Doha, February 03 (QNA) - The Global Carbon Council (GCC) and the Malaysia Forest Fund (MFF), the national agency mandated to mobilize innovative forest finance, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration on carbon markets and scale Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across Malaysia.

The MoU was formalized by Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of GCC, and Suhaini binti Haron, Officer Acting on behalf of the CEO, MFF.

The MoU between GCC and MFF establishes a framework to explore pathways to ensure that Malaysia's Nature-based Solutions (NbS) meet the highest international standards, providing local industries with credible pathways to meet their climate commitments.

This partnership also responds to the growing need for long-term investment in forest conservation and restoration. Global studies, including those released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), indicate that forest-based solutions could contribute to nearly 30 percent of potential natural climate mitigation, yet investment in forest NbS remains far below what is needed to meet climate and biodiversity goals. In Malaysia, leveraging high-quality carbon market mechanisms is essential to scale forest carbon projects that deliver both environmental and socio-economic benefits through transparent and verifiable initiatives.

Malaysia's extensive forest ecosystems offer substantial carbon sequestration potential and vital ecosystem services. The Forest Carbon Offset represents an important tool for scaling long-term finance for forest conservation and restoration, focusing on robust requirements and strong institutional foundation. Through this collaboration, GCC and MFF will explore synergies that can enhance credibility and scalability of these projects, ensuring they align with national climate strategies and international best practices. The partnership will also explore opportunities of GCC's Carbon Market Infrastructure (CMI) in supporting the implementation of Malaysia's carbon markets.

Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of GCC, said: "Our partnership with MFF is aimed at realizing carbon financing opportunities from Malaysia's vast natural heritage. By exploring synergies between the Forest Carbon Offset (FCO) program and GCC's international standard, we are building the foundation for enabling premium, high-integrity credits. This collaboration is expected to attract foreign climate finance while ensuring Malaysia's local projects are recognized as world-class assets through rigorous frameworks for transparency, additionality, and environmental impact. By enabling cooperation between FCO program and GCC's rigorous frameworks, our partnership will establish clear measures for additionality, ensuring every credit issued has a direct, transparent greenhouse gas impact."

Suhaini binti Haron, Officer Acting on behalf of the CEO, MFF, added: "This partnership with the Global Carbon Council creates new opportunities for Parties to collaborate and scale high-quality forest carbon projects that deliver real environmental and social impact while advancing scientifically robust carbon initiatives. The MoU also emphasizes strengthening governance frameworks, building technical capacity, and empowering local communities. By leveraging on both MFF's and GCC's expertise, we can implement projects that protect biodiversity, enhance livelihoods, and mobilize high-integrity climate finance that generates measurable benefits for people, nature, and the climate." (QNA)