Complaint: Verra’s non-compliance with ICVCM grievance mechanism rules

Carbon Market Watch has filed a complaint with the ICVCM, asserting that Verra violated the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) Assessment Framework by failing to ensure impartiality during its review of human rights allegations made by Human Rights Watch. The complaint highlights that Verra relied on the project implementer and the same validation/verification bodies that had previously approved the project, creating inherent conflicts of interest. Carbon Market Watch calls on the ICVCM to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of Verra's grievance mechanism and to implement a broader process for assessing program compliance beyond written commitments.

• Carbon Market Watch alleges that Verra violated ICVCM Assessment Framework Criterion 1.2 by failing to ensure that its process for addressing grievances was impartial during the review of the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project in Cambodia.
• The review process conducted by Verra lacked impartiality because it relied on parties with inherent conflicts of interest: the project implementer, Wildlife Alliance, and three Validation/Verification Bodies (SCS Global Services, Aster Global, and Aenor) that had previously provided services for the project.
• Verra itself is identified as a non-impartial party due to the reputational and financial risks it faces if it were to confirm human rights infringements in a project it previously approved and for which it issued millions of credits.
• Carbon Market Watch requests that the ICVCM evaluate the actual effectiveness of Verra's grievance mechanism and establish a general process for assessing program compliance, such as random spot-checks, to avoid relying solely on written commitments.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (n.d.). Complaint: Verra’s non-compliance with ICVCM grievance mechanism rules. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ICVCM-Complaint-submitted-by-Carbon-Market-Watch.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Complaint: Verra’s non-compliance with ICVCM grievance mechanism rules. n.d. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ICVCM-Complaint-submitted-by-Carbon-Market-Watch.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Complaint: Verra’s non-compliance with ICVCM grievance mechanism rules |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ICVCM-Complaint-submitted-by-Carbon-Market-Watch.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatchndcomplaint, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Complaint: Verra’s non-compliance with ICVCM grievance mechanism rules}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ICVCM-Complaint-submitted-by-Carbon-Market-Watch.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }