The regulation outlines the procedures for the functioning of the National Mandatory Registry of Programs and/or Projects (RENAPP), aimed at reducing emissions or increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) removals, in alignment with international commitments.
Institutional Roles and Responsibilities
Ministry of Environment and Water [Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Agua (MMAyA)]: Through the Directorate General for Mitigation and Adaptation of Climate Change [Dirección General de Medio Ambiente y Cambios Climáticos (DGMACC)] oversees the RENAPP, ensuring the implementation of related processes and responsibilities, which are as follows:
- Approve GHG emission reduction/removal methodologies and certification standards.
- Register programs/projects for GHG reductions/removals, including carbon markets.
- Include Bolivia’s NDC mitigation measures and related emission reductions [Unidades de Reducción de Emisiones o Incremento de Remociones de Gases de Efecto Invernadero (UREs)].
- Integrate monitoring data from registered programs/projects.
- Authorise international URE transfers in line with international standards.
- Accredit validation/verification entities for compliance.
- Support national GHG balances and UNFCCC reporting.
- Approve mitigation measure design, monitoring, and methodology.
- Provide technical assistance and seek funding for RENAPP operations.
Other Institutional Participants
- Participating entities: Individuals or organizations (public or private, national or international) that initiate the registration process for mitigation programs/projects.
- Sectoral priority entities: Ministries that head sectors are responsible for the technical criteria related to program/project registration.
- Ministry of Economy and Public Finance: Approves international treaties related to carbon markets as per Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Registration and Certifcation Process
- Registration Process: The RENAPP requires the registration of programs and projects that contribute to GHG reductions or removals.
- Monitoring and Reporting: Ongoing monitoring of the registered programs is essential to provide transparent, reliable information on their progress. This data will be integrated into Bolivia’s national GHG inventory and reported under the UNFCCC guidelines.
Categories of Mitigation Measures
- NDC-aligned measures: Actions designed by competent sector authorities aimed at reducing emissions or increasing removals, aligned with the NDC.
- Mitigation measures:
• Cooperative approaches and other compliance markets: Measures implemented in cooperation with other countries or entities under international agreements, generating tradable URE.
• Voluntary Measures: Measures targeting emission reductions or removals for use in voluntary carbon markets, potentially contributing to the NDC but not necessarily.
Certification Standards and Methodologies
- Certification procedures:
• Recognition of external certification standards: DGMACC can recognise certification standards that issue certificates for emission reductions or removals, provided they meet specified criteria.
• Application process: Any individual or entity can apply to DGMACC for recognition, and DGMACC will review and provide a decision within set timeframes.
• Validity: Recognition is valid for 10 years, after which the applicant can reapply.
- Requirements for certification standards:
• Information for recognition: Includes details such as the applicant’s name, legal representative, and registration mechanisms for URE.
• Main business focus: The certification standard should focus on operating a registry for voluntary or regulatory programs that contribute to GHG reductions and removals.
• Transparency: Standards must ensure clear traceability and prevent double counting of emission reduction certificates.
Methodologies
- Approval process: The DGMACC may approve methodologies aligned with recognised Certification Standards for calculating emission reductions or GHG removal increases.
- Key Criteria for methodology approval:
• Additionality: The methodology must demonstrate additionality of emissions reductions/removals per the regulations.
• Data alignment: Must align with the National GHG Inventory System and include relevant parameters, considering carbon leakage, policies, and social, environmental, and economic circumstances at local, regional, and national levels.
• Baseline methodology: Should incorporate publicly available data supporting assumptions
• Compatibility with National Reference Emission Levels (NRE): Must be compatible with Bolivia’s existing NRE across sectors such as industry, energy, waste, and forestry.
• REDD+ safeguards: Methodologies must comply with REDD+ safeguards and Bolivia’s corresponding regulations.
- Publication of methodologies: Approved methodologies will be listed on the MMAyA website.
Registration procedure
- General criteria
• Any participating entity must register in the RENAPP.
• Each entity can register only one account in the RENAPP and must designate a primary account representative.
• The DGMACC will approve the entity registration within 30 working days after submission of complete information.
- Requirements for the registration of participating entities in RENAPP
• Required information: Entity name, contact details, legal constitution details, directors and decision-makers. Commercial number (if assigned) and tax identification number.
• Foreign entities: Must have a branch or permanent representation in Bolivia or partner with a local institution.
• Legal representation: Non-individual entities must designate a primary or alternate account representative residing in Bolivia.
• Declaration: A sworn declaration from the primary account representative is required.
- Requirements for the registration of users in RENAPP
• User Registration: Individuals acting as representatives for participating entities must submit: Personal identification information and relevant documents. Proof of the relationship with the entity and, if applicable, the entity’s legal representative accreditation.
• Exclusions: Individuals with criminal records are not eligible for registration.
• Approval: The DGMACC will approve user registration within 30 working days of receiving complete information.
Recognition of Validation and Verification Bodies (VVB)
- Accreditation: The DGMACC may recognise VVBs accredited by recognised Certification Standards.
- Validation and Verification Services: VVBs provide external evaluations of the Design Document for Mitigation Measures (DDMM) and periodic evaluations of monitoring reports, ensuring compliance with REDD+ safeguards and other relevant standards.
- Public List: The DGMACC maintains and publicly shares a list of recognized VVBs.
