On 5 March 2026, at a World Bank hosted conference in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, the six countries of the Congo Basin – Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo – signed a joint declaration establishing the “Congo Basin Carbon Market and Climate Finance Roadmap”. The Congo Basin is the world’s second largest tropical rainforest (about 200 million hectares) after the Amazon, storing an estimated 30 billion tonnes of carbon.

The roadmap has four pillars:

1. A regional carbon credit registry to prevent double counting and provide transparent tracking of credit issuance, transfer and retirement. The registry will use blockchain technology and will be interoperable with international registries (Verra, Gold Standard, ACR).

2. A harmonised REDD+ methodology tailored to Congo Basin conditions, including safeguards for indigenous peoples and biodiversity. The methodology will be submitted to ICVCM for Core Carbon Principles approval.

3. A benefit sharing framework that allocates a minimum of 40% of carbon credit revenues to local communities and another 15% to forest conservation patrols and monitoring. The framework was developed with input from the Network of Indigenous and Local Communities of the Congo Basin.

4. An investment facility initially capitalised at USD 100 million (from World Bank, Green Climate Fund, and bilateral donors) to provide upfront finance for carbon project development, reducing the need for speculative private investors.

The DRC’s Minister of Environment noted that the Congo Basin countries have the potential to issue 200 300 million carbon credits per year, representing USD 2 4 billion in annual climate finance at current prices. However, she stressed that “carbon markets are not a license to pollute; they are a bridge to a low carbon economy. The rainforest will be protected regardless of credit prices – but credits can make that protection financially sustainable.”

The roadmap also includes a “no go zones” agreement, designating 30% of the basin’s primary forest as off limits to any carbon credit project – these areas will be protected solely through public funding. Implementation will take effect in January 2027 after national legislations are harmonised.