# ICR Program Documentation Home

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### Important Updates 

<details>

<summary>March 2026</summary>

[march-2026](https://documentation.carbonregistry.com/documentation/icr-program/updates/march-2026 "mention")

</details>

<details>

<summary>November 2025</summary>

[november-2025](https://documentation.carbonregistry.com/documentation/icr-program/updates/november-2025 "mention")

</details>

<details>

<summary>September 2025</summary>

[september-2025](https://documentation.carbonregistry.com/documentation/icr-program/updates/september-2025 "mention")

</details>

<details>

<summary>October 2024</summary>

[october-2024](https://documentation.carbonregistry.com/documentation/icr-program/updates/october-2024 "mention")

</details>

## Overview

The ICR is a comprehensive GHG program and a climate registry solution that offers a range of tools to help to manage greenhouse gas (GHG) projects. With our platform, you gain access to a variety of standards and an advanced inventory software solution, which allows you to easily manage carbon credits from ideation to issuance and sales.

Our platform is designed to provide you with a one-stop-shop for all your GHG project needs. Whether you're looking to track your credits, validate your project, or sell your carbon credits, we've got you covered.

Our platform features a range of tools to help you manage your GHG projects. You can choose from multiple methodologies or start fresh with a new one to achieve your goals, and our inventory software solution is designed to make it easy to track your carbon credits.

## Background

ICR is an initiative in Iceland to facilitate financing climate projects while safeguarding environmental integrity and contributing to a sustainable and low-carbon economy. The ICR serves as a platform for climate projects of any size where environmental integrity is promoted with credibility, consistency, and transparency of quantification, monitoring, reporting, validation, and verification. ICR recognizes the need to scale and accelerate the decarbonization of the economy, with climate financing for climate projects avoiding or reducing GHG emissions and sequestering or removing GHG from the atmosphere. ICR also recognizes the need to bring prominent technologies and nature-based solutions to light that have yet to establish a methodology according to the CDM or other GHG Programs but need the financial support of the emerging carbon markets to be viable. Therefore, the ICR is based on ISO standards, resulting in a more flexible, effective and efficient adoption of innovative climate solutions.&#x20;

ICR's mission is to build confidence in the carbon market for investors, project developers, corporations, the environmental community, authorities, and the public based on the application of ISO standards. The goal is to facilitate the necessary scaling of the voluntary carbon markets and the underlying climate solutions and utilize the market mechanism for real climate impacts. By that, financing climate projects viable for a fast transition to a low-carbon economy can be accelerated.

## ICR Program Structure

<figure><img src="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2FUVWwbRoBQnAuZyxYzo2T%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=0774132c-185e-4a5a-ae47-27f262a3a11e" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Project Cycle

<figure><img src="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2FDGkfZveoHE1s2ece5ZUY%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5ec2f03e-76c6-4da4-99b0-4c756f90ed07" alt=""><figcaption><p>Simplified summary of project lifecycle</p></figcaption></figure>

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## Quick Links

*Everything you need to know about the ICR program, governance, principles a climate project must conform to, required documentation, validation and verification, and the process of registering with the International Carbon Registry (ICR) is available on this site, in addition to* [*downloadable* ](https://documentation.carbonregistry.com/documentation/icr-program/document-library)*pdf and docx files.*&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
ICR documentation is updated periodically. Please check this page regularly to ensure you are using the latest version.
{% endhint %}

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Project Development</strong></td><td>Requirements are the criteria all projects must conform to in order to be validated and are set out under the <a href="icr-program/project-development/criteria">Criteria </a>section.</td><td></td><td><a href="icr-program/project-development">project-development</a></td><td><a href="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2FyaNQrd0V1T1YL6US2MYP%2F0.png?alt=media">0.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Methodology Development</strong></td><td>Requirements for developing a new methodology must conform to</td><td></td><td><a href="icr-program/methodology-development">methodology-development</a></td><td><a href="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2FyaNQrd0V1T1YL6US2MYP%2F0.png?alt=media">0.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Validation and Verification</strong> </td><td>Validation and verification provide an independent and transparent process for ensuring the integrity and credibility of greenhouse gas emission reductions and removals. </td><td></td><td><a href="icr-program/validation-and-verification">validation-and-verification</a></td><td><a href="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2F1XOHuG1zB4wbdXTMFnRh%2F0.png?alt=media">0.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Registry User Guide</strong></td><td>To get you familiarized with the platform and registration please read our <a href="carbonregistry.com/registry-user-guide">user guide</a>.</td><td></td><td><a href="carbonregistry.com/registry-user-guide">registry-user-guide</a></td><td><a href="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2FyaNQrd0V1T1YL6US2MYP%2F0.png?alt=media">0.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Terms and Conditions</strong></td><td>Using the registry and the ICR program is subject to terms and conditions. Here you can find our <a href="icr-program/terms-and-conditions">Terms and Conditions</a>.</td><td></td><td><a href="icr-program/terms-and-conditions">terms-and-conditions</a></td><td><a href="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2FyaNQrd0V1T1YL6US2MYP%2F0.png?alt=media">0.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Document Library</strong></td><td>All current and previous versions of documentation of the ICR program can be downloaded from the <a href="icr-program/document-library">Document Library</a>. </td><td></td><td><a href="icr-program/document-library">document-library</a></td><td><a href="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2FyaNQrd0V1T1YL6US2MYP%2F0.png?alt=media">0.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>About ICR</strong></td><td>Read about the background of the ICR program, its governance and procedures.</td><td></td><td><a href="icr-program/about-icr">about-icr</a></td><td><a href="https://2441265052-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfIdoGcZZdvap67xjb5h1%2Fuploads%2F1XOHuG1zB4wbdXTMFnRh%2F0.png?alt=media">0.png</a></td></tr></tbody></table>