Press release
Article 6 guidance from VCMI and V20 must be corrected, says Article 6 Network
Review of the new Article 6 Senior Officials' Handbook flags 23 of its 112 pages. It finds seven serious errors on the Article 6 rules and eight sets of missing requirements, and calls for a revised edition built on the decisions of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.
· Article 6 Network
Nine days before the start of COP31, Article 6 Network today published Article 6 Guidance Must Start With the Rules . The policy commentary reviews the Article 6 Senior Officials' Handbook, which the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 (CVF-V20) Presidency and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) published on 14 October 2026.
The 112-page handbook is written for senior officials in the countries most exposed to climate change, many of which are setting up their Article 6 systems now. The Network checked every module against the decisions of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA), including the COP29 and COP30 outcomes.
The review credits the handbook with real strengths. It separates authorisation from project approval, puts overselling and headroom at the centre, and accurately documents country practice in Pakistan, Kenya, Brazil, Indonesia and Egypt. Where it sets out the Article 6 rules themselves, however, it often relies on the voluntary carbon market's terms and tools rather than the decisions Parties have adopted.