Thursday 27 November 2025
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and NetZeroCities have signed a memorandum of understanding that will mark a major milestone in the global movement to decarbonise the built environment and support cities in achieving climate neutrality by 2030. This announcement was made during COP30 in Belém, Brazil, reinforcing the commitment of both organisations to scale climate action on the international stage.
As the manager of the Mission platform, NetZeroCities is funded by the European Commission to support the 112 cities in the EU Cities Mission to reach climate neutrality by 2030 — and act as innovation hubs, enabling other cities to follow by 2050. Its online tools, workshops, peer-learning programmes and other resources are also available to ambitious mission-minded cities with a strong commitment to climate action, which they can learn more about by joining its expert-led community portal here.
Through this MoU, WorldGBC and NetZeroCities commit to a long-term partnership focused on knowledge exchange, collaboration, and alignment of efforts to accelerate climate action in cities — with buildings at the heart of the transition.
Cristina Gamboa, CEO of WorldGBC, said:
“This partnership is a powerful step forward in our mission to transform the built environment. Cities are on the frontline of climate action, and buildings are one of their most impactful levers. This partnership unites Europe’s leading cities and the world’s largest network for sustainable buildings behind one shared mission: to put the built environment firmly at the heart of Europe’s climate-neutral future. By joining forces with NetZeroCities, we are helping cities unlock the full potential of sustainable buildings — to cut emissions, improve health, and build resilience.”
Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate KIC, said:
“This memorandum of understanding between the World Green Building Council and NetZeroCities, signed by Climate KIC on its behalf as the coordinating partner, marks an important step in tackling one of the most complex challenges in urban climate action: decarbonising the building sector.
“By combining the systemic, outcome-driven approach of the EU Cities Mission with the World Green Building Council’s deep expertise across the building value chain, we are creating clear pathways for cities to translate ambition into action. NetZeroCities brings the aggregated market demand of 112 EU Mission Cities across Europe, while the World Green Building Council provides the technical know-how and practical frameworks needed to navigate and overcome the fragmentation and complexity of the built environment. This includes advancing multi-level governance, unlocking the potential of circularity, and forging innovative partnerships to accelerate whole-life-cycle decarbonisation of Europe’s buildings.
“Through this collaboration, cities will gain direct access to World Green Building Council expertise, case studies, national roadmaps, and tools at critical moments in their climate journey — whether through 1:1 support, our Community of Practice, city learning programmes, regulatory sandboxes, or other NetZeroCities learning resources.
“Together, we are equipping cities to work hand-in-hand with businesses, industry, and citizens to unlock the pathways to net-zero and deliver the built-environment transformation Europe needs.”
Buildings: the key to climate-neutral cities
Buildings account for nearly one-third of global energy-related carbon emissions and are central to achieving climate goals. Through this collaboration, WorldGBC’s Europe Regional Network (ERN) — made up of 26 national Green Building Councils, seven regional partners and nearly 5,000 members — will share key outputs from its #BuildingLife project via the NetZeroCities Knowledge Repository. This includes national decarbonisation roadmaps, case studies, and policy guidance to support cities with implementation.
The partnership will also enable cities to access expert advice from WorldGBC and its network of 85+ Green Building Councils, helping them navigate governance barriers, identify policy gaps, and implement proven solutions for sustainable construction and renovation.
Cities engaged in the NetZeroCities programme will be invited to participate in WorldGBC-led training programmes, workshops and other initiatives that support the transition to zero-carbon buildings.
A shared vision for systemic change
The MoU outlines a framework for collaboration that includes:
This partnership builds on WorldGBC’s leadership in advancing sustainable building policy, including its recent NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings project, which has supported more than 40 countries in integrating buildings into their national climate plans.
Cristina Gamboa added:
“We are now firmly in the era of implementation. This MoU is a testament to our shared commitment to turn climate promises into action — with healthy, efficient and decarbonised buildings driving that action as one of our most powerful solutions to improve lives, strengthen communities, and accelerate our path to climate neutrality.”
ENDS
Photograph caption: (From left) Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate KIC and Cristina Gamboa, CEO WorldGBC.
Media contact:
Tessa Eydmann-Peel, Marketing and Communications Manager, WorldGBC, teydmannpeel@worldgbc.org
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
World Green Building Council
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is the largest local-regional-global action network leading the transformation to sustainable and decarbonised built environments.
Together, with over 85 Green Building Councils and industry partners from all around the world, we are driving systemic changes to achieve:
We work with businesses, organisations and governments to deliver on the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
Find out more www.worldgbc.org
About NetZeroCities
NetZeroCities is a European initiative supporting the European Union’s Mission of ‘100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030.’ Coordinated by Climate KIC and funded by the European Commission, the programme empowers 112 cities to become innovation hubs for climate resilience and decarbonisation.
Find out more: https://netzerocities.eu