The International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) is pleased to announce the launch of a new phase of EU-funded capacity building activities for ICAP.
This program builds on more than fifteen years of ICAP’s global ETS training and outreach, which has already trained more than 1000 policymakers across more than 30 Summer Schools, regional seminars, and related activities. ICAP is grateful to the European Commission for its continued support of this strategically important program, which will play a key role in advancing ETS development worldwide.
This project will significantly expand ICAP's global training, outreach, and technical support to jurisdictions developing or strengthening emissions trading systems (ETS). It will run for several years and will deliver a comprehensive set of activities across two core work areas: (1) global and regional capacity building, and (2) tailored bilateral support.
Global and regional capacity building
The first work area focuses on maintaining and expanding ICAP's accessible training formats. It targets jurisdictions beginning to explore carbon pricing and those seeking to build foundational knowledge before advancing toward more complex ETS design and implementation challenges. Activities will include an updated e-learning ETS course open to a broad global audience, new interactive ETS simulations and digital learning tools, and the continuation of the ICAP Summer School - a cornerstone training program that has historically brought together 25–35 participants from emerging and developing countries for intensive two-week sessions covering all aspects of ETS design and implementation.
The program will deliver regional ETS seminars aligned with local needs and policy contexts in Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. It will also offer ETS Master Classes providing deeper technical treatment of advanced topics such as allocation methodologies and market oversight. Thematic workshops, webinars, and expanded alumni engagement will round out this work area, with the ICAP alumni network now including more than 1,000 practitioners from over 70 countries.
Tailored bilateral and country-specific support
The second work area delivers targeted, in-depth technical assistance to jurisdictions actively designing, implementing, or improving carbon pricing systems. This includes on-demand capacity building support such as expert consultations and advisory sessions on specific design challenges co-developed with national ministries or agencies.
Additional bilateral support will include country-specific carbon pricing courses or targeted thematic workshops on specific policy challenges. More newly, a structured peer mentorship and knowledge exchange program connecting experienced and newer ETS jurisdictions, short-term placements and delegation visits could be deployed, allowing policymakers to observe ETS operations directly. Where relevant, joint research and impact studies could expand know-how of policy responses and best practices. These activities respond to a growing demand for practical, experience-based learning and build on ICAP's role as a forum for cooperation among ETS authorities.
Coordination and implementation
ICAP and the European Commission will jointly guide and coordinate all activities to ensure strategic alignment with ICAP's broader technical dialogue, capacity building, and knowledge-sharing priorities. It will ensure consistency across work streams, complementarity with other initiatives, and high-quality delivery. In addition, ICAP members and observers will be invited to contribute throughout the program by sharing expertise, participating in events, and supporting delivery where relevant, ensuring that the training reflects real-world experience.
To implement the activities, the European Commission has contracted a consortium led by Ecologic Institute, with Get2C as a core partner and with active support of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), as well as a pool of renowned global experts, providing additional technical expertise. The consortium will work closely with the ICAP Secretariat, the European Commission, and interested ICAP jurisdictions in the delivery of activities.
This next phase builds on more than 15 years of ICAP's global ETS capacity building and comes at a crucial moment, as more jurisdictions explore or prepare emissions trading systems. We look forward to sharing further details, including schedules and participation opportunities in due course.