About the National Carbon Registry
The Carbon Credit Information System (CCIS) is Lao PDR's national carbon register: a repository for documents, data, statistics and other information on carbon credits and the underlying projects, established and maintained by the Designated National Authority.
Legal basis
Decree on Carbon Credits No. 292/GOV (28 May 2025)
Establishes the legal foundation governing carbon markets in Lao PDR: principles, regulations and measures for the management and monitoring of carbon credit activities.
Carbon Project Approval and Management Guidelines
Adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment pursuant to the Decree, on a pilot basis for an initial period of one year. They set out Steps A to E, the Article 6 process, the reserve of mitigation outcomes for Lao PDR, and fees (§12–13).
Designated National Authority
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment serves as the DNA for international carbon markets. The GHG Mitigation Division under the Department of Environment performs the DNA function on behalf of MAE, including the focal point roles to the UNFCCC and the PACM (§16–17).
Roles in the process
Project Owner
Prepares and submits project documents, implements the registered project, and funds its preparation and implementation, including public consultation (§30 i).
Relevant Sector
Reviews and approves carbon project documents technically, ensuring alignment with sectoral policies, and coordinates with provincial and district authorities (§20, §30 ii).
DNA
Reviews and registers carbon projects, issues the necessary letters, supervises implementation and manages the registry. All authorizations related to corresponding adjustments, ITMO transfers and international carbon accounting remain under centralised national management (§18, §30 iii).
Registry principles
National system of record
The CCIS records projects, letters, authorizations and credit records implemented in Lao PDR. It is a platform for submitting applications, without carbon credit trading functions (Guidelines glossary, §21).
Tracking, not trading
Credits are issued and transferred in the registries of the international crediting standards. ITMOs are issued and tracked in the UNFCCC International Registry; the CCIS keeps the national record reconciled with both (§23).
Transparency
Information is made publicly available in a suitable format, including carbon credit revenues and benefit-sharing agreements and their implementation status, except data subject to data-protection requirements (§22).
Article 6 accounting
The DNA uses the registry to manage Letters of Intent, Authorization and Positive Examination, corresponding adjustments, and Article 6 reporting — the Initial Report, annual information in the Agreed Electronic Format, and regular information in the BTR (§23, §101–102).
Approval or authorization of carbon projects does not transfer ownership of natural forests, forestland, biodiversity, ecosystem services or sovereign carbon assets of Lao PDR. Project Owners are granted operational rights only, subject to national law (§11).
Partners
The registry is developed for the Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) under the Program for Open and Sustainable Carbon Markets in Lao PDR, with support from the Government of Australia.