Kazakhstan strengthens its carbon market with GCC deal

The Global Carbon Council (GCC), a Qatar-based carbon standard, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Qazaq VCM Alliance to develop carbon market infrastructure in Kazakhstan and support the country's implementation of Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.

The two partners announced the agreement on 24 August 2026. Under the MoU, they will explore how to work together on carbon market infrastructure and on Article 6 implementation across the Central Asian country. A central element is the potential adoption of GCC's carbon market infrastructure and Interoperable National Registry Solution in Kazakhstan, which would support the operationalisation of Article 6.2.

GCC and the Qazaq VCM Alliance will also work with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources to identify potential Article 6.2 project activities, starting with renewable energy projects.

Under the agreement, GCC will support capacity-building workshops and training. These cover GCC standards, regulatory requirements, project development cycles, registration and issuance processes, registry infrastructure, and methodology development.

Read more: Kazakhstan's Article 6 rules put forestry centre stage

The partnership follows a series of recent steps by Kazakhstan to enter international carbon markets. The country established its legal framework for Article 6 through amendments to its environmental regulation, and it has since published its first detailed operating manual for cooperative approaches. Both measures support Kazakhstan's efforts to meet its nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.

For Kazakhstan, the priority is to build a voluntary carbon market that is practical, trusted and responsive to the needs of local stakeholders. [The partnership] will help strengthen technical capacity, support the development of registry and digital market infrastructure, and create clearer pathways for high-integrity projects to participate in both domestic and international carbon markets.

Alim Sailybaev
Acting Chairman of the Qazaq VCM Alliance

Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of the Global Carbon Council, said the partnership will strengthen “capacity for voluntary and Article 6.2 carbon market implementation and help Kazakhstan receive more carbon finance to achieve its NDC objectives.”

The agreement adds to a growing set of Article 6 partnerships as more nations build the infrastructure to issue and transfer carbon credits internationally. At this stage, the standards and registries a jurisdiction adopts will shape which projects qualify and which credits hold their value.

Read more: Kazakhstan saxaul pilot points the way to scale-up

As Article 6 markets open across new jurisdictions, the standards applied to carbon credit development become the measure of a project's value. Green Earth develops large-scale nature-based carbon projects accredited to leading international standards, with full supply-chain oversight from design and implementation through to long-term monitoring and credit issuance. In Kazakhstan, the Greening of the Dried Aral Sea Project is restoring the dried banks of the Aral Sea through saxaul planting, delivering verified impact across ecosystems, communities, and biodiversity. As Kazakhstan sets the rules of participation, Green Earth's work on the ground is already built to meet them.