The Amazon region arguably holds the greatest potential for reduction of deforestation-related carbon emissions. The purpose of the Amazon Forest Carbon Partnership (AFCP) is to catalyze this potential in a way that realizes actual reductions, does so in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner, and provides an example for other tropical forest nations to emulate. To this end, staff from the Nicholas Institute, working with other technical experts at Columbia and Stanford Universities, continue to advise the development of a “platinum standard” for the measurement, monitoring, and verification of avoided deforestation greenhouse gas emission reductions activities. In-country experts from environmental trust funds in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru are working with the technical expert teams to develop the standard, and will take a key role in facilitating project implementation and bringing the resulting credits to market.