Buildings and Climate Global Forum

28 February 2024

Date: 7-8 March 2024
Location: Palais des Congrès, Paris, France
Format: Only in-person.
Access to the Forum: Invited and accredited persons only
Language: English only for all the sessions on 7 March. English-French translation is available for the Ministerial sessions on 8 March.
Organisers: Government of France and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the support of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC)

Event description

The buildings and construction sector accounts for 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The climate impact of buildings is likely to increase in the coming decades due to rapid growth, especially in urban areas in the Global South. Yet, the buildings and construction sector is not on track to achieve decarbonization by 2050. It is therefore more urgent than ever to change the way humanity constructs and uses buildings.

The Buildings and Climate Global Forum will bring together ministers and high-level representatives of key organisations in an effort to spur the decarbonisation of the buildings sector. The event is the first of its kind and will follow up on progress made at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).

Co-organised by France and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the support of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), the forum will take place on 7-8 March 2024 in Paris, France.

The forum follows the successful launch of the Buildings Breakthrough at COP28. That initiative supported by 28 governments and the European Commission, among others, aspires to make near-zero-emission and resilient buildings the new normal by 2030.

The two-day Buildings and Climate Global Forum will be a unique opportunity for senior government officials and those in the buildings sector, along with other stakeholders, to discuss building decarbonisation and resilience.

Over 800 participants are expected. CEO and ministerial roundtables, plenary meetings, solution exhibitions and pitches will provide participants with the opportunity to network and exchange ideas. Governments will be invited to endorse a framework for global efforts to achieve decarbonisation and climate change resilience in the buildings sector.

Programme

The official programme will be published on the event page of the French Government.

Objectives 

Showcase the impact of the buildings and construction sector on the environment, and its significant role in achieving climate goals.
Demonstrate the importance of multi-level international collaboration to tackle carbon emissions.
Promote cooperation and partnerships among international actors and organisations to accelerate the transition to near-zero emission and resilient buildings.
Explore sustainable design practices, technological innovations, and solutions in the sector.
Inspire policymakers to establish and implement policies that foster energy efficiency and resilience in buildings.
Highlight the Buildings Breakthrough as a complementary initiative in service of advancing the international collaboration necessary for the decarbonisation and resilience of buildings globally.

Outcomes

Governments will be invited to endorse a joint statement, the “Déclaration de Chaillot”, which will outline an international collaboration framework for decarbonising the buildings sector.
All stakeholders of the buildings sector will be invited to disclose their commitments and contributions to decarbonising the industry.
Organisations and stakeholder groups will be invited to disclose priority actions, including the 2024 priority actions of the Buildings Breakthrough.

Participants

This event is by invitation only and aims to bring together invited participants, including ministers, national and sub-national governments, various actors of the value chain (Investors & asset managers, property developers, insurers & reinsurers, product manufacturers, Architecture, engineering and construction actors, property & facility managers, academia, philanthropists, etc.) and international organisations engaged in the decarbonisation and resilience of the buildings sector.

Other stakeholders can express their interest in participating in the forum via this form. Expressions of interest do not constitute registrations and will be considered case by case by the organizers.