Article 6 Readiness Webinar for Ethiopian Ministries and Key Stakeholders

By Maria Antonia Deziderio, Legal Fellow

Photo credit: ILP

Ethiopia recently adopted a Carbon Market Proclamation, laying the legal groundwork for carbon trading under its National Carbon Market Strategy (2025-2035). As this domestic framework takes shape alongside Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the emerging challenge lies in moving from theory to action. With the finalisation of the Article 6 rules at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including decisions on registry interoperability, authorisation procedures and the transition of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) activities, implementation readiness now depends on the institutions' monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems and the technical capacity to turn Article 6 into high-integrity projects on the ground.

In August 2026, International Lawyers Project held a webinar in partnership with the Ethiopian Public Service University (EPSU) aimed at strengthening the capacity of policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders to put Article 6 into practice. The session explored the operational procedures under Article 6, lessons from domestic carbon market frameworks, and Ethiopia's path to carbon market engagement, with insights relevant to developing countries more broadly.

Expert Perspectives on Article 6 Implementation

The session was chaired by Dr. Mekonnen Maschal Tarekegn, Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences at EPSU, and Maria Cristina Mundin, Director of International Lawyers Project’s Environment and Sustainable Development programme.

Opening remarks were given by Dr. Dereje Teklemariam, Director of International Collaboration and Partnership at EPSU and national legislator in Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives, who provided an introduction to EPSU’s commitment to build strategic partners throughout the interface between law, policy and ground execution. He highlighted the importance of going beyond regulatory clarity and focusing on translating sustainable projects frameworks into tangible integrity projects and how this action demands a robust institutional infrastructure.

Prof. Michael Mehling, Deputy Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then provided an introduction to carbon markets and gave an overview of the history of carbon finance under the international climate regime, as well as the rationale behind Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. He emphasised the importance of climate finance ambition and cooperation, highlighting that the annual climate finance flows would need to increase to USD 4.2 trillion by 2030 to remain on a pathway consistent with the Paris Agreement, suggesting that carbon markets, alongside broader finance instruments, may serve as key vehicles for attaining climate finance goals.

Dr. Tomilola Akanle Eni-ibukun, Lecturer in Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Aberdeen, followed, giving an overview of the operational procedures for Article 6 implementation, covering Article 6.2 (cooperative approaches), Article 6.4 (Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism), and Article 6.8 (non-market approaches). She emphasised that operational readiness under Article 6 regime means the ability to run an end-to-end workflow.

Continuing the discussion, Dr. Wendy Miles KC, a barrister at Twenty Essex, shared case studies of best practices and lessons learned regarding domestic carbon market frameworks. She highlighted the bilateral agreement between Sweden and Ghana as a model of legitimate readiness conditions, and used the shutdown of KOKO Networks, a large clean cookstove project developer operating in Kenya, as a cautionary tale, stressing that strong laws must be matched by strong enforcement and risk-management frameworks to mobilise carbon finance.

To end this distinguished panel, Dr. Benti Firdissa, CEO for Environment and Climate Change Policy at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Planning and Development and Ethiopia National Designated Authority for Green Climate Fund projects, presented on the country's path to carbon market engagement, tracing the history from the Kyoto Protocol to Article 6 and outlining the key market participants and the core principles a project must meet. He closed on Ethiopia's readiness, highlighting the national carbon market strategy, Ethiopia's Carbon Market Proclamation, an implementation roadmap, and clear procedures for issuing letters of authorisation.

Key Takeaways and the Path Forward

This webinar augmented attendees' understanding of how to move Article 6 of the Paris Agreement from theory into practice, and particularly how developing countries can build the technical, institutional and legal readiness needed to engage credibly with carbon markets. The discussions went beyond theoretical knowledge, with speakers engaging in an interactive question and answer session that addressed real dilemmas faced by practitioners, including whether Article 6.2 or Article 6.4 approaches better suit developing-country contexts, how to decide which mitigation actions to sell abroad versus retain for domestic compliance with a country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) compliance, and how to navigate the letters of authorisation that can make or break a project.

The core lesson from the webinar is that strong laws are necessary but not sufficient. In order for international carbon finance to be successful, host countries must match good legislation with strong enforcement, robust risk-management practices, and a view that scans beyond carbon law into the wider legal framework governing projects.

The webinar reflects the ongoing partnership between International Lawyers Project and EPSU to build capacity on carbon markets across Ethiopia and the wider African region. A recording of the webinar can be viewed here.

International Lawyers Project provides pro bono legal support to more than 100 civil society organisations, communities and individuals each year. Through our Environment and Sustainable Development programme, ILP works with our partners to protect community land rights and biodiversity, combat environmental crime and corruption, provide guidance on the implementation of fiscal tools for sustainable development, and ensure a just transition.

If you need assistance or advice in this area, please contact us at contact@internationallawyersproject.org to discuss how we can help.