GlobalABC Annual Report 2025: 10 years of Global Action for Zero-Emission and Resilient Buildings

In 2025, GlobalABC focused on strengthening the policy, institutional and technical foundations needed to accelerate the transition to a zero-emission, resilient and affordable built environment. Through its global membership of more than 400 members, including 71 countries, the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC), and its Hubs and Action Groups, the Alliance supported governments and stakeholders to advance climate ambition, strengthen enabling environments, and integrate buildings and construction more effectively into national and international climate processes.

A key priority during the year was supporting countries to incorporate buildings and construction into climate planning and policy frameworks. Technical assistance, guidance and stakeholder engagement contributed to progress on NDC development, climate action roadmaps, implementation planning and sector-specific policy development in countries including Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Senegal. GlobalABC also advanced practical tools, recommendations and frameworks on priority topics such as sustainable materials, climate finance, adaptation, procurement, and near-zero emission and resilient buildings.

A major milestone was the operationalisation of the ICBC as the principal political platform for international cooperation on buildings and construction. Through ministerial and technical engagement, governments advanced common priorities, endorsed and acknowledged GlobalABC tools and recommendations, and strengthened international coordination on sector transformation. Complementing this work, GlobalABC's Hubs and Action Groups developed guidance, recommendations and implementation tools while fostering collaboration between governments, industry, financial institutions, academia and civil society.

The Annual Report presents GlobalABC's activities and achievements in 2025 against its strategic objectives and programme priorities. It covers progress in political engagement and international cooperation, national climate planning and policy development, technical guidance and knowledge products, stakeholder collaboration, and implementation support across the buildings and construction sector, reflecting the Alliance's progress over the reporting period and its continued commitment to transforming the sector.

The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR), published by UNEP and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), provides an annual snapshot of the sector's progress globally. It reviews the status of policies, finance, technologies and solutions to monitor alignment with the Paris Agreement goals. 

The 2025/2026 edition — Building fast. Falling short — is the 10th edition of this flagship publication. It benchmarks progress through the Global Buildings Climate Tracker across emissions, building energy codes, renewable energy, green building certification, and investment in energy efficiency, covering climate resilience, housing affordability, and the 2050 Buildings Breakthrough and Déclaration de Chaillot. Despite a decade of progress, the sector remains off track, accounting for 37 per cent of global emissions and nearly 50 per cent of global material extraction, as decarbonisation stalls and construction outpaces climate action.

The Near-Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings - Shared Definitions, Indicators, Frameworks, and Policy Guidance for Implementation report was developed under the Buildings Breakthrough Priority International Action on “Standards and Certification”.

This landmark report represents a significant step forward in supporting the global transition towards Near-Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings (NZERBs). It provides a common, practical framework to guide governments, cities, and industry in aligning climate mitigation and resilience objectives across the building sector. Building on the 2025 Interim Report, this final report moves from principles to implementation. It introduces:

• A consolidated definition of NZERBs;
• Core building blocks covering operational and embodied emissions, energy efficiency, low-carbon energy, refrigerants, sufficiency, and resilience;
• A harmonised set of indicators and metrics aligned with existing standards and certification systems;
• Comprehensive policy guidance to support national and local implementation.

The framework emphasises a harmonised yet flexible approach, enabling countries to define targets in line with 1.5°C-compatible pathways, local conditions, and capacities, while improving comparability across jurisdictions. It also promotes a shift toward measured, real-world performance and integrates climate resilience as a central pillar alongside decarbonisation.

The report was developed under the Buildings Breakthrough* –launched at COP28, and coordinated by the UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC)– with technical leadership from the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). It reflects extensive international consultation and collaboration across governments, industry, and civil society. The Buildings Breakthrough aims to make NZERBs the global norm by 2030, and this report provides a critical tool to help translate that ambition into action.

_{*NB: Following recent governance adjustments within GlobalABC, coordination of the Buildings Breakthrough is now integrated into existing GlobalABC structures. Intergovernmental dialogue is convened through the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Construction (ICBC), while progress across priority areas is advanced through GlobalABC working groups and reflected in the NZERB Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS). The Buildings Breakthrough was co-led by France and Morocco, endorsed by 29 countries, supported by the European Commission, and engaged over 30 initiatives.}
 

Buildings are responsible for 35 per cent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions and 32 per cent of global energy demand. While progress has been made on reducing operational carbon, solutions for reducing embodied carbon emissions arising from construction, maintenance, and demolition have lagged far behind. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners are supporting countries to accelerate a transition towards circular, low-carbon, and resource-efficient built environment. 

