Supporting the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) and The Buildings Breakthrough

Buildings are responsible for nearly 37% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. However, the sector could become climate-neutral by 2050 if material savings are made, building materials concrete and steel are produced in a climate-friendly way and more alternative building materials are used (avoid-shift-improve-approach). Especially in the Global South, there is often a lack of strategies to drive forward the transition to climate-friendly and resilient buildings. The project supports international cooperation as part of the Initiative coordinated by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC). The aim is to establish nearly emission-free and resilient buildings as the new standard by 2030. The project strengthens political dialog, promotes knowledge transfer and helps to make the topic more visible at global level. It complements other IKI projects that are working in individual partner countries to reduce emissions in the building sector.

Project data

IKI funding: 1,500,000.00 €
Duration: 04/2025 till 04/2027
Status: open
Implementing organisation: United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) - France

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State of implementation/results

Active role at COP30: As the secretariat of Activation Group #12 on Sustainable Buildings and Construction, GlobalABC supported the Brazilian COP Presidency in developing five “Plans to Accelerate Solutions” (PAS). Particularly noteworthy are the “Near-Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings” Roadmap and the Thematic Hub Events under the Climate Action Agenda to set global standards for climate-neutral buildings. Additionally, the project organized the “Buildings and Cooling Pavilion” in collaboration with the Cooling Coalition in the Blue Zone area of COP30—a central meeting point with 45 events and over 235 speakers (50% women; more info at globalabc.org/…).
At the national level, the project strengthened collaboration with partner countries by supporting the update of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). In Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, and Bangladesh, building standards were integrated into the NDCs through technical advice and the application of common guidelines (developed by UNEP/GlobalABC and the IKI project PEEB).
Another focus was on the development of frameworks and tools:
- The “Global Framework for Action on Circular and Sustainable Public Procurement” (www.oneplanetnetwork.org/…) was launched in Q2 2025 and has since been endorsed by 9 countries and 3 (international) organizations. Capacity-building measures are planned for 2026 in selected countries to promote sustainable and circular public procurement in the built environment.
- In the finance sector, a global overview of financing solutions for low-emission buildings (Financing Facilities Survey) was created, with results to be published in the first half of 2026. At the same time, a “Green Building Finance Roadmap Template” is being piloted in Jordan—in partnership with the German Energy Agency (dena).
- In the cooling sector, “Global Passive Cooling Guidelines for Tropical Climates” were finalized (publication Q2 2026), and a roadmap for ASEAN countries was developed to promote climate-adapted construction in hot regions.
Knowledge transfer:
- A catalogue of solutions for buildings and the construction sector was developed. The catalogue highlights scalable and transferable technologies and is supplemented by case studies. It was published during COP30 (available at globalabc.org/…).
- The beta version of the knowledge portal, to be fully developed by October 2026, has been launched.

Latest Update:
05/2026