Photo by Stefan Gröschel, Public Relations, Institute of Concrete Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden.
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) held its recent Annual Assembly in the historic city of Dresden, Germany, on the 7th and 8th April 2025. Members came together to review and celebrate progress, discuss ongoing activities, and chart the path forward for the Alliance. While members engage throughout the year via thematic Hubs and Action Groups, the Assembly served to further facilitate meaningful exchanges and strengthen synergies across GlobalABC’s various workstreams.
Photo- Left: Marta Bouchard (Autodesk) and Elizabeth Beardsley (USGBC). Right: Stephen Hill (Arup), Yves-Laurent Sapoval (Government of France), Will Wild (Arup), and Mona Mohammed (UNEP-Cities). Photo by Stefan Gröschel.
Under the theme “Building for a Resilient Future,” over 160 representatives from governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society came together to reaffirm their support and commitment to the GlobalABC, both in-person in Dresden and online. Participants shared their knowledge and experiences, highlighting examples of successful initiatives, practices and solutions for accelerating climate action in the building and construction sector.
For the first time, select members also delivered technical training sessions during the Assembly — a new feature that will continue in future editions. These sessions offered in-depth knowledge on topics such as building passports, resilience planning, life cycle assessments, and policymaking for sustainable buildings — equipping participants with tools to drive change at local, national, and global levels. Many attendees expressed enthusiasm about applying the knowledge in their respective contexts.
A dedicated session also gathered input to help shape the future direction of the Buildings Global Status Report (Buildings-GSR) —a critical knowledge product providing a unique stocktake of global climate action in the sector.
In addition, Brazil’s Ministry of Cities formally endorsed the Buildings and Cooling Pavilion, to be led by GlobalABC in collaboration with Cool Coalition, and committed to hosting the first-ever Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) Ministerial Meeting at COP30 in Belém, Brazil
More details on how you can join the pavilion linked here.
Here's a summary of the key outcomes from the Assembly related to GlobalABC’s flagship activities:
Session on “The Chaillot Declaration and the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC)”
Photo- From left to right: Hanane Hafraoui (UNEP-GlobalABC), Roland Hunziker (WBCSD), Yves-Laurent Sapoval (Government of France), Kennedy Matheka (Government of Kenya), Judy Zakreski (International Code Council), Antonio Da Costa e Silva (Government of Brazil), and Ilyas Essabai (Government of Morocco). Photo by Stefan Gröschel.
Key Outcomes:
- Reaffirmed Leadership & Priorities: Senior representatives from the ICBC Troika (France, Brazil and Kenya) emphasized their commitment and outlined strategic priorities for the coming year — notably access to finance, self-build and affordable housing. High-level political support was reaffirmed through video statements from:
> H.E. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Ecological Transition, France – ICBC Chair
(see her video statement here)
> H.E. Jader Barbalho Filho, Minister of Cities, Brazil – ICBC Vice Chair
(see his video statement here)
- Member Dialogue & Collaboration: ICBC members participated in a panel discussion to share engagement plans with the coalition, express expectations from ICBC activities and highlight how their national contexts can benefit from ICBC
- Inclusion of Non-State Actors: GlobalABC members emphasized the importance of closer collaboration between ICBC and the non-state actor community to unlock new opportunities and increase impact.
Sessions on the “Buildings Breakthrough– a Technical Framework for Accelerating Buildings Decarbonization and Resilience Targets”
Photo- Breakout Session on Buildings Breakthrough. Photo by Stefan Gröschel.
Key Outcomes:
- Progress on Priority Actions and COP Deliverables: Milestones achieved across six Priority Actions of the Buildings Breakthrough, including a new focus on “research,” and key outputs such as Near-Zero Emissions and Resilient Buildings (NZERB) definitions and guidelines, a global framework for SPPs, a finance roadmap, a solutions catalogue, a capacity-building report, and an online portal—all aligned with the Chaillot Declaration and feeding into ICBC discussions.
- Strengthened Collaboration through Breakout Sessions: Dedicated sessions fostered deeper engagement and synergy-building among GlobalABC Hubs and Action Groups to advance implementation of the Priority Actions.
- Strategic Direction for Future Work: Clear short and long-term steps identified, including leveraging existing networks for implementation, mapping global/regional initiatives, promoting alignment with BBT goals, and engaging philanthropic actors to fund under-supported areas, especially in EMDEs.
Photo- Anne Dekeukelaere (Center for Worldwide Sustainable Construction, EPFL) and Judy Zakreski (International Code Council)
Session on “Ensuring Transparency, Accountability, and Progress Tracking through the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR)”
Photo- Oliver Rapf (Buildings Performance Institute Europe) during the Session on “Ensuring Transparency, Accountability, and Progress Tracking through the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR)”. Photo by Stefan Gröschel.
Key Outcomes:
- Early Involvement in Report Development: Alliance members requested to be engaged earlier in the drafting process, including contributing to discussions on the report’s outline and key content areas.
- Transparent and Public Data Sharing: Members emphasized the need for publicly accessible data and clearly presented figures, rather than access being limited through an index.
Session on “Bold on Buildings: How Climate Action Roadmaps are Inspiring Building-sector ambition in NDCs”
Photo- From left to right: Naila Ahmed (Government of Bangladesh), Chris Pobee Abbey (Government of Ghana), Anna Zinecker (GIZ), and Phuong Tran (Government of Vietnam). Photo by Stefan Gröschel.
