Nexus History

Nexus was first envisioned by GERES (The Group for the Environment, Renewable Energy and Solidarity, www.geres.eu ) in 2007 and launched by 8 NGOs from 7 different countries in April 2008. It is now incorporated in Singapore as a charity.

2006-2007: Consultations and Key Findings

In 2006-2007, with a grant from the World Bank and the collaboration of ARECOP (Asia Regional Cookstoves Program), GERES Climate Change Unit conducted consultations with NGOs from 7 countries.
To learn more about the consultations background and key findings, please click here.

2007-2008: Development of a concept

Current practices result in poor carbon deals for social project developers, inequitable risks and liabilities and high transaction costs. Developers' platforms could reduce the buyer-seller asymmetry, improve deal equity, and negotiate lower fees from service providers.

In Bali (COP 13) and in Poznan (COP14), African NGOs welcomed the idea of a developer platform that would help them to overcome the same challenges to the carbon market that were identified by GERES in Asia.

So, there is a strong need from development stakeholders worldwide for assistance in implementing carbon projects (from baseline studies to project design document (PDD) writing, monitoring and verification) and in selling carbon credits.

2008-2009: Creation of Nexus, the alliance of social carbon project developers

To answer this pressing need, GERES hosted further consultation within its network. In April 2008, the foundation meeting of the alliance (1st General Assembly of Nexus) took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. There, 8 development organizations from 7 different countries committed to create an alliance that will use carbon financing to reduce poverty and emissions of greenhouse gases. After working together to create an action plan and framework, the Nexus Charter was ratified by its 8 founding members in April 2009, at the Second General Assembly of Nexus in Singapore.

Today, Nexus offers an integrated carbon services platform dedicated to projects that contribute to both mitigate climate change and tackle world poverty. Building on its core competencies, carbon project development and poverty alleviation, Nexus is now launching an ethical investment fund which will enable it to drive investments towards those who need it most: the poor in least developed countries in Asia and in Africa.

Read more about Nexus history in our Activity Report (2007 - 2010).