Issued by the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, this guideline regulates the decision-making process for private mitigation activity development in Zambia. It is the first, in a series of guidelines, seeking to operationalize Zambia's participation in international carbon markets, under the provisions of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (specifically under Articles 6.2 and 6.4). It builds on the "Interim Guidelines for Handling of Carbon Markets and Trading Zambia", published in 2022.
This document outlines the criteria for assessing A6 and non-A6 (voluntary) mitigation activities. It is specifically concerned with environmental integrity, sustainable development, and ambition raising criteria. It further describes the rules and obligations of all parties involved in developing mitigation activities under A6. Lastly, it creates a national registry to register mitigation outcomes from authorized mitigation activities.
Zambia’s Carbon Market Framework, published in 2025, outlines the institutional arrangements, evaluation criteria, share of proceeds and fees, and the functions of the national carbon registry.
Institutional arrangements
Implementtion of the framework is coordinated by the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE) through its A6 Secretariat, supported by the Technical Subcommittee on Climate Change (TSCCC) and the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).
Approval process:
Activity proponents (APs) may submit a Mitigation Activity Information Note (MAIN) to the A6 Secretariat to request a Letter of No Objection (LNO). Formal approval and authorisation (LOAA) require submission of a Mitigation Activity Design Document (MADD) with a positive validation by a registered DOE.
ITMO issuance:
Issuance requests must include a monitoring report and verification report. The A6 Secretariat reviews submissions and TSCCC makes recommendations. Based on this, the A6 Secretariat issues LNOs/LOAAs and authorises ITMO transfers.
Registry:
ZEMA operates the national registry, manages activity and emissions data, and handles ITMO issuance, transfer, and cancellation. ZEMA provides regular updates to the TSCCC and supports UNFCCC reporting via the A6 Secretariat.
Additional roles: The TSCCC provides policy recommendations and updates to the carbon market framework, while the A6 Secretariat also maintains a national roster of validation and verification experts.
Evaluation criteria for A6 mitigation activities
Zambia’s assessment process for Article 6 mitigation activities includes two key stages: a concept phase (MAIN) and a full design phase (MADD). These are used to inform decisions on issuance of a Letter of No Objection (LNO) and a Letter of Approval and Authorisation (LOAA).
Assessment process
- At the MAIN stage, proponents must demonstrate alignment with Zambia’s climate goals and provide early evidence on sustainability and transformational potential.
- At the MADD stage, a detailed assessment is carried out following external validation, including baseline alignment with NDCs, demonstration of additionality, risk management, and sustainable development impacts.
Criteria
- 16 mandatory indicators, covering environmental integrity (e.g. baseline alignment, additionality, non-permanence, leakage), sustainable development (e.g. SDG contributions, EIA, benefit-sharing), and transformational change.
- Some indicators (e.g. carbon price estimation) are informational only; others must be fulfilled to receive a LNO/LOAA.
Fees, Share of Proceeds OMGE
Administrative Fees:
- Fee levels (in Zambian Kwacha) will be published in a future statutory instrument and may be adjusted annually for inflation.
- There will be MAIN assessment fee and MADD assessment fee, payable upon submission.
Share of Proceeds (SOP):
- SOPs apply to Article 6.2 transactions and voluntary projects requesting a Corresponding Adjustment (CA).
- SOP is paid per mitigation outcome at different price tiers depending on the volume of issued.
- SOPs are paid before ITMO issuance by ZEMA and collected in monetary form.
Article 6.4 projects and purely voluntary credits without CA are exempt from SOPs.
OMGE (Overall Mitigation in Global Emissions):
- Zambia requires cancellation of 2% of issued MOs (with CA) into the UNFCCC OMGE cancellation account.
- A higher OMGE rate may be negotiated bilaterally with acquiring parties.
National carbon registry
- ZEMA will manage the national carbon registry, which will track all mitigation activities under Article 6.2, Article 6.4, and the VCM, including those with and without Corresponding Adjustments.
- The registry enables the registration, issuance, tracking, cancellation, and reporting of Mitigation Outcomes (MOs) and ITMOs.
Information for Designated Operational Entities (DOEs)/Verification and Validation Bodies (VVBs)
Zambia allows UNFCCC-accredited DOEs, as well as validation and verification bodies under an independent internationalcarbon standard (e.g. the Verified Carbon Standard and/or Gold Standard) or VVBs accredited by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment for “projects and programmes for emission reductions abroad”.
