Green and resilient buildings, from multilateral cooperation to local implementation

Greening cities necessitates the development of green and resilient buildings, together with urban systems.

Buildings account for 21% of total greenhouse gas emissions, i.e around 12 GtCO2, while the built environment contributes about 7% to global employment, and comprises 11-13% of global GDP. With half of the buildings expected to exist in 2050 yet to be constructed, this event will underline the critical role of buildings in combating climate change and advancing a just transition.

The event will initially take stock of multilateral initiatives focused on the decarbonisation and resilience of the built environment. The inaugural Buildings and Climate Global Forum (March 2024), saw 70 countries endorse the Declaration de Chaillot, setting a shared vision for policy measures to transition the sector. The Buildings Breakthrough, launched at COP28 and supported by 28 countries, aims to prioritise key actions aligned with the sector's targets. Both ambitious frameworks, coordinated by the UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Constructions (GlobalABC), promote deep collaboration within the sector. GlobalABC serves as the global platform, uniting national and subnational governments, along with stakeholders across the wide value chain, to address buildings and climate-related issues.

The event will also take stock of urban climate related initiatives. Recently, two initiatives were launched to strengthen urban climate actions in the sector. SURGe (Sustainable Urban Resilience for the next Generation), developed in collaboration with UN-Habitat and facilitated by ICLEI, brings together non-state actors to enhance local and urban climate action through multi-level governance. CHAMP (Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships) represents a commitment taken by national governments to collaborate with their subnational counterparts for implementing their next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and of local-level actions.

Lastly, the event will emphasise the need of empowering cities through multilevel governance for locally adapted actions as providers of solutions for climate change adaptation, resilience, mitigation, and a just transition in the built environment. It will explore ways to enhance multilevel synergies for effective localised implementation across all countries. The Declaration de Chaillot acknowledges the significance of adapting to local contexts and means, anchoring objectives in multilevel governance, integrated approaches, and inclusive engagement of stakeholders in decision and policy-making processes. The GlobalABC co-leads the SURGe “Buildings and Housing” working group and its newly established Action Group on Local and Subnational Stakeholder Engagement.

This event will convene national and local governments, along with private sector representatives to facilitate exchanges on shared challenges and solutions and strengthen partnerships within the built environment.