Key Outcomes:
- Showcased Tools for NDC Integration: Tools presented to support the inclusion of building-related targets and measures in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Read our guideline on NDCs for the Built Environment here.
- Country Experiences Highlighted: Insights shared from Bangladesh, Ghana, and Vietnam on the development and implementation of Climate Action Roadmaps for the buildings and construction sector, and how these contribute to their NDC revision processes.
- Cross-Sector Collaboration Emphasized: Government, industry, and finance representatives stressed the importance of collaboration among stakeholders and smart use of public funds to unlock private sector investment for effective roadmap implementation.
Session on “COP30, What to Expect for and by the Built Environment?”
Photo- From left to right: Maliya Lazli (UNEP-GlobalABC), (not visible) Prudence Adjanohoun (L'Union sociale pour l'habitat), Will Wild (Arup), Kazuya Shimada (Daikin Industries), Mugure Njendu (GBPN) and Antonio Da Costa e Silva (Government of Brazil). Photo by Stefan Gröschel.
Key Outcomes:
- High-Level Political Commitment: Antonio Da Costa e Silva, Head of the International Affairs, Office of the Ministry of Cities, Brazil officially endorsed the Buildings and Cooling Pavilion and committed to hosting the first-ever ICBC Ministerial Meeting at COP30 — a major milestone for elevating buildings and construction in global climate negotiations.
- Industry Leadership Driving Innovation: From low-carbon materials and circular systems to inclusive housing reform and urban resilience, our partners showcased how they are implementing innovative solutions across sectors and regions.
Hubs and Action Groups Breakout Sessions
Photo by Stefan Gröschel.
Key Outcomes
- Interactive Workshops Fostered Engagement Across Priority Themes: Members actively participated in workshops led by Hubs and Action Groups, exploring critical topics such as adaptation, finance, subnational action, bio-based materials, market transformation, and sufficiency.
- New Knowledge Products and Tools Launched: The Subnational Action Group released its first-ever position paper “Local Solutions for Green Buildings and Construction”, while the Bio-based Materials Working Group showcased their COP Pavilion as a platform for natural material solutions.
- Deep Dives into Thematic Priorities Advanced Sector Understanding: Targeted sessions unpacked the Market Transformation Action Agenda, financing challenges across countries, and circularity in materials — including a hands-on training session by Dr. Usha Iyer-Raniga of RMIT University.
Photo- From left to right: Gulnara Roll (UNEP-GlobalABC), Dr. Lutz Morgenstern (BMWK), Professor Tshilidzi Marwala (UNU and UN Under-Secretary-General), and John Belcik (International Code Council). Photos by Stefan Gröschel.
The Assembly began with opening remarks from Gulnara Roll, Head of GlobalABC Secretariat, and Head of the Cities Unit, UNEP; Dr. Lutz Morgenstern, Director, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK); John Belcik, CEO, International Code Council and Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) and UN Under-Secretary-General.
The Annual Assembly took place in parallel with the 2025 Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC), co-organised by United Nations University-FLORES. Bringing together two major international events fostered meaningful synergies among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners dedicated to advancing sustainable infrastructure and climate-resilient construction. Over the course of the two-day convening, GlobalABC, UNU, and UNU-FLORES explored opportunities for collaboration to strengthen the capacities of students and professionals in the buildings sector, with a particular focus on developing countries and emerging economies.
Photo- GlobalABC Steering Committee 2025-2027. Photo by GlobalABC.
The 2025 GlobalABC Annual Assembly also provided a timely opportunity for its new Steering Committee for the term 2025-2027 to convene in person for the first time, align on shared priorities, and set a strategic course for the years ahead. While the meeting was marked by rich exchange and forward momentum, the absence of some Steering Committee members was felt.
This new Committee reflects a truly diverse and global membership, spanning all key stakeholder groups—from national and subnational governments to the private sector, academia, civil society, and international organizations. Members hail from countries as varied as the UAE, Mexico, Senegal, Germany, France, and cities like Kisumu (Kenya) and Lalitpur (Nepal), embodying the Alliance’s dedication to a balanced, representative approach.
Learn more about the new Steering Committee here.
After the Assembly, the GlobalABC Technical Coordination Group met in-person for a discussion focusing on deepening alignment with GlobalABC’s flagship initiatives—ICBC, the Buildings Breakthrough, and the Global Status Report (Buildings-GSR)—while advancing shared priorities on affordability, access to finance, people-centered solutions and much more. This meeting took place at the CUBE on the Technische Universität Dresden campus—the world’s first building made entirely of non-metallic reinforced concrete and a symbol of bold innovation in the built environment.
Photo- GlobalABC Technical Coordination Group outside the CUBE. Photo by GlobalABC.
Thank you to all the speakers and moderators for their generous contributions! We could not have done this without our partners and collaborators — Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Germany, for hosting the Assembly in Germany and for their steadfast commitment and support to the GlobalABC, International Code Council, Trane Technologies, Arup, Daikin Industries, Ltd., Autodesk, Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN), L'Union sociale pour l'habitat, Delta Electronics , and our co-organiser, United Nations University-FLORES, and many more whose continued engagement enables GlobalABC to deliver knowledge, tools, and support where they are needed most.
To our incredible community—thank you for your unwavering dedication, insightful contributions, and shared commitment to a zero-emission, efficient, and resilient buildings and construction sector.
We look forward to continuing this momentum together—see you at the next GlobalABC Annual Assembly in April 2026, in Lausanne, Switzerland!
