The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ provides an important framework for international cooperation on forest conservation recognised in Article 5.2 of the Paris Agreement. However, while funding REDD+ through market-based approaches was potentially allowed, the WFR required additional criteria to be developed to ensure carbon markets’ environmental integrity. While Article 6.4 rules specify a detailed set of principles and criteria that activities need to satisfy before they can get registered, Article 6.2 only provides high-level integrity principles for cooperative approaches, with countries having the ultimate authority to operationalise these. Therefore, Perspectives suggests using PACM as a benchmark for REDD+ arrangements under Article 6.2, as it establishes stricter requirements than the different VCM programmes. This is a precondition for increasing trust in REDD+ credits. Permitting a direct link between Article 5.2 and Article 6.2 without extra requirements would be wholly inconsistent with the principles of Article 6 and should be avoided.

Article published in Carbon Mechanisms Review “From Framework to Action: fostering high-integrity carbon markets after the Baku breakthrough”, Spring 2025.