Operationalizing Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement: Achieving Ambitious Climate Action Through Cooperative Approaches

 Course type: Self-paced course
 Languages: English, French, Spanish
 Estimated effort: 1 hour per module
Duration: 6 modules
 Organizers: United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Donor: Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
 Partners: Swedish Energy Agency

UNDP in collaboration with UNFCCC and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO, of Switzerland is supporting countries in their capacity building for Article 6.2 operationalization. Through this course, participants will be introduced to multiple activities that will equip government representatives in their decision-making processes to ensure effective participation in Article 6.2. In addition, policymakers and ministries’ technical staff will be informed about the key building blocks of the processes and procedures required for entering into successful Article 6.2 cooperative approaches.

With the completion of the Paris Rulebook in COP26 in Glasgow, countries are becoming more aware of the opportunities to cooperate towards NDC achievement and the higher ambitions that may be made through Article 6.2. Transferring countries, while being supported to implement high ambition climate actions, can also benefit from technology transfer, conditional financing, capacity building and transformative change of key sectors of their economies.

This course will help support policymakers, technical staff, government officials and implementation public and private sector partners in becoming more knowledgeable about cooperative approaches and their already increasing adoption after COP26.

About the course

The course is geared to government officials and policymakers, technical staff, and other stakeholders who will be at the center of decisions, development, operationalization, and operation of cooperative approaches.

This course serves as an introduction to Article 6, and in particular Article 6.2, of the Paris Agreement, which details guidance on cooperative approaches which countries may engage on to support more ambitious climate actions and NDC achievement by enabling the transfer of mitigation outcomes across borders, delivering benefits to participating Parties.

Course highlights and outcomes

• Gain key insights into the long-awaited cooperative approaches under Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement.
• Enable your ability to support highly ambitious national climate change objectives and help deliver transcendental benefits that can systematically support climate change efforts.
• Learn how Article 6.2 processes, policies, and procedures can be tailor-made to support countries wishing to participate.
• Learn about the opportunities, risks, and implications of participation in cooperative approaches.
• Understand linkages between Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 and how they work together to support carbon market participation, ensure environmental integrity, and enable scalable mitigation outcomes.

Learning objectives

After completion of the course, staff in charge of the design and implementation of processes and procedures will be ready to participate in cooperative approaches in the country.

By the time of completion you will:

• Be equipped to make decisions related to country participation in cooperative approaches under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. 
• Have a detailed overview of the requirements and implications of their participation.
• Understand the policy, technical, and process components required to operationalize Article 6.2, and how these relate to the implementation of Article 6.4.

Course topics

• MODULE 1. Climate commitments and cooperation: the role of NDCs and Article 6
• MODULE 2. Getting started - the preparation phase
• MODULE 3. Enabling action - the implementation cycle
• MODULE 4. Track and report: infrastructure and transparency 
• MODULE 5. Accounting for transfers - applying corresponding adjustments
• MODULE 6. From commitment to implementation: role of key actors

This Learning Course was updated in April 2026 in English and currently other languages - Spanish and French - are being updated as part of a second phase.

Course completion requirements

To receive the certificate of course completion you must:

• Complete 6 lessons
• Complete a total of 6 quizzes offered after each module
• Complete a course-satisfaction survey.