Last week experts from UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre and consortium partners from the Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation (SPAR6C) program met with close to 100 stakeholders and international agencies in Islamabad, Pakistan, introducing international carbon trading under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the overall SPAR6C plan.
The expert team from the SPAR6C project was also looking for stakeholder suggestions and new partnerships for cooperation, meeting with government agencies, provincial officials and scholars and private sector representatives.
The international team included representatives from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), UNEP Copenhagen Climate Center and the GFA Consulting Group.
Maximizing synergies on Article 6
In addition to supporting national mitigation planning and Article 6 policy making activities, the SPAR6C program will support the development of three to five Article 6 pilots in Pakistan and help the pilots secure funding for implementation.
The aim of the program has attracted great interest in Pakistan:
“Stakeholders are also very excited to be part of the project. Many private sector stakeholders have shown interest in extending the consultation further,” says Dr Saima Shafique, Climate Change Director from the Ministry of Climate Change.
The international expert team also met with the climate change and energy officers from multiple donor agencies, including UNDP, the World Bank, USAID, EU, Danish Embassy, and KfW, to understand their existing efforts on climate change and clean energy and maximize the synergies of SPAR6C activities with other donor supports.
Readiness for carbon trading
The meetings and discussions during the mission provide valuable inputs for the national needs and readiness assessment, as well as for more detailed planning of Article 6 activities in Pakistan under the SPAR6C program and prepare for the official launch of the program in Islamabad in early 2023.
SPAR6C is a 5-year program funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
The program supports enhanced readiness for Article 6 carbon trading in Colombia, Pakistan, Thailand, and Zambia and facilitates global knowledge generation, sharing, and application to further develop the international carbon market.
SPAR6C international technical partners include the Global Green Growth Institute, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, GFA Consulting Group, KPC, and Carbon Limits.
