ABOUT THE EVENT

Last December marked the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement—a historic milestone that reshaped the global commitment to combat climate change through collective responsibility and national action plans. Its agenda explicitly calls for the transformation of the built-environment sector. This October will also mark a decade since the adoption of the New Urban Agenda at Habitat III, the foundational framework guiding sustainable urbanisation worldwide. The agenda reaffirmed the pivotal role of cities and local governments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to affordable housing.

Together, the outcomes of COP21 and Habitat III have driven a decade of innovation and collaboration. COP21’s action plan launched the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), which has become a cornerstone of international cooperation to decarbonise the built environment. Through this platform, countries, industry leaders, and cities have worked hand-in-hand to promote zero-emission, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient buildings. Meanwhile, Habitat III sparked a global movement to ensure access to affordable, adequate, and inclusive housing—key to urban equity and prosperity. The “Adequate Housing for All” resolution of the UN-Habitat General Assembly further enabled collaborative work through an active open-ended working group. These two dynamic forces converged at COP30 with the adoption of the Belém Call for Sustainable and Affordable Housing during the inaugural ministerial meeting of the International Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC), reaffirming the international community’s commitment to aligning housing, construction, and climate goals.

This networking event will bring together representatives from UN-Habitat, UNEP, the French Ministry, and cities from Brazil and Kenya. It will provide a platform to reflect on the progress and challenges of the past decade, exchange knowledge and experiences, and identify pathways to accelerate the transition toward affordable, sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient housing in the years ahead.

SESSION PANELISTS

• Ms. Hanane Hafraoui
  Programme Officer, UNEP GlobalABC (Morocco)
• Mr. Bledar Aliaj
  Director of Energy Efficiency Department, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania (Albania)
• Mr. Kennedy Matheka
  Deputy Director, Buildings Safety and Climate Resilience
  Ministry of Lands, Public Works & Urban Development (Kenya)
• Mr. Augusto Henrique Alves Rabelo
  National Secretary of Housing, Ministry of Cities (Brazil)
• Ms. Fiona Littlejohn-Carrillo
  Economic Affairs Officer, Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, ECLAC (United Kingdom)
• Mr. Raf Tuts
  Director, Global Solutions Division, UN-Habitat (Belgium)

FURTHER INFORMATION

Learn more about WUF13:
https://wuf.unhabitat.org/event/wuf13/affordable-housing-and-climate-change-10-years-later-after-paris-agreement