GBPN Initiatives to support Buildings Breakthrough

Key international stakeholders will gather in Paris in March to form an action group to put the buildings sector on track to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The Buildings and Climate Global Forum, co-organized by the Government of France and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and supported by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), aims to be a catalyst for international collaboration for building decarbonization and resilience. Ministers and high-level representatives will meet on March 7 & 8 to exchange ideas, share, network and work together on a “Declaration de  Chaillot” – a promise to decarbonize the buildings sector.

There is increasing realization that the building and construction sector is critical to climate action, but also to the economy and well-being. But despite increased commitments from countries, the sector is not on track to achieve decarbonization by 2050. The collective experience of the sector has shown that transformational change is possible only through international and multi-level collaboration between all the stakeholders of the sector’s value chain. 

GBPN, represented by Dr Peter Graham, will be participating as a Buildings Breakthrough Global Forum Advisory Board member.

“According to the IPCC, building sector mitigation policies can not only reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but help lift 2.8 billion people in developing countries out of energy poverty,”¹ Dr Graham said. 

But to bring about this change, collaboration is imperative between international and multi-level collaboration between all the stakeholders. The first edition of the Forum will aim to establish a general framework for this collaboration.”

GBPN is also a supporting initiative of the Buildings Breakthrough which was launched at COP28 last year. Priority actions for the Breakthrough agenda are planned to be launched at the first Buildings and Climate Global Forum this year. GBPN’s initiatives include –

GBPN Building Net Zero: Mobilising Policy Action will be supporting with:

• Demand Creation & Management
• Infrastructure and Supply Chains
• Knowledge, Capacity & Skills
• Standards and Certification

GBPN: Healthy Buildings Healthy Lives will be supporting with:

• Knowledge, Capacity & Skills
• Social Engagement & Impact

The GBPN Network will be supporting with Knowledge, Capacity & Skills

¹ IPCC 6th Assessment Report