Verra announced today that, for the first time, it has applied Article 6 authorized labels to VCUs from a project registered in the Verified Carbon Standard Program.
Labels that identify Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) authorized for use under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement have been available on the Verra Registry as of August 2023. These labels are a key tool to support cooperative approaches to implement the Paris Agreement, driving finance to activities that accelerate global climate action.
Verra applied the Article 6 labels to VCUs issued to the DelAgua Live Well Clean Cookstove Programme (external) in Rwanda, which has worked in partnership with the Government of Rwanda for 12 years. DelAgua recently received Letters of Authorization (LOA) signed by the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, the authority designated by the Government of Rwanda to issue authorizations under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. As described in Verra’s Article 6 Label Guidance (PDF), the LOA is a critical step toward obtaining Article 6 VCU labels and demonstrates Rwanda’s commitment to completing corresponding adjustments in its reporting under the Paris Agreement.
While the VCUs from DelAgua Live Well Clean Cookstove Programme in Rwanda are the first to receive Verra’s Article 6 Authorization labels, three other DelAgua projects have also submitted similar LOAs from the Rwanda Environment Management Authority that will enable labeling of future VCU issuances.
For more information on Article 6 Labels, please contact:
Jeremy Warren, Senior Manager, Media Relations, jwarren@verra.org
Project proponents may request Article 6 Labels during a project’s verification approval request, or at any time thereafter, through the Verra Registry under “Additional Certifications” on the project’s Verification Summary page.
The project proponent may apply for up to three Article 6 Labels, which transparently display the host Party authorized use(s) specified in the Letter of Authorization. The three available Article 6 Labels are:
- Article 6 Authorized – NDC Use
- Article 6 Authorized – International mitigation purposes
- Article 6 Authorized – Other purposes
An Article 6 Label request will be assessed by Verra after the project’s relevant verification is approved for VCU issuance. Verra assesses whether the submitted Letter of Authorization meets the eligibility criteria contained in Section 3 of the guidance are met before approving or rejecting the Article 6 Label(s). Approved Article 6 Labels for VCUs will be publicly visible on the Verra Registry.