Global Knowledge Forum 2026 on Carbon Pricing & Markets

WELCOME

Representatives from the World Bank Group (WBG) will welcome participants and set the stage for an interactive exchange of experiences among the growing PMI community. 

• Katia Daude Goncalves, Country Manager, Singapore, WBG
• Luis Tineo, Manager, Policy & Analytics for Adaptation and Mitigation Finance, WBG 

A1. MIND THE GAPS. Understanding the country-level needs: Where are we now and where are the gaps?

An opportunity for country participants to connect with each other, to share information on progress and challenges in advancing carbon pricing and markets, and to identify priority needs. Key insights will be reported back to the broader forum to inform action and coordination across the partnership. 

• Facilitated by Pascal Saura, Senior Knowledge Management and Learning Officer, WBG 

A2. PARTNERSHIPS. How is the PMI partnership helping?

In response to the ambitions expressed by country participants, this segment will position PMI within the broader context of current developments in carbon pricing and markets, highlight recent program progress, and describe the types of support countries can expect from the partnership. 

• PMI Program update by Pierre Guigon, Program Manager, WBG

A3. COUNTRY EXPERIENCE. Lessons from Designing New Generation of Carbon Pricing Instruments

This session will dive into the experiences of governments that are designing or operationalizing new carbon pricing instruments. Country representatives will unpack the strategic and technical design decisions they confronted—such as scope, coverage, price trajectories, allocation approaches, strategies for integrating offsets and interactions with other policies. The discussion will surface cross-cutting lessons and highlight design questions that client countries should plan to assess over the coming year as they advance or refine their own carbon pricing instruments. 

Speakers:

• Bingqing Lu, Deputy General Manager, Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange, China  
• Cyril Aboly, Legal Advisor, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Guinea
• Gabriela Santamaria, Carbon Specialist, Ministry of Environment, Panama

Moderated by Teresa Solozábal Gallego, Climate Change Office, Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Spain 

A4. TRENDS. What global trends should be on our minds? Putting a price on carbon and enhancing climate action

Key developments have reshaped global carbon pricing over the past year, particularly the importance of fiscal sustainability, maintaining competitiveness, and creating enabling environments for investment and employment. Drawing on recent reforms and emerging carbon pricing instruments, the session will explore what governments aim to achieve—fiscal, environmental, and competitiveness-related goals—and how instruments are converging or diverging across regions in pursuit of these diverse objectives. The session will also help participants identify priority areas where greater alignment and cooperation can support more effective implementation in the medium term. 

Presentation:

• Key findings of State and Trends of Carbon Pricing Report 2026 - Anthony Mansell, Climate Change Specialist, WBG

Speakers:

• Giovanna Naspolini, Head of Methodologies, Secretariat of Carbon Markets, Brazil
• Natsuki Sugiura, Assistant Director (Global Environmental Affairs), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
• Yeshika Malik, Climate Change Specialist, World Bank Group

Moderated by Leon Heckmann, Carbon Market Expert, ICAP 

A5. FUTURE SHOCKS: Navigating Border Carbon Adjustments

This session will outline the current state of play on Border Carbon Adjustments, with a focus on the operational details and implications of the EU CBAM for exporters in exposed sectors. Country participants will examine compliance expectations and policy options to support domestic industries, manage competitiveness risks, and align national carbon pricing trajectories with emerging international requirements. The session will contribute to the development of a one-pager that level-sets understanding on current BCA implementation and provides a menu of options to guide countries’ response strategies.

Speakers:

• Helen Finney, Head of Carbon Market Programmes and Policy, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, United Kingdom
• Sebastien Paquot, Head of Task Force for International Carbon Pricing and Markets Diplomacy, European Commission
• Madeleine Diouf Sarr, Director, Climate Change, Ecological Transition and Green Finance, Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition, Senegal
• Mustafa Kemal Arsunar, Climate Change Expert, Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, Türkiye

Moderated by Malin Ahlberg, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation & Nuclear Safety, Germany 

A6. INNOVATION. Implementation of Innovative Infrastructure Solutions

This session will explore how digitalization and standardization can strengthen data quality, reduce administrative burden, and support more responsive and interoperable carbon pricing systems. An interactive component will allow participants to benchmark their own Digital MRV readiness against a structured set of milestones and identify priority gaps to address as they modernize their MRV systems.

Speakers:

• Aliona Rusnac, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, Moldova
• Diana Guzmán Torres, Director of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Policies, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico
• Wissarut Muangpluem, Environmentalist, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
• Lweembe Mwale, Project Officer, Climate Change Programme, COMESA

Moderated by Lorna Ritchie, Director of Public Affairs, Integrity Council for Voluntary Council Market (ICVCM) 

A7. SOLUTIONS SHOW & TELL. Interactive tour of carbon pricing tools and solutions

The day will conclude with an interactive showcase of PMI-developed tools designed to help countries plan, implement, and refine their carbon pricing policies. 

A8. TAKEAWAYS. What does it mean for Countries?

