India and Japan Launch Operational Manual for Joint Crediting Mechanism
India and Japan launched the Operational Manual for their bilateral Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) in New Delhi, released by Japan's Ambassador to India Keiichi Ono and MoEFCC Secretary Tanmay Kumar. The JCM operates under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, which lets countries trade internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) towards their nationally determined contributions. The two sides signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on 7 August 2025 and adopted the Rules of Implementation on 8 June 2026. The manual maps the full project cycle, from submission of a Project Idea Note through validation, registration and verification to the issuance and authorisation of credits.
The Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21 in December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016 | Article 6 covers cooperative approaches: 6.2 for bilateral ITMO transfers, 6.4 for a centralised crediting mechanism and 6.8 for non-market approaches | India's updated NDC targets a 45% cut in the emissions intensity of GDP from 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2070