GLA Shaping better Carbon Standards
Estimates show that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities customarily hold and manage least half of the world's land. Land tenure security underpins Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ ability to make decisions, adapt and sustainably manage natural resources and is today considered pivotal in the fight against climate change. Paradoxically, IPs and LCs land rights have come under increased threat through the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM).GLA believes it is crucial to collectively advance thinking, dialogue, and action on the role of land rights and tenure security to make the VCM, and other nature-based markets equitable, efficient and sustainable.
GLA has articulated key considerations and actions for securing Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ land tenure in the voluntary carbon market, and has been working to advance this among relevant stakeholders.
In December 2025, Verra, a certifier of voluntary carbon offsets, launched a new version of its Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program, with enhanced social and environmental safeguards. . The new version, VCS 5.0 was developed in consultation with experts, governments, and civil society, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Namati, and Global Land Alliance (GLA), who provided direct and specific recommendations..
"VCS Version 5.0 marks an important advancement for community rights in carbon markets with clearer terms and definitions, and stronger requirements to protect FPIC as well as carbon and land rights, such as a mandatory land and natural resources rights analysis for projects likely to affect these rights. It is encouraging to see this movement in the voluntary carbon market, and we hope that efforts will continue across nature-based markets to protect rights and support community-led climate action." -Gabriela Rodrigues Eklund, Technical Director, GLA
The updates include, among many other changes:
Updates to terminology, definitions and requirements that relate to land and natural resources rights and carbon credits rights
Updates related to stakeholder engagement and safeguards requirements
Updates to financial transparency and benefit-sharing requirements
GLA shared recommendations with Verra for this VCS update as part of our commitment to advancing land rights, land governance and social and environmental justice.
Based on GLA’s strengths, e.g. our technical expertise and convening experience, we are well positioned and committed to directly engaging with nature-based markets at a technical level to effectively ensure the recognition of land rights of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and Afro-descendent Peoples and other groups are understood, respected, and supported by the different types of stakeholders involved in the VCM.
GLA encourages the development of creative and just mechanisms for climate action - always putting communities at the core as shapers, leaders, and fundamental partners.