• Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are set to play a stronger role in the global voluntary carbon market
  • The event, held at Kalamata Restaurant and Bar in Nairobi on September 11,2025, brought together stakeholders to discuss how to ensure that carbon markets deliver fair and ethical benefits while empowering local communities

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are set to play a stronger role in the global voluntary carbon market following the unveiling of a new living strategy by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Engagement Forum under the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM).

The event, held at Kalamata Restaurant and Bar in Nairobi on September 11, 2025, brought together stakeholders to discuss how to ensure that carbon markets deliver fair and ethical benefits while empowering local communities.

Photo Credit: Jasmine Mumba 

Over the past eleven months, the Forum has engaged with representatives across Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. According to the Forum’s co-chair, Diel Mochire Mwenge, who dialled in remotely, these engagements have been critical in shaping the new strategy.

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“Our role is to help foster engagement and ensure that communities are not only consulted but are part of the decision-making,” he said during the session.

The new strategy focuses on three key priority areas. Priority Area One seeks to remove barriers to market entry by eliminating legal, informational, and structural obstacles that prevent IPLCs from fully participating in the carbon market.

This includes empowering communities to make informed decisions, assert their rights, and engage with trustworthy partners.

Priority Area Two emphasizes self-strengthening and capacity building. The Forum intends to build on existing community strengths by co-creating culturally relevant training materials, while also developing tools that allow communities to assess their needs and reduce reliance on external actors.

Priority Area Three centers on defining best practice in benefit sharing. The Forum aims to ensure that both financial and non-financial benefits generated by carbon projects are distributed transparently and fairly to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

By exploring practical frameworks and standards, the Forum hopes to guide equitable benefit-sharing and reinforce legitimacy in the voluntary carbon market.

These discussions come at a critical time for Africa. According to the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), high-integrity carbon markets could generate up to $6 billion annually in climate finance by 2030.

However, experts warn that this potential can only be realized if carbon credit projects are designed and implemented ethically, with IPLCs at the center.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), which oversees this Forum, is an independent governance body established to ensure the integrity of carbon credits.

Through its Core Carbon Principles (CCPs), the Council sets global benchmarks for quality, credibility, and transparency in carbon markets. The Engagement Forum ensures that IPLC voices are not left out of this transformation.

The event marked another step forward in shaping a market that works not just for global climate goals but also for the communities that live closest to the forests, lands, and ecosystems critical for carbon storage.

The Forum’s living strategy reflects a shift from token consultation to genuine collaboration, setting the stage for a more equitable and trusted voluntary carbon market.

As discussions continue, stakeholders agreed that Africa’s opportunity in the carbon market will depend on whether integrity and inclusivity remain at the core of carbon credit initiatives.