A total of 112 organisations and individuals from 42 countries across 5 continents signed an open letter addressed to members of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body, demanding rights-based safeguards in the Sustainable Development (SD) tool, which is up for revision at the next Supervisory Body meeting from 5-9 October.

The letter, led by Namati, the Grassroots Justice Network and Carbon Market Watch, emphasises three pillars: first, that the tool must be grounded in a universal legal framework that affords the highest protection for people and the environment; second, that rights-holders’ tenure protection must be prioritised; and third, that oversight and accountability mechanisms must be effective in practice.

There’s much at stake at the next meeting: how the Supervisory Body chooses to proceed with the SD tool will determine whether or not the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) operates with human rights at its core, or not – with potentially disastrous consequences.