Get to know some basic concepts that will facilitate the understanding of the whole accreditation process.
You can consult the documents on the accreditation criteria and procedure in the documents section. In the MIT rates section you will find the applicable rates.
If you are an organization interested in contributing to a more sustainable world, providing the service of validation and verification of greenhouse gases with the ONAC seal of confidence, this service is for you.
If, on the other hand, you are an organization or company that wants to perform a validation and verification exercise of greenhouse gases, according to the CO2 emissions generated through your economic activity, with the highest quality standards and with the support of an internationally recognized accreditation body such as ONAC, at the top of this page you can consult the accredited bodies to offer this service.
At the bottom of this page, you can find more information about this activity and its benefits.
Chemical Engineer from America University
Master in Quality and Integral Management – Santo Tomas University – ICONTEC
Linked to ONAC since January 2009, holding the following positions and roles:
Greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies are third party or independent entities that have implemented the requirements of ISO 14065, and ISO 14064-3. They perform validation and/or verification of CO2 tonnage and information submitted by organizations or GHG emission reduction or removal projects. The validation and/or verification body is responsible for completing an objective assessment and providing a validation or verification statement with respect to the responsible party’s greenhouse gas declaration, based on the evidence.
This accreditation scheme covers the verification of the competence requirements, consistent operation and impartiality of greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies operating under the above standards and the type of activity included in the scope of accreditation.
The accreditation scheme is aimed at greenhouse gas verification and validation bodies, and is intended for organizations that carry out mainly two activities: Verification and Validation.
These activities can be carried out in different industrial sectors as defined by the International Accreditation Forum in IAF MD 14, some of them are:
The two activities performed by an independent third party outside the interests of the organization, such as nationally or internationally accredited bodies.
Verification: It is the review and evaluation process applied to the reports or declarations of greenhouse gas emissions executed in accordance with the applicable requirements
Validation: The process of review and assessment applied to a GHG mitigation or removal claim in respect of a GHG project plan against agreed validation requirements to determine whether a project plan is in compliance with these and its implementation can be expected to result in the proposed GHG emission reductions and enhancements of removals.
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges for nations, governments and organizations worldwide. It is a problem that affects resources, the economy, production chains and of course living beings. To contribute to these problems, several initiatives have been developed, among them, to limit the concentrations of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in the earth’s atmosphere, based on the quantification, monitoring, reporting, verification and validation of emissions and/or removals of Greenhouse Gases (GHG).
To support this task, Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification Bodies have emerged, which play an irreplaceable role in the verification and validation of the information submitted by organizations or projects to reduce or remove GHG emissions. This provides confidence in this exercise to all parties interested in this information, in order to avoid inaccuracies in the declarations and to deploy concrete actions to control, mitigate or prevent such emissions.
In 2015, during the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP21 in Paris, Colombia committed to reduce 20% of its polluting emissions by 2030, equivalent to approximately 670 million tons of CO2. Considering the set of responsibilities involved in this purpose, the National Government designed economic instruments to encourage the fulfillment of mitigation goals and increase the extension of protected areas, supported by a strategy that encompasses the promotion of GHG validation and verification activities.
Thus, ONAC from its projection towards the future, to contribute significantly to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN and meeting the needs of the national government and the international context, developed within its portfolio of services focused on sustainability, the Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification Body Accreditation Service (OVVGEI), which is an integral part of the strategy established by the government.
In addition to these tools, Colombia has a National and Departmental Greenhouse Gas Inventory to control emissions, reductions and removals, which generates a periodic report on the amount of GHG emitted as a result of human activities and removals by carbon sinks, such as forests, crops or grasslands.
Increase the extension of protected areas and reduce deforestation, since most GHG emissions come from the transformation of forests into pastures.
National Carbon Tax (2017), which was included in the tax reform; is the payment to be made for polluting the environment with gases from the combustion of gasoline, ACPM, Kerosene, Jet Fuel, Fuel Oil and Natural Gas.
Decree 926 – 2017, which regulates the procedure to make effective the non-causation of the National Carbon Tax, which aims to stimulate the formulation and implementation of mitigation initiatives that generate GHG emissions reductions or removals in exchange for the non-causation of the tax.
Resolution 1447 of 2018, here are specified the tools for the system of monitoring, reporting and verification of mitigation actions at the national level.
“The normative documents and/or programs published in ONAC’s web page correspond to those with which the accreditation service under ISO 14065 has been provided, without being limited to be the only ones susceptible to be accepted. This list may eventually be updated. An OVVGEI can decide voluntarily the program of its choice, in case it is not in our web page and can consult it directly with the Sectoral Coordination.”
VCS is a global program and standard, created by VERRA, whose mission is to facilitate and guarantee to individuals, companies and the general public the registration of GHG emission reduction and removal projects and programs. The VCS program is the most widely used voluntary GHG program in the world. More than 1,600 certified VCS projects have collectively reduced or eliminated more than 500 million tons of carbon and other GHG emissions from the atmosphere.
The CCB Program is created by VERRA, and provides a global program and standard for land use projects that aim to create net benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, local communities and biodiversity. CCB was created to encourage the development and commercialization of projects that generate credible and significant climate, community and biodiversity benefits in an integrated and sustainable manner. Projects that meet the standards adopt best practices to generate net positive benefits for climate change mitigation, local communities and biodiversity
The Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD Vista) program is a global program created by Verra for the certification of projects that generate verifiable sustainable development benefits. SD Vista projects must demonstrate how they promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and generate benefits for people, their prosperity and the planet, in accordance with the 2015 UN Resolutions Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable.
Cercarbono is a private voluntary carbon certification program, whose mission is to facilitate and guarantee to individuals, companies and the public in general the registration of carbon programs / Greenhouse Gas Removal or Reduction Projects (GHG-RRPs), the certification of emissions and the registration of carbon credits obtained by such projects, within the framework of the commitments that Colombia has acquired at the international level to address climate change after signing the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and, in 2015, the Paris Agreement.
The BioCarbon Registry (BCR) Program was created to certify and register GHG projects that are based on activities that impact the climate economy, and that have the potential to help curb GHG emissions by building global adaptation and resilience actions.
The BCR standard is a GHG program, which includes guidance for the registration of GHG projects that demonstrate compliance with the requirements established in national legal frameworks, as well as compliance with the rules and procedures established by the BioCarbon Registry.
Created by the World Bank and designed to assist developing countries in their efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation or forest degradation, conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests and increased forest carbon stocks (REDD+).
Accreditation Criteria:
ISO 14065:2013,
ISO 14064-2:2006,
ISO 14066: 2011,
Validation and Verification Guidelines-Version 2.4,
Perform a FCPF attestation in the relevant sector.
Find out more about the FCPF Program documents here
COLCX Methodology
COLCX is an initiative created for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation projects focused on reducing emissions or increasing greenhouse gas removals for the voluntary emissions market or projects that are eligible to apply for the Colombian carbon tax exemption. The COLCX methodology is for the quantification of Carbon Capture in Forest Plantations, Agroforestry Systems and Fruit Crops for Climate Change Mitigation, and it is specific to the AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use).
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