promotes their rights and livelihoods. This will in turn accelerate the supply of high-quality carbon credits from projects that are leaders of from projects that impact and benefit them.
IPs and LCs play an important role in the key decision-making bodies of our governance framework. We actively engaged with IPs and LCs during the development of our Assessment Framework, and we are committed to ensuring they continue to have a strong voice in shaping our high-integrity CCP criteria.
Governing Board
Since the establishment of the Integrity Council, three dedicated seats on its Board have been reserved for IPs & LCs voices.
These seats are currently occupied by:
• Jennifer Corpuz, Global Policy and Advocacy Lead for Nia Tero;
• Dr. Francisco Souza, ICVCM Board Member; and
• Dr. Kanyinke Sena, Director for the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee.
As distinguished from industry representatives on our Governing Board, IPs & LCs members on our Governing Board are fully participating and voting members who are proactively engaged in shaping and approving decisions and outputs.
Expert Panel
The Expert Panel (EP), an advisory body which is also supported by a body of Subject Matter Experts, also benefits from independent members with significant expertise of working with IPs & LCs, including:
• Daniel Ortega-Pacheco, Co-Chair of the EP and Director of BIOCARBON
• Tuntiak Katan, an Expert Advisor and the General Coordinator of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities.
• Felipe de Leon, an independent Advisor and an international climate change consultant.
• Sue Phillips, Managing Director at Gender Tech Enterprises.
The IPs and LCs VCM Engagement Forum
The Integrity Council and the Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative (VCMI) are co-hosting a new IPs and LCs VCM Engagement Forum, now under development.
