Kazakhstan is taking another important step toward developing the infrastructure of its voluntary carbon market. This was announced during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Global Carbon Council (GCC, State of Qatar) and the Qazaq VCM Alliance (Kazakhstan), aimed at strengthening cooperation in the development of the voluntary carbon market (VCM) and the implementation of Article 6 mechanisms under the Paris Agreement.

The document was signed by Alimzhan Sailybayev, Acting Chairman of the Qazaq VCM Alliance, and Dr. Yousef Bin Mohamed Alhorr, Founding Chairman of the Global Carbon Council. The management of the NJSC “International Green Technologies and Investment Projects Center” (IGTIC) participated in the ceremony as a witnessing organization.

The agreement provides for practical cooperation between the parties, including professional training, the development of national expertise in carbon markets, and the creation of conditions for launching pilot projects in Kazakhstan.

As part of the agreement, GCC expressed its readiness to train Kazakhstani specialists in the use of the Carbon Market Infrastructure (CMI) system and GCC standards. A separate area of cooperation will focus on training Kazakh validation and verification bodies, with a view to their subsequent accreditation under the GCC program.

The parties also plan to provide training for Kazakhstani government officials on the voluntary carbon market, Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and emissions trading systems.

One of the practical outcomes of the cooperation could be the introduction of the CMI carbon project management system to the Kazakh carbon market as an independent carbon registry.

The parties also expressed their intention to move to the next stage — the launch of pilot voluntary carbon market projects in Kazakhstan.

The signing of the Memorandum continues the country’s consistent efforts to establish the institutional infrastructure of the voluntary carbon market. Earlier in 2026, the Qazaq VCM Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Under the agreement, the Association was designated as the Ministry’s partner in developing the voluntary carbon market in Kazakhstan.

IGTIC participated in the ceremony as a witnessing organization and confirmed its readiness for further dialogue with GCC and the Qazaq VCM Alliance on capacity building and practical cooperation, including potential participation in VCM pilot projects. The specific terms, mechanisms, and format of further cooperation will be determined by the parties at subsequent stages.