What is verification?

Verification is defined in 3/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 61 as follows:

Verification is the periodic independent review and ex post determination by the designated operational entity of the monitored reductions in anthropogenic emissions by sources of greenhouse gases that have occurred as a result of a registered CDM project activity during the verification period (3/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 61).

The rules relating to verification of CDM project activities apply also to Programmes of Activities (PoA) and CDM Programme Activities (CPAs) within a PoA:

The procedures for verification, certification and request for issuance of certified emission reductions (CERs) as referred to in paragraphs 62, 63 and 64 of Decision 3/CMP.1 and the procedures for review of requests for issuance of CERs as contained in Annex IV to Decision 4/CMP.1 and subsequent related decisions of the Executive Board shall apply unless modified through the provisions below (EB 32, Annex 39, paragraph 18).

Therefore, verification is the process of confirming the authenticity of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by a PoA and each CPA over a defined period of time (a verification period). In order to do this, a CPA's emission reductions are monitored and the monitoring data for a verification period is reviewed and assessed.

The DOE's verification report must include a description of how the verification methodology stipulated in the CDM-POA-DD was applied, including how site visits were undertaken:

The DOE conducting the verification shall include in its verification report a description of how it applied the methods/procedures for the purpose of verification stipulated in the registered CDM-PoA-DD. The DOE shall include in its verification report a description/justification of the site visits undertaken (EB 32, Annex 39, paragraph 21).