Through the creation of enabling frameworks for sustainable materials, the project fosters responsible acquisition and use of building materials, stimulates local market development, and supports countries in raising their climate ambition within the buildings and construction sector, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany).

India is witnessing an unprecedented expansion of its built environment, with an estimated 5.7 billion m² of new building stock expected by 2030, and nearly 40% of its population projected to live in cities by 2030. Buildings constructed today will remain in use for decades, making it critical to address emissions across the entire life cycle. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is supporting India's transition to a circular, low-carbon, and resource-efficient built environment. 

Through enabling frameworks for sustainable materials, the project promotes responsible material use, stimulates local sustainable markets, and helps India raise its climate ambition within the buildings and construction sector, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany) and the SED Fund.

Ghana's construction sector is booming, driven by rapid urbanization and rising living standards. Buildings already account for 43% of the country's total energy use and are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Residential structures increased by 73% in the last decade in Ghana and demand is projected to grow. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with UN-Habitat and UNOPS, is supporting Ghana to accelerate its transition towards circular, low-carbon, and resource-efficient built environment. 

Through the creation of enabling frameworks for sustainable materials, the project fosters responsible acquisition and use of building materials, stimulates local market development, and supports countries in raising their climate ambition within the buildings and construction sector, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany).
 

Bangladesh is undergoing rapid urban transformation, driven by sustained economic growth and population expansion. With nearly one-third of its population already living in urban areas, the country's built environment is expanding at an unprecedented rate. By 2030, over 50% of Bangladesh's population is projected to live in cities, significantly increasing the demand for housing, infrastructure, and construction materials. 

To advance this transition, UNEP, in collaboration with UNOPS, UN-Habitat, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, HBRI, and RAJUK, is promoting the use of sustainable materials and circular economy practices, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany). Through enabling policies and local innovation, the initiative aims to support Bangladesh in building resilient, low-carbon cities aligned with its climate commitments and Vision 2041.

Kenya Buildings & Construction Roadmap provides a shared vision for decarbonising the buildings sector through innovative stakeholder-led bottom up practices, collaboration, partnerships, and accountability. It demonstrates what can be achieved when public and private sectors work together towards a common goal – to create an industry that builds responsibly and sustainably.

The Global Buildings Performance Network are honoured to work alongside Kenya State Department for Public Works, Architectural Association of Kenya, research institutions, and industry partners to accelerate this transformation. By aligning our actions with Kenya’s national goals and focusing on implementable actions and measurable outcomes, we can deliver real change, today and for generations to come.

Learn more here: https://gbpn.org/towards-sustainable-kenya/

The Catalogue of Climate Solutions for Buildings is a cornerstone of the Buildings Breakthrough's Priority Action B4, led by the Solar Impulse Foundation launched at COP30 on November 13.

The Catalogue of Climate Solutions for Buildings shows that the transformation of the building sector is not a distant ambition but a reality already underway. Featuring over 90 real-world cases from more than 40 countries across six continents, it demonstrates that deployment is possible today - covering every stage of the building life cycle, from design and construction to operation and end-of-life. It showcases a wide spectrum of technologies, from advanced digital tools and renewable systems to locally adapted, low-tech approaches, alongside the policies, financial mechanisms, and collaborative initiatives that make their implementation possible. Developed by the Solar Impulse Foundation, lead organisation of the UNEP-hosted Buildings Breakthrough initiative, this work is a landmark deliverable for this coalition of over 30 governments and 30 NGOs working to make near-zero emission and resilient buildings the new normal by 2030.

Learn more about the Catalogue of Climate Solutions for Buildings here: https://solarimpulse.com/publications/catalogue-of-climate-solutions-for-buildings

This book is a timely response to the triple planetary crises facing humanity: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The built environment impacts all three through the processes of planning, design, construction, operation, and end of life. The One Planet Network’s sustainable buildings and construction (SBC) programme was launched in 2015 to improve the knowledge of sustainable construction and to support and mainstream sustainable building solutions. By focusing on circular practices and material efficiencies in the built environment, the SBC programme provided a clear pathway to deal with this trifecta of planetary crises. The sector’s value chain and actors have been reassessed whilst key projects promoting sustainable buildings and construction were seeded. For the first time globally, circular built environment indicators were mapped against relevant Sustainable Development Goals. Key learnings include challenges and opportunities to hone further, the impacts derived from pursuing circular practices in the buildings and construction sector.

Learn more on Elgar Publishing's Online Platform