The project “Strategic Support for the Operational Phase of Mexico’s Emissions Trading System,” implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (German Technical Cooperation) in Mexico, provides technical support to the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) in the transition to the first operational phase of Mexico’s Emissions Trading System (SCE).
Among the project’s objectives is to strengthen the interoperability of the registry and information management platforms of Mexico’s SCE (Registry) and the Carbon Registry of the National Emissions Registry. In Mexico’s SCE, offset credits are part of the flexible mechanisms that regulated sectors can use to meet their obligations to surrender emission allowances. Currently, emission allowances and offset credits are registered on two different platforms—the Registry and the Carbon Registry, respectively—which hinders the proper integration of offset credits into the regulated market.
On August 6, 2026, the kick-off meeting for the specialized technical support process aimed at the development and interoperability of the SCE Registry with the Carbon Registry of Mexico’s National Emissions Registry was held at SEMARNAT’s offices. The session was attended by representatives from SEMARNAT’s General Directorate of Climate Action Policies (DGPAC), the World Bank’s Partnership for Market Implementation, UK cooperation, Notland, and GIZ. The meeting marked the formal start of a working process aimed at identifying the institutional needs, processes, functional requirements, and information flows necessary to move toward adequate interoperability between the two platforms.
During the session, participants highlighted the importance of having functional tools that build on Mexico’s experience and progress in MRV while also providing a more comprehensive view of the processes associated with registering mitigation projects with the Mexican authority. In the context of SEMARNAT’s ongoing analysis of the role that offset projects can play, the interoperability initiative aims to lay a solid technological foundation for its eventual integration with Mexico’s SCE, thereby helping to strengthen the transparency, traceability, and environmental integrity of the instrument—key to achieving Mexico’s mitigation targets.
The support process will be carried out with NotLand’s technical expertise and under GIZ’s coordination. Through technical sessions, SEMARNAT’s needs will be identified and integrated in order to define the functional requirements necessary to strengthen the interoperability of both platforms and contribute to the operational effectiveness of Mexico’s SCE.
Representatives from the DGPAC, NotLand, the World Bank, UK aid, and GIZ Mexico who attended the meeting. Credit: GIZ Mexico – Ma. Fernanda Suárez Gómez.
Participants discussing the current features of the Carbon Registry. Credit: GIZ Mexico – Sheccid Sarai Gómez Balvás.
