Verra Certifies Its First Government-Led Jurisdictional Forest Carbon Program in Argentina

WASHINGTON – Jun. 2, 2026 | Verra has approved its first-ever government-led forest carbon program at a provincial scale in the Province of Misiones in Argentina. The program, registered under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program’s Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) Framework, marks a significant milestone for carbon markets and governments seeking to align forest conservation with access to international climate finance.

Unlike carbon projects that operate at a local scale, jurisdictional REDD+ programs credit verified emission reductions across an entire jurisdiction. The program in Misiones operates under Scenario 2 of Verra’s JNR Framework, which allows a government to generate credits for forest areas not covered by any individual project. Under this scenario, projects must nest within the program using its approved baselines to ensure the accurate accounting of emission reductions. Misiones is the first program globally to achieve certification using this pathway.

The program is led by the Government of the Province of Misiones and covers approximately 1.5 million hectares of native Atlantic Forest in northeastern Argentina. Over the first six years (2017–2022), the program generated approximately 10.2 million tCO₂e in verified emission reductions.

The certification reflects years of coordination across multiple provincial institutions, technical teams, market actors, and its independent validation/verification body (VVB). It demonstrates that subnational governments can develop and implement programs capable of participating in international carbon markets while advancing broader public policy and forest protection objectives.

Adolfo Safran, minister of finance, treasury, public works and public services, Province of Misiones, said: “We celebrate having reached such an important milestone in conservation. The Province of Misiones has always made the protection of the rainforest a state policy. Our benefit distribution mechanism will allow us to return to the community the effort made over decades. We invite qualified investors interested in high-quality credits to come forward and support us in this initiative. We thank Verra for its ongoing collaboration and willingness to work with us.”

The approval is expected to encourage the development of additional programs under the VCS JNR Framework across Argentina and in countries throughout Latin America, Africa, and Asia that are exploring jurisdictional-scale approaches to climate finance and forest protection. The program offers a replicable model for other national and subnational governments seeking to align climate policy objectives, forest conservation priorities, and access to international carbon markets.

The program is now listed as registered on the Verra Registry.

###

Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven nonprofit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods, and protect natural resources by working with the private and public sectors. We support climate action and sustainable development with standards programs and tools that credibly, transparently, and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up projects that verifiably deliver these benefits.