The JNR framework serves as a comprehensive carbon accounting and crediting platform for governments to guide development of their REDD+ programs and help nest REDD+ projects and subnational jurisdictions within these programs.

JNR is a global, jurisdiction-level REDD+ framework rigorous enough to meet the needs of market-based mechanisms around the world, such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO). JNR was specifically designed to facilitate private investment in REDD+ at multiple scales, and is therefore well-aligned with the Paris Agreement’s objectives of engaging the private sector, while linking to national efforts, as well as providing emission reductions to emerging compliance and voluntary markets.

Nearly all REDD+ projects globally use the VCS Program to quantify and credit their carbon benefits, facilitating their integration within JNR programs. Similar to VCS projects, jurisdictional proponents may also choose to develop their REDD+ programs in a phased approach, for example, by including additional activities or carbon pools, and using more advanced methods for baseline setting and monitoring over time. JNR is a practical, flexible and consistent framework that ensures JNR programs maintain environmental integrity and jurisdictional sovereignty.

How JNR Works

JNR Framework: JNR provides robust and transparent accounting and verification approaches for the integration and scaling up of government-led and project-level REDD+ activities.

Accounting Methodologies: The JNR framework includes tools like the JNR Non-Permanence Risk Tool and the JNR Leakage Tool, which provide robust approaches to implementing JNR programs while managing non-permanence risk and minimizing and deducting any leakage.

Independent Auditing: JNR programs seeking to issue VCUs must follow the validation and verification assessment process, including an audit by an accredited, independent third party and expert panel. National and subnational REDD+ programs using JNR as guidance (eg, on how to handle nesting of project activities) without seeking VCU issuance do not need to undergo validation or verification.

Registry System: JNR programs use the VCS Program Registry to register and issue VCUs, and manage their contributions to the non-permanence risk buffer. Those not seeking VCUs, or seeking a combination of VCUs and results-based payments (e.g., from FCPF or bilateral agreements) may also leverage the VCS Program registry system – providing a platform for tracking emission reductions and managing buffer contributions for the entire program. The VCS Program registry system also provides a clear link between jurisdictional programs and any nested projects in the jurisdiction, providing a clear mechanism to prevent double counting and ensure emission reductions within the jurisdiction add up.

Meeting UNFCCC requirements with JNR. 

A gap assessment was completed by Winrock International in December 2014 comparing the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Methodological Framework (MF), the UNFCCC REDD+ Rulebook and the VCS JNR Requirements. The report concludes that jurisdictions successfully applying JNR will automatically satisfy the vast majority of the MF indicators and the UNFCCC requirements, with no or minimal additional effort. The Summary of Findings section of the report is also available in Spanish.

Nested Projects

Due to emerging market opportunities there is a growing consensus about the need for and value of jurisdictional-level approaches and nested REDD+ projects, i.e., projects that are nested (or integrated) within national or subnational REDD+ accounting systems. Verra is actively advancing the development of new requirements and guidance for such REDD+ project nesting — whether nesting into a VCS JNR program or other type of government REDD+ program — which will eventually be included in VCS Program documents.

In December 2019, Verra launched a public consultation on key high-level concepts to advance VCS REDD+ project nesting and proposed updates to the JNR Requirements to better support jurisdictional REDD+ program development. The REDD+ nesting concepts under consideration would support projects in cases where a government reference level has been established under the UNFCCC or other GHG program (eg, JNR) and also where there is no government reference level. In January 2020, Verra released some Important Considerations Related to the Nesting of REDD+ Projects.

REDD+ project activities have proven to be highly effective at stopping deforestation and degradation, and along with direct community engagement and the establishment of clear carbon rights help to maximize a country’s climate and sustainable development outcomes in a robust and credible way. REDD+ project nesting would provide multiple benefits for projects as well as national governments, local communities and forests by:

1. Enabling projects to efficiently drive private sector finance to high-impact, on-the-ground mitigation that goes beyond what government policies and programs can tackle alone; this, in turn, will benefit and empower local communities to protect the high-threat forests they depend on.
2. Supporting the development and implementation of government-led REDD+ programs and helping countries to meet post-2020 commitments while enabling greater GHG mitigation ambitions;
3. Providing a pathway for projects to be transparently and robustly aligned with national REDD+ reference levels and other REDD+ program elements, which will allow these projects to be accepted much more readily into emerging market mechanisms (eg, CORSIA) and provide longer-term financing certainty.

JNR Documents

The following documents can be found on the Verified Carbon Standard Rules & Requirements page under “JNR Documents”:

• JNR Requirements
• JNR Validation and Verification Process
• JNR Registration and Issuance Process
• JNR Non-Permanence Risk Tool
• JNR Leakage Tool
• Program Design Guidance for JNR
• Technical Guidance for JNR Programs

Additional resources:

• Important Considerations Related to the Nesting of REDD+ Projects
• Options for Nesting REDD+ Projects / Español / Français / Português
• JNR/FCPF/UNFCCC Gap Assessment Report

 

JNR History

The Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) framework was released in October 2012.

The JNR framework was developed with input from committees of government, civil society and private sector leaders from 14 countries and six continents (see Advisory Committee on Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+). Verra thanks the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) for their generous support in the development of the JNR framework, and the Norwegian government for their support in piloting the JNR framework under the NICFI funding stream.