Mitigation Measure Owners
- Program/Project ownership: designated participating entity is responsible for managing the project and its registration.
- The Entity is accountable for:
• Requesting authorization and registering the mitigation activity.
• Reporting the start of the activity to the DGMACC.
• Hiring and overseeing the performance of the VVB.
• Requesting international transfer of URE for cooperative approaches.
Administrative Procedures for Registration
• The participating entity submits a request for the registration of mitigation programs and projects, providing the necessary documentation for evaluation.
• The DGMACC evaluates the application for admissibility within 10 working days.
• If the application is deemed acceptable, the DGMACC has 30 working days to make a decision, with the possibility for the entity to address any observations within 10 working days.
• The DGMACC generated a final report, indicating whether it approves or rejects the participating entity’s registration in the RENAPP.
• The validity of registration is based on the credit period requested.
Requirements for Registration and Enrollment of Mitigation Measures in RENAPP
- Documentation needed for registration:
• Completed registration application
• Environmental license (if applicable).
• Documented methodology for calculating emission reductions or removals.
• Proof of validation of the methodology by an VVB.
• Evidence of community consent for projects in indigenous or campesino communities.
• Proof of payment for the administrative procedure.
- Registration application should include:
• Name of the individual or legal entity presenting as the holder of the mitigation activity.
• Name of the legal representative or proxy, if applicable.
• Identification document number.
• Registration number where the legal representation is recorded, if applicable.
• Contact details (legal address, email, and phone number).
• Name of the program and/or project, and the corresponding carbon mitigation measure under cooperative approaches or voluntary carbon market.
• For measures under cooperative approaches, the name of the international agreement Bolivia has signed under Paragraph 2 of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
• For voluntary carbon market measures, the mitigation measure ID number granted by the certification standard.
- Additional documentation for REDD+ projects:
• Georeferenced project area.
• Prevention and Mitigation Program and the Environmental Implementation and Monitoring Plan and its approved administrative act.
• Compliance with REDD+ safeguards.
Modification of the Mitigation Measures Registration in RENAPP
- Communication of modifications: Any changes to a registered program/project in RENAPP must be communicated by the program/project holder to the DGMACC within 30 business days of the modification.
- Modification Request: The program/project holder must submit a modification request to DGMACC, including:
• The validated DDMM by an VVB.
• Documents supporting the modification request, including calculation of emission reductions or removals.
• Validation report of the modified DDMM issued by an VVB.
• Documentation showing approval from all stakeholders involved in the program/project.
- Evaluation by DGMACC:
• DGMACC will evaluate whether the proposed changes affect initially assessed criteria.
• The procedure follows the same process as new registrations, with observation and correction periods.
- Approval and Legal Effect:
• The modification will take effect upon formal notification of approval by DGMACC, within 10 business days from a favorable resolution.
• RENAPP registration will be updated immediately to reflect authorised changes.
URE Generation from Mitigation Measures
- Procedure for URE registration:
• Participants' request: Entities may request the registration of UREs generated from the mitigation measures of their registered programs/projects in RENAPP. These UREs must correspond to certified emission reduction or absorption certificates recognized by DGMACC.
• DGMACC evaluation: DGMACC will evaluate the registration request within 30 business days of receiving a complete request. If there are observations, the entity will have 10 business days to correct them.
• Results notification: DGMACC will notify the entity and the Certification Standard of the results, including the amount of UREs to be registered.
• Certification standard's role: Before UREs can be registered, the Certification Standard must notify DGMACC that the emission reduction or absorption certificates have been canceled or withdrawn. This cancellation or withdrawal must be published on the Certification Standard’s website.
• URE registration: DGMACC will register UREs in RENAPP within 5 business days after receiving confirmation of certificate cancellation or withdrawal from the Certification Standard. Each URE will be assigned a unique serial number and can be traced from issuance to cancellation or withdrawal.
• Eligibility for registration: Only UREs generated within the relevant credit period (annually) can be registered. The registration acknowledges the entity's ownership of the UREs but does not grant ownership of natural resources in Bolivia, if affected by the mitigation measures.
Requirements for URE Registration in RENAPP
- Entities must submit documentation demonstrating monitoring and verification by an VVB.
- Additional documentation is required for REDD+ programs to ensure safeguards compliance.
Suspension of RENAPP Registration
- Grounds for suspension:
• Discretion of authorities: As per competent authorities' instructions.
• Entity’s request: Upon the request of the entity.
• Errors in monitoring reports: If monitoring reports overestimate reductions or removals by more than 5%.
• Non-compliance with Laws: If the program/project fails to comply with applicable environmental, health, or safety laws.
• Double Counting of UREs: If UREs have been issued under another voluntary or mandatory program for the same period and program.
- Effect of Suspension:
• During suspension, UREs cannot be registered or used.
• Suspension does not affect the credit period.
- Suspension in Carbon Markets:
• If UREs are suspended for carbon market use under cooperative or compliance frameworks, Bolivia’s international agreements under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement will apply.
Revocation of RENAPP Registration
- Grounds for revocation:
• If the suspension results from certain grounds (e.g., authorities' orders), UREs cannot be registered or used.
• If revocation results from an entity’s request, UREs generated before the revocation can be registered for the relevant credit period.
- Notification of revocation: DGMACC will notify the external certification program of the revocation for appropriate actions to be taken.
