Cooperative approaches
The Article 6.2 route — bilateral, authorized by Malawi, and recorded on the national registry.
Under Article 6.2, Malawi cooperates directly with a partner country. The two set their own rules within the Paris Agreement’s guidance, and Malawi authorizes mitigation outcomes for transfer towards the partner’s climate target or for other international mitigation purposes.
The Environmental Affairs Department administers this cycle as Malawi’s Designated National Authority. What follows is the full pathway.
The Article 6.2 activity cycle
How a mitigation activity moves from registration to authorized transfer under a cooperative approach. The Environmental Affairs Department administers the cycle as Malawi’s Designated National Authority.
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01
Register as a Mitigation Activity Participant
Participant-ledActivity participantAny legally constituted entity — a company, public body, state-owned enterprise or NGO — requests registration on the Malawi Carbon Registry System using Template A. Individuals not representing a legal entity cannot participate.
Produces- Template A — registration form
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02
Registration review and MAP-ID assignment
5–10 business daysEnvironmental Affairs DepartmentThe Department reviews the submitted documentation. If it is complete, it opens an account on the registry and assigns a Mitigation Activity Participant Identification Number.
Produces- Registry account
- MAP-ID
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03
Submit a Mitigation Activity Idea Note
Participant-ledActivity participantThe participant prepares a Mitigation Activity Idea Note using Template B, against the assessment criteria published as the MAIN Evaluation Tool. The activity must fall within Malawi’s eligible NDC sectors and avoid the negative list.
Produces- Template B — Mitigation Activity Idea Note
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04
Idea note review and no-objection decision
10–20 business daysEnvironmental Affairs DepartmentThe Department checks the note for completeness and assesses the activity against the eligibility criteria. Where it qualifies, a Letter of No Objection is issued. A no-objection is not an authorization.
Produces- Template C — Letter of No Objection
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05
Develop the Mitigation Activity Design Document
Depends on the activityActivity participantOn receiving a no-objection, the participant prepares the full design document using Template E — baseline, monitoring plan, sustainable development assessment and stakeholder consultation — against the MADD Evaluation Tool.
Produces- Template E — Mitigation Activity Design Document
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06
Independent validation
Depends on the activity and the bodyValidation and verification bodyAn accredited validation and verification body examines the design document for completeness and accuracy, and issues a validation report.
Produces- Validation report
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07
Request authorization and pay the administrative fee
Participant-ledActivity participantWith a positive validation report in hand, the participant requests authorization and registration using Template F, and pays the Article 6.2 administrative fee of USD 10,000. Review does not begin until the payment is received.
Produces- Template F — request for authorization
- Proof of fee payment
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08
Authorization and registration
20–30 business days to review, then 5–10 to issueEnvironmental Affairs Department, with the Mitigation Expert Working GroupThe Department and the Mitigation Expert Working Group review the design document and validation report against the Validation Checklist. Where they are satisfied, a Letter of Authorization is issued and the activity is registered with a unique identifier.
Produces- Template H — Article 6.2 Letter of Authorization
- MA-ID and registry entry
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09
Initial report to the UNFCCC
Following authorizationEnvironmental Affairs DepartmentAuthorization triggers Malawi’s own reporting obligation. The Department prepares and publishes an Article 6.2 Initial Report to the UNFCCC.
Produces- Template J — Article 6.2 Initial Report
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10
Monitor and report
Per monitoring periodActivity participantThe participant implements the activity and monitors it against the validated monitoring plan, producing a monitoring report for each period using Template K.
Produces- Template K — monitoring report
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11
Independent verification
Depends on the activity and the bodyValidation and verification bodyAn accredited body verifies each monitoring report for accuracy and consistency with the validated design document, and issues a verification report.
Produces- Verification report
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12
Positive examination and issuance pre-approval
20–30 business daysEnvironmental Affairs DepartmentThe participant requests examination of the verification report using Template L. The Department reviews it against the Verification Checklist and, if satisfied, issues a Positive Examination together with pre-approval to issue.