In group discussions, countries update each other based on three prompts:

1. What have we learned today from the sessions and our peer-to-peer exchanges?  
2. What are our next steps?  
3. How can PMI and knowledge partners help fill capacity gaps for implementation?

Facilitated by Pascal Saura, WBG 

WELCOME BACK. Icebreaker

Opening session to summarize insights from the previous day and set the objectives for Day 2.

INTRODUCTION: Joining Forces and Moving to Participation and Transactions. Power of global partnerships 

• Olivier Mahul, Manager, Carbon Finance Solutions, WBG  
• Luis Tineo, Manager, Climate Mitigation & Adaptation Finance, WBG  

B1. GLOBAL DIALOGUE: State of International Carbon Markets and Seeing the Opportunities

The opening session on Day 2 will clarify how voluntary, compliance, and international carbon credit markets are evolving and converging, outlining key trends in demand, supply, and market governance. By demystifying the emerging architecture and its implications, the session will help countries understand where opportunities are emerging and what conditions are required to participate effectively and strategically.

Fireside Chat:

• H.E. Ambassador Ali Mohamed, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Executive Office of President, Kenya
• H.E. Marie Nyange Ndambo, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and New Climate Economy, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Moderated by Mark Kenber, Executive Director, VCMI

Knowledge Update:

• Seoyoung Lim, Program Officer, Mitigation, UNFCCC 
• Harikumar Gadde, Senior Climate Change Specialist, WBG  

Moderated by Virender K. Duggal, Head, Carbon Markets, Asian Development Bank   

B2. DECISIONS: Navigating Decisions on Carbon Markets

Authorization is a strategic and sovereign decision. This session will examine how countries are approaching decisions related to the authorization of credits for international transfer, including strategic, regulatory, and risk management considerations. Drawing on country experiences—particularly from those that have issued national carbon market regulations—participants will explore policy trade-offs and decision sequencing to decide whether, when, and how much to authorize. The discussion will focus on how to balance NDC ambition, protect domestic integrity, manage risks, and capture emerging market opportunities.

Knowledge Update

• Kazuhisa Koakutsu, Director, Article 6 Implementation Partnership

Case Studies:

• Frank Gwaba, Senior Climate Change Officer, Department of Environment & Climate Change, Ministry of Green Economy & Environment, Zambia  
• Ousmane Fall Sarr, Coordinator, West African Alliance for Carbon Markets and Climate Finance
• Sarah Quek, Senior Assistant Director, International Trade (Green Economy and Sustainability) and Carbon Markets Division, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore 

Dialogue:

• Hugh Salway, Senior Director for Market Development and Partnerships, Gold Standard
• Fenella Aouane, Director and Head of Carbon Pricing, GGGI  

Moderated by Kazuhisa Koakutsu, Director, Article 6 Implementation Partnership  

B3. LEGAL IMPLEMENTATION: Approaches to Establishing Legal Nature of Carbon Credits

This essential session will include options to design a robust legal framework for carbon market access.  This session will be presenting a clear menu of strategic options to decide the best fit for each country's unique context – by evaluating the best legal instruments for each country’s goals, whether that means drafting comprehensive new statutes or amending existing laws. Furthermore, the session will break down various institutional and governance models, comparing centralized versus delegated structures, to help countries make informed decisions on how to assign key functions like policy setting, authorizations, and registry management to build a stable, predictable, and highly attractive market environment.

Presentation:

• Fabiano de Andrade Correa, Senior Counsel, Environmental and International Law, WBG

Speakers:

• Sharlin Hemraj, Director for Environment & Fuel Taxes, National Treasury, South Africa  
• Peter Zaman, Partner, HFW
• Mechael Werdofa Balcha, Senior Carbon market specialist, Ministry of Planning and Development, Ethiopia
• Zubair Ahmed Channa, Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Department, Government of Sindh, Pakistan

Moderated by Flavia Rosembuj, Senior Counsel, Environment and International Law, WBG

B4. TRANSACTIONS: Navigating Buyer Expectations and Intermediary Engagement to Unlock Carbon Market Opportunities

This session will equip client countries with a deeper understanding of buyer demands across different markets and explore available options for monetizing units. It will also help identify the capacities needed to conduct successful carbon market transactions.

Speakers:

• Juan Carlos Arrendonado Brun, Director of Knowledge, Policy & Advocacy, Abatable
• Rodrigo Bezerra, Head of Upstream Carbon Emissions, Hartree Partners
• Saurabh Joshi, Head of Origination & Strategic Partnerships, Climate Impact X (CIX) 

Moderated by Basak Odemis, Principal Operations Officer, Carbon Finance Solutions, WBG 

B5. KNOWLEDGE MARKETPLACE

Day 2 will close with an interactive showcase of tools and solutions that support countries’ engagement in international carbon markets.  

B6. CLOSING REMARKS: Partnerships for Development

• One-sentence takeaways from a sample of different participants - Client countries, donors, partners
• WBG Climate Heads of Delegation - Luis Tineo & Olivier Mahul