On 26 June, the UNEP-led Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) and the Cool Coalition launched their COP30 Buildings and Cooling Pavilion webinar series with an opening session titled “Launching the Road to Belém: Action, Vision & Opportunities.”
The session outlined the Pavilion’s strategy, key deadlines, and ways for partners to contribute to its programme. The Pavilion will be hosted in the Blue Zone of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025.
Gulnara Roll, Head of the UNEP Cities Unit, placed the Pavilion in the context of the first Global Stocktake, emphasizing the role of buildings and cooling in addressing adaptation gaps and supporting mitigation strategies, including in food systems and urban infrastructure.
Maliya Lazli, Programmes Expert at UNEP GlobalABC and session moderator, introduced the theme: “Creating Resilient Communities with Sustainable Cooling, Better Buildings, and Smarter Materials.” She detailed the Pavilion’s objectives and announced that the deadline for session proposals had been extended to 18 July. Members may propose either 90-minute sessions or 30-minute pitches for the programme.
Keynote speaker Anna Zinecker, Head of Component at the Partnership for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB), addressed the structural finance gap in decarbonising the built environment. She urged partners to use COP30 to showcase investment-ready solutions and tap into funding mechanisms such as Article 6 and multilateral channels.
Lily Riahi, Head of the UNEP Cool Coalition Secretariat, announced new initiatives to be launched at COP30. These include the “Beat the Heat in Cities / Mutirão contra o Calor Extremo” initiative, the EPIC Facility supported by a €2 million [approx. USD 2.1 million] contribution from Italy, and the launch of an Intergovernmental Committee on Cooling and the Cool Champions initiative.
Hanane Hafraoui, Programme Manager at UNEP GlobalABC, closed the session by highlighting buildings and construction’s strong presence at the SB62 meetings. She pointed to the GlobalABC and Solar Impulse Foundation’s Blueprint for a Solutions Deployment Platform and noted growing international backing for the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC), which will hold its Ministerial Meeting during the first week of COP30.
The second webinar in the series, “Sustainable Construction in Brazil: Bio-based Materials for a Living Amazon,” is scheduled for 22 July and will spotlight Brazil’s role in nature-based construction.
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