The Buildings Breakthrough, launched at COP28 and coordinated by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) and operating under the Breakthrough Agenda, is an collaboration framework, endorsed by frontrunners countries and focused on five priority actions, driving key international actions to create an enabling environment for national policies for building decarbonisation and climate resilience. The framework aims at establishing near-zero emission and resilient buildings (NZERBs) as the new normal by 2030.

The work and outputs of the Buildings Breakthrough, supported by International Organisations and the GlobalABC Hubs and Action Groups, will be shared as tangible actions, evidence, and insights with the country members of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) to support the implementation of the commitments outlined in the Declaration de Chaillot.

Past documents: background paper (dated May 2023) english / french.

Plan to Accelerate NZERBs

As part of the Global Climate Action Agenda, the Buildings Breakthrough has been actively engaged in the COP30 Activation Group 12 on Sustainable and Resilient Constructions and Buildings, where it developed a sector Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS). This living document outlines concrete actions and supports collaboration among Parties and non-Party stakeholders across five priority areas to accelerate progress towards the shared goal of ‘Near-zero emission and resilient buildings (NZERBS) as the new normal by 2030’.

View the Full Plan to Accelerate NZERBs. The PAS aims at mapping, coordinating and elevating existing efforts, and inviting support, adoption and implementation of actions.

(Past document: 2025 Priority International Actions)

Discover below the leading global actions driving the five PAS priority outcomes, representing a growing set of foundations resources designed to simplify international cooperation and speed up national implementation:

B1. Standards and Certification

Facilitating Partner: World Green Building Council (WorldGBC)

GlobalABC Hubs and Actions Groups support: Adaptation Hub, Data Hub, Market Transformation Hub, Materials Hub, Sufficiency Hub, Passive Cooling Action Group

Build consensus among countries on qualitative definitions and principles for Near-Zero Emissions and Resilient Buildings (NZERB) across the entire life cycle, and outline related indicators, as well as guidelines to help ensure transparency, comparability and accountability, and consult on these over 2025.

👉 Read the Interim Report: Definition and principles for Near-Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings (NZERBs)

📣 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻: 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀

🗓 Submit your input by February 6th 2026

🔗 Click here to access the consultation form

B2. Demand Creation

Facilitating Partner: One Planet Network

GlobalABC Hubs and Actions Groups support: Clean Heat Forum, Materials Hub

Create procurement and policy commitments for NZERBs, for both new buildings and deep renovation projects, and join relevant initiatives to aggregate these commitments, as well as favour alignment of procurement policies on NZERBs related standards for clean and efficient heating and cooling technologies.

👉 Endorse the Global Framework for Action to apply sustainability and circularity in public procurement.

B3. Finance and Investment

Facilitating Partners: Partnership for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB) & International Finance Corporation (IFC)

GlobalABC Hubs and Actions Groups support: Finance Hub

Practical guidance products to unlock financing for NZERBs, including: A NZERB Finance Roadmap Template to integrate financing pathways into national and subnational roadmaps (led by GlobalABC); launch of a global initiative to strengthen banks’ institutional capacity and financing mechanisms for resilient and energy efficient building & “Article 6’ Implementation Handbook for Buildings”, to help mobilise climate finance for energy efficiency in buildings across EMDEs (led by Partnership for Energy Efficiency in Buildings).

B4. Research and Deployment

Facilitating Partner 'Research': UNU-Flores

Facilitating Partner 'Deployment': Solar Impulse Foundation

GlobalABC Hubs and Actions Groups support: Higher Education Institutions Action Group

[Deployment] A practical repository of market-ready technologies, complemented by proven policies and project models demonstrating real-world NZERB implementation, designed to accelerate replication and knowledge transfer across regions.

👉 COP30 milestone output on 'Deployment': Catalogue of Climate Solutions for Buildings.

👉 COP29 milestone output on 'Deployment': Blueprint for a Solutions Deployment Platform.

B5. Capacity and Skills

Facilitating Partner: International Code Council (ICC)

GlobalABC Hubs and Actions Groups support: Higher Education Institutions Action Group, Subnationals Action Group

Coordinate with countries and organisations to identify training and capacity-building priorities (including institutional capacities of national governments and local authorities), and leverage existing networks to share capacity-building resources and tools across all regions, with a focus on the establishment and compliance of building codes (in line with NZERBs principles and requirements); and to include NZERB principles and practices in institutional capacity building, educational curricula, training programs, competency assessments, and accreditation frameworks.

👉 COP30 milestone output: Capacity-Building resources and Knolwedge Portal (led by International Code Council)—launched in beta as part of a GlobalABC online knowledge platform

👉 COP29 milestone output: Institutional & Personnel Capacity to Deliver Near-Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings

B6. Landscape Coordination

Enhance the coordination and transparency of international collaboration on near-zero emission and resilient buildings, in coordination with the work for the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) meetings.

👉 View landscape mapping here.

Members and Partners

Leadership

The Buildings Breakthrough is co-led by France (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion) and the Kingdom of Morocco (Ministry of National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing and City Policy), and coordinated under the umbrella of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).

Supporting Countries

To date, 29 countries have joined the Buildings Breakthrough: Armenia, Austria, Canada, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Senegal, Sweden, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zambia.

