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Terms of reference
Consultant: Carbon market expert (global)
About the Basel Institute on Governance
The Basel Institute on Governance is a hands-on centre of competence dedicated to promoting good governance and countering corruption for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Established in 2003 in Basel, Switzerland, the Institute works with partners worldwide to advance knowledge, practice and policy on anti-corruption, asset recovery and business integrity. With field operations worldwide, it has some 150 staff covering 32 nationalities. The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel.
The Basel Institute’s Green Corruption programme focuses on applying our in-house expertise and experience in preventing corruption and enforcing anti-corruption and anti-money laundering standards in the environmental sector. The programme covers corruption and financial crime related to the illegal trade in wildlife, forestry and timber products, fish and mining, as well as governance challenges in the energy transition, carbon markets and critical minerals.
Project: Carbon Markets Corruption Risks Mitigations Guidelines
Carbon markets are an increasingly prominent market-based approach to addressing climate change and forest loss. However, challenges including environmental integrity and corrupt behaviours have too often plagued them. The lack of inclusive anti-corruption safeguards has been identified as a key driver of their poor performance and resulted in a widespread lack of trust.
The project seeks to build evidence of corruption patterns in carbon markets with consultations across three countries (Indonesia, Ghana and Cameroon) as well as with international stakeholders in order to recommend anti-corruption safeguards in global and national carbon markets frameworks. The goal is to contribute to more robust forest governance by improving transparency, holding all actors accountable and ensuring equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms.
The project’s central deliverable is a set of global, gender-sensitive corruption risk mitigation guidelines for carbon markets to inform national and international advocacy. The guidelines will be developed through national and global consultations in forest-producing countries with key inputs from local communities and policymakers as well as through international consultations with key certifiers, regulators and norm-setting bodies. The guidelines are intended as a global flagship product for advocacy that can be tailored to different contexts and stakeholders.
Assignment
The Consultant will advise and work together with anti-corruption experts of the Basel Institute on Governance and its partners as well as in-country advisors and consultants on carbon markets governance. This includes stakeholder mapping in the value chain, the financial structuring, the specificities of business processes involved in carbon markets both in the supply and demand-side of the markets, market analysis in specific country priorities, policy mapping at global and national levels and other specific assessments as relevant. The Consultant is also expected to contribute to the development of the global guidelines and country-specific corruption risk assessment materials.
Activities and timeline
The Consultant will be contracted for a period of 50 days from March 2026 to March 2027 to conduct the following activities:
Advise the project team on policy gaps and policy debates relevant to carbon market compliance and integrity.
Provide advice in discussions with international stakeholders to improve safeguards, including with international standard-setting bodies such as Verra, Gold Standard, VCMII and ICVCM.
Advise on tailoring the Green Corruption methodology to the corruption risks assessment in the carbon market context.
Contribute to the development of country-based corruption risks assessment reports by providing input and review.
Contribute to the development of the global guidelines on corruption risks mitigation in the carbon market by providing input and review.
Deliverables
Stakeholder mapping of global carbon markets (March–April 2026, approx. 5 days)
Policy analysis of global carbon markets governance, processes and potential corruption risks (March–April 2026, approx. 10 days)
Input to the tailoring of the Green Corruption programme’s methodology for conducting corruption risks assessments in the carbon market context (March–April 2026, approx. 5 days)
Review and feedback on the country-based corruption risks assessment reports (May–June 2026, approx. 10 days)
Analysis of documents and contribution in meetings to support discussions with international stakeholders to improve safeguards, including with international standard-setting bodies (March 2026–March 2027, approx. 10 days)
Review and feedback on the development of the global guidelines on corruption risks mitigation in the carbon market (July–December 2026, approx. 10 days).
Reporting
The Consultant will report to the Deputy Director, Green Corruption Programme at the Basel Institute on Governance, who leads the consultations process and the design and drafting of the guidelines.
Qualifications
At least 5 years’ experience working directly in the carbon market sector (design, development, implementation, analysis, advisory, compliance or voluntary markets, etc.)
Strong technical understanding of carbon offset, carbon credit methodologies and compliance rules for specific schemes
Good understanding of carbon markets, including mandatory emission trading systems (ETS) and voluntary carbon markets (VCM)
Strong analytical skills, especially in policy and regulatory analysis
Proven experience in engaging with different stakeholder (policymakers, industry, NGOs)
Experience in corruption prevention is an advantage.
Experience in any of the priority countries (Indonesia, Ghana, Cameroon) is an advantage.
How to apply
Applications
Interested applicants should submit an expression of interest of not more than two pages, outlining: (i) their relevant experience for the assignment; (ii) and any clarifications they would wish to seek from the Basel Institute prior to executing the assignment.
Expert CVs should be provided separately and limited to two pages each.
Please submit applications to [email protected] no later than 18:00 CET on 18 March 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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