PCS DIS 001 Disclosure Transparency and Confidentiality Procedure_v1.0

Document Control

Document identification

• Document code: PCS-DIS-001

• Title: Disclosure, Transparency and Confidentiality Procedure

• Scope: Minimum disclosures, confidentiality exemptions, redaction rules, correction notices, and retention requirements for PCS registry and programme disclosures

• Crediting outcome: Not applicable (governance procedure)

Version history and change log

Table DC-1. Revision history

Version	Date	Status	Summary of changes	Prepared by	Approved by
v1.0	TBD	Draft	Initial release for public consultation	PCS Secretariat	TBD

Superseded versions

No superseded versions for v1.0.

Governance note on versioning and archiving

Only the latest approved version of this Procedure shall be used. Superseded versions shall be archived and retained for traceability and audit purposes. Printed or downloaded copies are uncontrolled; stakeholders must refer to the PCS-published version as the authoritative current version.

Chapter 1 - Community summary

1.1 What this Procedure is

This Procedure explains what PCS publishes publicly, what can be kept confidential, how redactions work, and how PCS corrects errors. It is meant to keep PCS auditable while protecting legitimately sensitive information.

1.2 Why this matters

Transparency is a core integrity control. Stakeholders must be able to understand what was registered, what was verified, what was issued, and what was retired. At the same time, some information must be protected for legal, privacy, or safety reasons. This Procedure sets the line.

1.3 What PCS will publish at a minimum

Disclosure item	What the public should see
Project identity	Project name, unique identifier, sector/type, and location (at least administrative region).
Method and status	Methodology used, validation status, VVB identity, and verification periods.
Issuance and retirement	Issued volumes by vintage and retired volumes by vintage.
Labels	Any labels applied to the units (for example eligibility labels), as recorded in the PCS registry.
Article 6 and authorization status (where applicable)	Status categories recorded in PCS registry, subject to confidentiality controls.

1.4 Common scenarios

• Scenario 1: A project claims commercial confidentiality for financial details.

  Outcome: PCS may redact commercially sensitive financials but will not redact material integrity information needed to assess additionality, baseline, quantification, safeguards, or claims validity.

• Scenario 2: A document contains personal data.

  Outcome: PCS will redact personal data and retain an unredacted controlled copy for audit.

• Scenario 3: A material error is found in a public issuance volume.

  Outcome: PCS will correct it promptly, publish a correction notice for material issues, and link the correction to the affected record.

Chapter 2 - Purpose

This Procedure defines PCS requirements for public disclosure, transparency, confidentiality exemptions and record retention. It is designed to ensure the PCS programme remains auditable and credible while protecting legitimately confidential information.

Chapter 3 - Scope

This Procedure applies to all projects, methodologies, programme decisions and registry records within PCS, including disclosures made via the PCS Registry and PCS public channels.

Chapter 4 - Minimum public disclosures

PCS shall publicly disclose, at a minimum, for each registered project: project name and identifier; location (at least administrative region level); project type/sector; methodology used; project proponent; validation status and VVB identity; verification periods; issued volumes by vintage; retired volumes by vintage; and any labels applied under PCS labelling rules.

PCS shall also disclose host country authorization and corresponding adjustment categories where applicable, subject to confidentiality controls in Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 - Document disclosures

PCS shall make available, unless a justified confidentiality exemption is granted: the project design/description documentation (or an approved public summary where full disclosure is not feasible); validation report or validation statement; verification report or verification statement; and monitoring summaries sufficient to understand quantified outcomes.

Methodologies, tools, and programme rules shall be publicly accessible.

Chapter 6 - Confidentiality exemptions

Ground for exemption	Examples
Commercially sensitive information	Detailed financials, proprietary process data.
Personal data	Identifiers, sensitive personal information.
Culturally sensitive information	Sensitive community or cultural data.
Security-sensitive information	Information that could increase risk of harm or site security risks.

PCS shall not grant confidentiality exemptions that would conceal material information necessary to assess additionality, baseline appropriateness, quantification integrity, safeguards, or claims validity.

Where an exemption is granted, PCS shall publish a redacted version or a public summary that preserves material integrity information.

Chapter 7 - Redaction rules

Redactions shall be limited to the minimum necessary. Each redaction shall be accompanied by a reason category. PCS shall maintain an unredacted controlled copy accessible for audit purposes and authorised integrity reviews.

Chapter 8 - Data quality and corrections

PCS shall correct errors in public disclosures promptly upon discovery. Material corrections shall be logged in a public correction notice and linked to affected records. Where a correction could affect buyer claims, PCS shall notify account holders of affected credits where feasible.

Chapter 9 - Records retention

PCS shall retain project documents, registry records, verification statements, disclosure decisions and redaction logs for at least 10 years after the last issuance for the project, unless law or contractual obligations require longer retention.