Valdivian Coastal Reserve Project. Photo by Nick Hall.

Verra sets the world’s leading standards for climate action and sustainable development.

→  We build standards for activities as diverse as reducing deforestation, to improving agricultural practices, to addressing plastic waste, and to achieving gender equality.

→  We manage programs to certify that these activities achieve measurable high-integrity outcomes.

→  And we work with governments, businesses, and civil society to advance the use of these standards, including through the development of markets.

Everything we do is in service of increasingly ambitious climate and sustainable development goals – and an accelerated transition to a sustainable future.

person uses binoculars to look over Kasigau
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  • Kasigau Corridor Kenya REDD+ Project. Photo by Lisa Kristine

The Organization

Verra was founded in 2007 by environmental and business leaders who saw the need for greater quality assurance in voluntary carbon markets. We now manage the world’s leading voluntary carbon markets program, the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program, as well as a suite of other programs, incubate new ideas to generate meaningful environmental and social value at scale, and advance the use of these programs worldwide.

The strategic direction of Verra is set by Verra’s Board of Directors and staff. Our staff work globally, with headquarters in Washington, DC.

Verra is registered as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the District of Columbia (Washington, DC, USA) and is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

Governance

The following documents set out the overall governance of Verra.

Important Policies

Additionally, the following key policies govern various aspects of Verra’s operations:

Advisory Committees

Verra convenes advisory groups and committees to guide and support its programs and specific aspects of its work. These advisory bodies are cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder, representing a broad range of perspectives and areas of expertise. Their input helps ensure that Verra’s standards programs maintain the highest quality and integrity.
Students in class
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  • Photo by Filip C. Agoo