OGCI and OGDC welcome UN, World Bank focus on methane

London, 23 June 2026: Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, Head of the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter Secretariat and Chair of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s Executive Committee said:

“We welcome the UN and World Bank’s focus on reducing methane emissions within the oil and gas sector – it’s a challenge this group of industry leaders is working to address.

Methane reduction is the core of the aims of the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC), and it represents the cornerstone of the work at the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) for the past decade. We support further collaboration across industry, government and international organizations to accelerate progress. OGCI’s member companies have shown that large scale reductions of methane emissions and flaring can be achieved.

Clear leadership, better detection, monitoring and operational practices have helped OGCI members collectively reduce OGCI members’ operated methane emissions by 63% since 2017 and reduce routine flaring by 72% since 2018.

OGCI is working with OGDC signatories to help apply and scale proven solutions across the industry through knowledge sharing and leadership. As a truly global initiative that represents ~40% of oil and gas production, two-thirds of which are national oil companies, OGDC shows that companies can accelerate voluntary methane mitigation through knowledge sharing and leadership.

In just two years, OGDC has evolved from a COP28 commitment into a global implementation platform. Signatories have completed the industry’s largest climate baselining exercise, adopted the OGCI Reporting Framework, expanded top-down emissions measurement, and published the first aggregated view of operated Scope 1 and 2 emissions – turning Charter ambitions into measurable progress.

OGCI members and OGDC signatories remain committed to eliminate routine flaring and achieve near zero methane emissions by 2030 and we will continue sharing what we’ve learned across the wider industry because the fastest way to scale progress is through collaboration. Much of the work lies ahead of us.”

Background:

• Launched at COP28 and implemented by the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC) brings global companies together to accelerate reductions in operational emissions, turning ambition into measurable action.
• To date, there have been over 10 mentorships and peer-to-peer programs between signatories, enabling companies to exchange specific practices on emissions measurement, target setting, and project execution.
• In 2025, more than 80% of OGDC production was covered by action plans on Scope 1 & 2, methane, and routine flaring (+11 companies since the 2024 Baselining Survey).
• In 2025, signatories adopted the OGCI Reporting Framework and published a first-of-its-kind aggregated overview of companies’ operated Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Read the OGDC 2025 Status Report here.
• OGDC provides a global platform for action, accountability, and peer learning. It has been recognized by the UNEP, EDF, and IEA as “one of the simplest ways for companies to align with industry-standard targets and to accelerate peer-to-peer learning.” (Pledges to Progress, 2025).
• In 2024 signatories invested USD $32 billion in low-carbon solutions including renewables, carbon capture, hydrogen and sustainable fuels.