20 November 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan – The UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) announced the establishment of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) today in Baku.
Launched at the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change at COP29, with UNEP’s GlobalABC as its secretariat, the ICBC is a significant step toward implementing the Chaillot Declaration. The ministerial declaration is a collaborative global policy framework launched in March 2024 – and endorsed by more than 70 countries – that engages stakeholders across the buildings sector in climate action.
Responsible for 37 per cent of global energy-related CO₂ emissions and 34 per cent of final energy demand in 2022, the buildings sector plays a vital economic role but is also a significant source of environmental impact.
As urban populations grow and incomes rise, decarbonizing and enhancing the resilience of buildings is critical to meeting global climate targets.
“After the creation of the GlobalABC at COP21, by spearheading the adoption of the Declaration de Chaillot, France is highlighting the crucial need for multilateral cooperation in order to enable progress towards a rapid, fair, and effective transition of the buildings sector”, said Yves-Laurent Sapoval, Ministerial Delegate for Sustainable Cities, Urban Envoy, Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, France.
The Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change saw ministers, mayors, and other world leaders discuss the transformative potential of climate action in the buildings sector. It underscored the economic, health, and social benefits of climate-aligned building practices, highlighting the role of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in attracting investment and leveraging public finance to drive private-sector engagement.
Prioritizing the buildings sector in the next NDCs submissions due in 2025 is essential, and the NDCs for Buildings guide—co-published by GlobalABC—provides countries with a framework to incorporate strategies to decarbonize buildings in their NDCs 3.0, experts say.
The 2023 Global Status Report reveals that the global building floor area increased by 2 per cent and energy demand rose by 3 per cent in 2022, highlighting the pressing need to align urban development with decarbonization efforts.
“The ICBC will work towards achieving climate mitigation and adaptation in the buildings sector,” said Ruth Zugman Do Coutto, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Division at UNEP.
About the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) is a collaborative platform founded during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), led by France and hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). With over 339 members, including 42 countries, GlobalABC champions a zero-emission, efficient, and resilient buildings and construction sector. GlobalABC also coordinates the Buildings Breakthrough aimed at fostering international cooperation on building decarbonization and resilience through strategic policy support. This effort is led by France and Morocco, emphasizing GlobalABC's role in uniting countries around climate-friendly policies in the buildings sector.
About the Chaillot Declaration and the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Construction (ICBC)
The Chaillot Declaration, endorsed at the March 2024 Buildings and Climate Forum, is a key document for international cooperation in the building sector's transition towards zero emissions and resilience. It establishes the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC), coordinated by the UNEP-hosted GlobalABC, to regularly convene national representatives to share best practices and monitor progress on the Declaration’s implementation.
The Declaration establishes a collaborative global policy framework that actively engages stakeholders across the buildings sector in climate action, aligning closely with GlobalABC’s vision for decarbonization. Under the Declaration, two technical meetings and one ministerial meeting are held annually. As part of the leadership Troika of the ICBC alongside France and Kenya, Brazil is set to host the upcoming ministerial meeting at COP30.