In addition, the Buildings Breakthrough is supported by the European Commission.

Armenia: Urban Development Committee

Austria: Ministry of Climate Action and Energy

Canada: Natural Resources Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada

China: Ministry of Housing Urban and Rural Development

Côte d’Ivoire: Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

Egypt: Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities

Ethiopia: Ministry of Urban Development and Infrastructure

Finland: Ministry of Environment

France

France: Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion

(Buildings Breakthrough co-lead)

Germany: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Ghana: Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation

Guinea-Bissau: Ministry of Public Works, Construction and Urban Planning

Japan: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)

Jordan: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

Kenya: Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing & Urban Development

Liberia: Ministry of Mines and Energy

Mauritania: Ministry for Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD)

Mongolia: Ministry of Environment and Tourism

Morocco: Ministry for National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing and City Policy

(Buildings Breakthrough co-lead)

Netherlands: Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations; Construction and Energy Department

Norway

Norway: Ministry of Climate and Environment

Senegal: Ministry for Environment and Sustainable Development

Sweden: Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure

Tunisia: Ministry of Equipment and Housing

Türkiye: Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change

UAE

United Arab Emirates: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

United Kingdom: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

United States of America: White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy (Climate Policy Office)

Zambia: Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development

European Commission

Supporting Organisations/Initiatives

Context

Breakthrough Agenda and the Glasgow Breakthroughs

The Breakthrough Agenda, launched at COP26, is a commitment by world leaders from 45 countries, representing over 70% of global GDP, with the goal of halving global emissions by 2030 and achieving global net-zero emissions by mid-century.

The Breakthrough Agenda provides a framework for countries, businesses and civil society to strengthen their actions each year in key emitting sectors. It fosters collaboration and cooperation through a coalition of leading public, private and public-private global initiatives. It focuses on identifying critical areas that require collaborative action (e.g. on trade, standards, research & innovation, finance & investment, etc.), create the international conditions necessary and meet these goals.

In each sector, the Breakthrough Agenda aims to accelerate the adoption of clean technologies and sustainable solutions, making these options the most affordable, accessible, and attractive option in all regions by 2030. The Breakthrough Agenda will be embedded as an annual process to speed up and scale progress and achieve Breakthrough goals by 2030.

The Glasgow Breakthroughs, the first set of government-led Breakthrough goals launched at COP26, covered five key emitting sectors (power, road transport, steel, hydrogen and agriculture) that together represent over 50% of global emissions. Countries are stepping forward with the introduction of Breakthroughs in new sectors, such as the Buildings Breakthrough, which was launched by France and Morocco at COP28.

Buildings Breakthrough

At the Bonn Climate Change Conference in June 2022, it was announced by Mr. Stéphane Crouzat, French Climate Change Ambassador, that France and the Kingdom of Morocco would co-lead a Buildings Breakthrough Target, with the support of other willing governments. The governments of France and the Kingdom of Morocco reaffirmed their co-leadership of the target at the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial and 7th Mission Innovation (CEM13/MI·7); at the 2022 UN General Assembly; and at the COP27 Breakthrough Agenda Ministerial on 11 November 2022.

On 17 November 2022, during the event titled "A call for a Buildings Breakthrough as a rallying point" held at the COP27 Buildings Pavilion, the co-leading countries, together with the UK High-Level Climate Champion, the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) Executive Director, and multiple high-level country and initiative representatives, joined forces issuing an official call to all countries to join the Buildings Breakthrough to accelerate the transition to sustainable buildings for everyone everywhere.

On 6 December 2023, the Buildings Breakthrough was officially launched at COP28 UAE.

How to join

Here is a document explaining how to join the Buildings Breakthrough. Additional countries and initiatives interested in joining or supporting the Buildings Breakthrough are also invited to contact the GlobalABC Secretariat at [email protected], ensuring to include "Buildings Breakthrough" in the email subject line.

Press Coverage & Headlines

2025

👉 Spotlight on Climate Action: Buildings breakthrough Workshop Charts Path to Near-Zero Emission Buildings by 2030 (UNEP, 2025)

2024

👉 Buildings Breakthrough Priority International Actions for 2024 (GlobalABC, 2024)

👉 WorldGBC supports Breakthrough Agenda priority actions for the Buildings Breakthrough (WorldGBC, 2024)

👉 How cities can achieve net zero by targeting building emissions from design to demolition (World Economic Forum, 2024)

2023

👉 2023 Breakthrough Agenda Report (IEA,2023)

👉 G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’, where the importance of decarbonizing buildings’ lifecycles in combatting climate change was noted; the progress made towards launching the Buildings Breakthrough was recognised; and sector/issue-specific initiatives, such as the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), were welcomed. (G7 Ministers of Climate, Energy and the Environment, 2023)

👉 The Buildings Breakthrough: Global push for near-zero emission and resilient buildings by 2030 unveiled at COP28 (UNEP, 2023)

👉 COP28: France launches “Buildings Breakthrough”, aiming for zero emissions from the building sector by 2030 (France, 2023)

👉 Buildings Breakthrough campaign for zero-emissions, resilient buildings launched at COP 28 (United States, 2023)