Guidance for Implementing National Voluntary Carbon Footprint Programmes in Latin America

This document presents for the first time an analysis of how National Voluntary Carbon Footprint Programmes (NVCFPs) should be implemented to contribute to the achievement of the mitigation objectives of the Paris Agreement.

The document, aimed at government actors, is organized into four chapters: Chapter 1 describes the experiences of the NVCFPs supported by UNDP in Chile, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru; Chapter 2 describes the advantages to government and the private sector of applying these programmes; Chapter 3 establishes a roadmap for the implementation of this type of programmes; finally, Chapter 4 offers an analysis of complementary elements that contribute to the improvement of an NVCFP, including lessons learned from the countries analyzed, how to manage "greenwashing", how to consider other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how to link them with carbon markets.

These efforts become increasingly relevant as countries are developing strategies for carbon neutrality, which is impossible without massive participation from all sectors of society. This guidance hopes to provide a point of comparison to continuously improve existing platforms, accelerate development processes, and stimulate new platforms in this decade of decisive action on climate change.