The first national call for mitigation activity idea notes is open. Submissions close at the end of the quarter.
Read the noticeHow Malawi’s carbon market works.
Malawi participates in international carbon markets through two routes: cooperative approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and the voluntary carbon market. Both are coordinated by the Carbon Market Office, and both are recorded on one national ledger.
Three routes to market.
Which route an activity takes determines who authorizes it, whether a corresponding adjustment applies, and where the units end up.
Cooperative approaches
Bilateral agreements between Malawi and a partner country. Mitigation outcomes are authorized for international transfer, and Malawi applies a corresponding adjustment so the tonne is not counted twice.
- Authorized by the Environmental Affairs Department
- Corresponding adjustment always applies
- Units transfer to the partner country’s account
The Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism
The centralised UN mechanism. Activities are registered internationally under methodologies approved by the Supervisory Body, with the host country confirming the activity supports its own sustainable development.
- Registered under the UNFCCC
- Host-country approval required
- Corresponding adjustment where units are authorized for use towards another NDC
The voluntary carbon market
Activities certified under independent standards and bought by companies for their own climate claims. Malawi requires these to be registered with the Office so the national accounts remain complete.
- Certified under an independent standard
- No corresponding adjustment unless authorized
- Still recorded on the national ledger
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.
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
No unit is issued until the Authority has authorized the activity. Authorization is a sovereign decision, and every corresponding adjustment is published on a tamper-evident ledger.
What you need in hand.
The Office returns incomplete submissions rather than holding them, so it is worth checking this list first.
-
01
A verified participant account on the registry
Including your organisation’s certificate of incorporation and tax clearance.
-
02
An approved methodology for your technology scope
Either an Article 6.4 methodology or one recognised under the national framework.
-
03
Evidence of free, prior and informed consent
Where the activity affects customary land or community resources.
-
04
A benefit-sharing plan meeting the national floor
Setting out what flows to host districts and households, and on what schedule.
-
05
A letter of support from the host district council Optional
Not mandatory, but activities carrying one move through screening faster.
Requirements are set out in full in the Malawi Carbon Market Framework v1.0.
Questions the Office is asked.
If your question is not here, write to us — the answer may join the list.
The basics
When Malawi authorizes a tonne of mitigation to be used by another country towards its climate target, Malawi adds that tonne back to its own emissions account. The tonne is counted once, by whoever bought it — not twice.
No. The Office authorizes activities, keeps the national accounts and operates the registry. Transactions are between developers and buyers.
Applying
Screening is 15 working days, technical examination 30, and the authorization decision 20 — so roughly three months of Office time once a complete design document is submitted. Preparing that document is usually the longer part, and sits with the developer.
Yes, provided it meets the national eligibility criteria and the corresponding-adjustment implications are accepted by all parties. Register it with the Office first so it appears on the national ledger.
Communities
The framework sets a benefit-sharing floor. The plan is assessed during examination, and adherence is monitored across the crediting period — a failure to deliver is grounds for suspending authorization.
Anyone affected by it. The Office operates a grievance channel independent of the developer, and every registered activity must publish how to reach it.
Terms used on this site.
Carbon markets run on jargon. These are the terms you will meet most often.
A
- Additionality
- The test of whether the mitigation would have happened anyway. An activity is additional only if the carbon revenue is what makes it viable.
B
- Buffer pool
- A share of issued units withheld as insurance against reversal — a forest that later burns, for instance. The buffer covers the loss so the market does not.
C
- Corresponding adjustment(CA)
- The accounting entry by which the host country adds an authorized tonne back to its own emissions total, so it is counted once rather than twice.
- See also — Internationally transferred mitigation outcome
I
- Internationally transferred mitigation outcome(ITMO)
- A mitigation outcome authorized by the host country for transfer to another country under a cooperative approach.
- See also — Corresponding adjustment
L
- Letter of Authorization(LoA)
- The instrument by which the Authority authorizes an activity and commits Malawi to the corresponding adjustment. Without it, no unit is issued.
N
- Nationally determined contribution(NDC)
- Malawi’s stated climate target under the Paris Agreement. Activities are assessed for whether they support it.
R
- Retirement
- Permanently cancelling a unit so it can never be transferred again — the point at which a climate claim is actually made.
V
- Validation and verification body(VVB)
- An accredited independent auditor that validates an activity’s design and later verifies what it actually delivered.
How we got here.
-
2024 Complete
Cabinet approves the carbon market framework
Establishing the mandate for a national office and the principle that authorization precedes issuance.
-
2025 Complete
The Carbon Market Office is established
Seated within the Environmental Affairs Department, with a mandate covering both Article 6 and the voluntary market.
-
Mar 2026 Complete
Framework v1.0 published
The consolidated rules governing authorization, issuance, transfer and retirement.
-
Q3 2026 In progress
First call for proposals
The national pipeline opens to activity idea notes across all recognised technology scopes.
-
Q1 2027 Planned
First authorized transfers
Expected first issuance and international transfer under the Malawi–Switzerland agreement.
Who does what.
The desks you will deal with, and what each is responsible for.
Director, Environmental Affairs
Holds the authorization decision on behalf of the Republic, on the recommendation of the Office.
Head of the Carbon Market Office
Leads the secretariat and represents Malawi in bilateral negotiations under Article 6.2.
Article 6 Technical Lead
Reviews baselines, additionality and corresponding-adjustment accounting for activities in the pipeline.
Registry Administrator
Operates the national ledger — participant accounts, issuance, transfers and retirements.
Safeguards & Benefit-Sharing Officer
Coordinates consultation, grievance handling and the benefit-sharing floor across host districts.
Look anything up on the registry.
Every activity, unit and retirement is public. Search the Malawi Carbon Registry System by serial, activity or participant.
Partners, donors and standard-setters.
Logos shown for identification only; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Ready to bring an activity forward?
Register your organisation with the Office and submit an idea note. The Office would rather hear from you early than late.