Produces- Template M — Positive Examination
- Issuance pre-approval
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13
Request issuance and pay the issuance fee
Up to 15 business days after the requestActivity participantThe participant requests issuance using Template N and pays the issuance fee, which is charged per mitigation outcome and rises with the scale of the activity.
Produces- Template N — issuance request
- Proof of fee payment
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14
Issuance of mitigation outcomes
5–10 business daysEnvironmental Affairs DepartmentOn receipt of payment the Department issues the pre-approved mitigation outcomes into the participant’s registry account, where each unit is assigned a unique identifier.
Produces- Serialised mitigation outcomes
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15
Buffer retention and transfer
5–10 business daysEnvironmental Affairs DepartmentThe participant requests transfer to the acquiring Party. The Department first retains the buffer percentage set in the Letter of Authorization into Malawi’s National Buffer Account, then transfers the remainder.
Produces- Units retained to the National Buffer Account
- Transfer to the acquiring Party
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16
Corresponding adjustment and reporting
OngoingEnvironmental Affairs DepartmentMalawi applies a corresponding adjustment for every transferred unit, so the tonne is counted once, and reports on all authorized activities to the UNFCCC through annual and regular information reports.
Produces- Corresponding adjustment applied
- Templates O and P — information reports
The durations are the Framework’s own estimates of the Government’s response times, and are subject to change depending on departmental capacity and workload. Steps marked as participant-led have no published clock: how long they take is a matter for the developer and, where relevant, the validation body.
What the Government undertakes to do, and by when.
Totals cover the Government’s share of each stage only. Time spent preparing documents or awaiting validation sits outside them.
| Stage | Government response | Stage total |
|---|---|---|
| Participant registration | 5–10 business days | 1–2 weeks |
| Idea note review and no-objection | 10–20 business days | 2–4 weeks |
| Design document development and validation | No government role | — |
| Authorization and registration | 20–30, then 5–10 business days | 5–8 weeks |
| Monitoring, reporting and verification | No government role | — |
| Positive examination and issuance pre-approval | 20–30 business days | 4–6 weeks |
| Issuance of mitigation outcomes | 5–10 business days | 1–2 weeks |
| Buffer retention and transfer | 5–10 business days | 1–2 weeks |
What makes Malawi eligible to cooperate.
The conditions under Decision 2/CMA.3 that Malawi has satisfied, and which any cooperative approach rests on.
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01
A Party to the Paris Agreement
Ratified on 29 June 2017.
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02
A Nationally Determined Contribution on the UNFCCC registry
Malawi’s updated NDC was submitted in July 2021 and is maintained under Article 4.12.
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03
Mitigation outcomes measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent
Malawi adopts an absolute single-year target and calculates average annual transfers across the NDC period.
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04
A current National Inventory Report
Most recently published to the UNFCCC in 2021, and maintained under Decision 18/CMA.1.
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05
National arrangements for authorization, tracking and reporting
Established by this Framework — including the registry, the corresponding adjustment and the reporting cycle.
Set out in full in the Article 6 Framework, section 3.1.
Questions about the 6.2 route.
Eligibility
Any legally constituted entity: a national or international private company, a public entity, a state-owned enterprise, or a non-governmental organisation. Individuals not representing a legally established entity are expressly excluded.
Authorization
No. A Letter of No Objection confirms the idea note passed initial screening and the activity appears eligible. Authorization comes much later, after the design document has been validated by an accredited body and reviewed by the Department. The Framework is explicit that a no-objection does not constitute an authorization.
The Framework provides for enforcement, appeals, non-compliance and penalties. Where a participant disputes a decision or action of the Department, the Ministry may designate an independent body to adjudicate.
Fees
After you submit the request for authorization and registration. The Department does not begin reviewing the design document and validation report until the payment is received, so a delayed payment delays the review.
A percentage set out in your Letter of Authorization, which funds Malawi’s National Buffer Account. It runs from 1% for micro-scale activities to 5% for large-scale ones. Retained units cannot be re-issued or re-sold, and are never transferred to an acquiring Party.
Ready to start the cycle?
Registration is the first step and the shortest. Check your activity against the eligibility criteria before you begin.