UNHCR, BB Energy–Hamerkop-Fairventures join forces with Farm Africa, Tree Aid and ICRAF to implement landmark climate initiative

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is joining forces with consortia lead partners BB Energy who are supported by Hamerkop and Fairventures and Farm Africa, Tree Aid and ICRAF, to begin implementation of large-scale clean cooking and reforestation projects in Uganda and Rwanda under the Refugee Environmental Protection Fund.

This innovative Fund is expected to catalyse high-impact reforestation as well as expanded access to clean cooking solutions across refugee-hosting areas in the two countries, over the next decade.

Across the initial pilot phase, more than 50,000 families will be supported with clean cooking solutions to reduce reliance on firewood for household use. More than 7,000 hectares of degraded land will also be restored through activities such as agroforestry, assisted natural regeneration, and community-based tree planting. The projects are also expected to generate verified voluntary carbon credits from 2027 onward, linking environmental restoration, energy access and refugee protection.

Over the longer-term ambition of the platform, the initiative aims to restore more than 100,000 hectares, expand clean cooking access to over one million refugees and host community members, and reduce carbon emissions by up to six million tonnes of CO2 annually.

The announcement follows UNHCR’s earlier launch of the Refugee Environmental Protection Fund, the first large-scale refugee-led carbon finance platforms designed to mobilise voluntary carbon markets in displacement settings.

“This marks a structural shift in how we finance environmental and protection responses in displacement settings. By mobilising high-integrity carbon markets for clean energy and ecosystem restoration, we are demonstrating that refugee-hosting areas can attract private climate capital while delivering measurable protection, livelihood and resilience outcomes,” said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

The projects will be implemented in Bidibidi and Kyangwali settlements in Uganda and in Kigeme camp in Rwanda, following government engagement and feasibility studies confirming land availability, implementation capacity and carbon certification pathways. The goal is to also jointly scale in other key priority sites within the two countries.

Implementation will be delivered through two consortia with defined site leadership across Uganda and Rwanda.

The BB Energy consortium will lead activities in Bidibidi settlement in Uganda and will manage the clean cooking component in Kigeme camp in Rwanda. BB Energy’s environmental subsidiary Everpath will oversee carbon asset management and structuring, with Hamerkop providing technical expertise on environmental and carbon design. The focus will be on market-based clean cooking solutions designed to reduce fuelwood dependence and associated emissions while improving household air quality.

“This pioneering partnership harnesses the power of carbon markets and private sector businesses to support UNHCR’s mission to provide protection and assistance to refugees. The 10-year commitment to forest restoration and clean cooking will restore degraded habitats, improve health and wellbeing, and advance the fight against climate change. At a time when public funding for such initiatives is increasingly constrained BB Energy is proud of its role in this highly innovative scheme,’ said Mohamed Bassatne, CEO of BB Energy.

Farm Africa, Tree Aid and ICRAF will lead activities in Kyangwali settlement in Uganda and will co-lead reforestation activities in Kigeme camp in Rwanda. Drawing on long-standing regional experience in community forestry and landscape restoration, the consortium will implement biodiversity-focused restoration, agroforestry systems and long-term carbon sequestration activities.

“Community-led restoration is central to long-term success. Together with Tree Aid and ICRAF, we will work closely with refugees and host communities to restore degraded landscapes and ensure that environmental gains translate into tangible local benefits,” said Samuel Arop, Uganda Country Representative, Farm Africa.

In Kigeme, both consortia will work under joint governance, ensuring operational coordination between reforestation activities led by the Farm Africa, Tree Aid and ICRAF consortium and clean cooking activities led by the BB Energy – Hamerkop consortium.

Together, the integrated model is designed to reduce pressure on surrounding woodlands while restoring degraded landscapes, creating green jobs and establishing structured benefit-sharing mechanisms for refugees and host communities.

The projects will operate under a joint governance framework involving UNHCR, consortium partners and relevant government stakeholders. Monitoring, Reporting and Verification systems will align with internationally recognised voluntary carbon standards and independent third-party validation to ensure environmental integrity and transparency.

The Uganda and Rwanda pilots will inform replication in additional displacement-affected contexts as the platform expands.

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Notes to Editors

About BB Energy-Hamerkop-Fairventures consortium

• BB Energy is one of the leading independently owned energy trading companies globally. Founded by BB Energy in 2025, Everpath partners with project developers companies, national and supranational governmental bodies and not-for-profits to deliver high-quality, high integrity environmental projects. With roots extending back to the birth of carbon markets Everpath’s proven success across project management, finance and advisory continues to strengthen its reputation in environmental markets.
• HAMERKOP. Founded in 2018, HAMERKOP is an award-winning independent consultancy specialising in carbon finance, energy access and Nature-based Solutions. With offices in London and Singapore, the team has supported over 190 assignments in 50+ countries. With a special focus on Nature-based Solutions and clean cooking projects, HAMERKOP supports the certification, implementation, and impact monitoring of high-integrity projects around the world, enabling their access to the carbon market. HAMERKOP provides end-to-end carbon market expertise and has an extensive track record of providing consultancy services to governments, international NGOs and the private sector. The company’s overarching aim is to support mitigation projects in accessing carbon finance, thereby maximising their social and environmental impact.
• FAIRVENTURES. Fairventures Worldwide is a German non-profit organization founded in 2013. Focusing on reforestation projects and agroforestry, Fairventures and local partners work closely with smallholder farmers and offtakers of goods from agroforestry systems in Uganda and Indonesia. Fairventures and local partners currently support 1,300 smallholder famers in Uganda and have 2,900 hectares of land under restoration.
• Fairventures brings operational expertise and quality-driven reforestation concepts and implementation to the project.
• INNOVEST, Innovest will act as FPIC consultants to the consortium providing expertise in business models, Free Prior Informed Consent, Monitoring Reporting and Verification and Community Engagement in humanitarian contexts.

About the Farm Africa-Tree Aid-ICRAF consortium

• Farm Africa is a leading NGO that works in partnership with smallholder farmers and small businesses in eastern Africa to improve the quality, quantity and value of their produce, so that they can support their families with more resilient livelihoods. We build the positive case for farming in harmony with nature, so that increasing yields goes hand in hand with restoring ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Tree Aid is an international development charity that tackles poverty and environmental degradation in Africa's drylands by growing trees and restoring land. Working in countries like Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Senegal, it empowers local communities – particularly women – through sustainable agroforestry, income-generating tree enterprises, and improved food security. Tree Aid is also actively engaged in carbon finance and is the first organisation to have a project approved under Verra’s ARR methodology (VM0047), demonstrating its leadership in high-integrity, high quality nature-based carbon initiatives.
• World Agroforestry (ICRAF) is a centre of scientific excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, it is the only institution globally dedicated to researching agroforestry in the developing tropics.

For more information, please contact:

Faith Kasina, [email protected], +254 113 427 094