The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has announced significant global engagement in aligning national climate commitments with the buildings sector, as over 40 countries worldwide have now used its NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings to evaluate their countries’ climate action plans.

Since its launch in June 2025, the NDC Scorecard has sparked a global wave of collaboration — delivering more than 50 national workshops; engaging over 1,100 stakeholders from government, industry and finance; and generating 150 policy recommendations to 19 governments. These efforts have already led to 16 National Action Plans and contributed to new policy integrations in several countries that will advance sustainable building solutions in their jurisdictions and benefit millions of citizens. 

To date, tangible policy outcomes from the NDC Scorecard project include: two new national policies developed in Brazil, integrations within updated NDCs with five regulatory instruments in Chile’s NDC3.0 aligning with national recommendations, as well as four actions incorporated into Morocco’s NDC.  
 
Six new building policies have been integrated directly into Nigeria’s NDC — with coverage including the integration of energy efficiency and climate resilience into the national building code, the implementation of two smart, green and climate-resilient cities per geographical zone, and mandatory hazard mapping and risk zoning in local planning.

About the NDC Scorecard

Developed by WorldGBC and its global network of 85+ Green Building Councils (GBCs), the NDC Scorecard enables governments and stakeholders to assess and strengthen the buildings component of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement — a critical step toward meeting 2030 climate targets. 
 
Following the 2025 update of NDCs, the NDC Scorecard remains a vital resource for governments and industry partners to evaluate progress, identify policy gaps and opportunities, and align national climate and building strategies with 1.5°C pathways. 
 
Recognising buildings in NDCs and national regulations is essential, as the built environment accounts for nearly one third of global energy-related carbon emissions — and represents one of the largest opportunities to reduce emissions while improving health and climate resilience.

The NDC Scorecard was piloted in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Nigeria and the Philippines, and refined through consultation with over 40 international organisations including the IEA (International Energy Agency), GlobalABC, C40 Cities, SEforALL, Climate Group and WRI (World Resources Institute), positioning it as a leading global tool for cross-sectoral collaboration and policy reform in the built environment. 
 

National Action Plans

To date, 16 National Action Plans have been created by GBCs providing a gap analysis between best practice policy measures and what’s included in their country’s NDC. 

Each Action Plan provides a specific call to action and priority policy measures for policymakers and implementers across government, industry and finance sectors. 

You can see some of these Action Plans in further detail here. 

Global findings: priority actions for governments, industry, and finance

Analysis of the 16 National Action Plans has revealed consistent global themes.

• Governments are being urged to modernise and incorporate energy/water efficiency and carbon into building codes whilst setting minimum performance benchmarks, integrate circularity and resilience into planning, coordinate across ministries, and use fiscal tools such as tax incentives and retrofit support.
• Industry is being urged to implement national decarbonisation roadmaps, adopt green certification schemes and sustainable material use, integrate circular design and resilience into design, train workforce in green building practices, and share pilot project findings and data transparently. 
• Finance is being encouraged to establish green finance taxonomies, create specialist financial instruments such as green mortgages and retrofit loans, align portfolios with ESG and NDC goals and prioritise access to vulnerable groups, such as Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and low-income households.

Together, these insights form the backbone of National Action Plans — each offering governments a roadmap of actionable steps to align their building policies with 1.5°C pathways.

Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council, said: 

“We are now firmly in the era of implementation — and the NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings is a proven tool to deliver it. Aligned with the Global Stocktake agenda, it provides a platform to translate global goals into measurable, accountable outcomes. From Colombia to Nigeria and Brazil, it’s enabling real policy shifts — from circularity targets and taxonomy frameworks to updated building codes.

“Buildings are not just part of the climate challenge — they are one of our most powerful solutions. The 16 National Action Plans developed via the Scorecard show how we can scale proven policies to build resilient economies, healthy communities, and a zero-carbon future. Ahead of COP30, we call on all countries to #BeBoldOnBuildings and turn climate promises into action.”

Voices from the Green Building Council network

“Everybody knows about the construction industry’s global emissions and how buildings are essential to the adaptation and resiliency agenda. Our buildings will be pivotal in facing heat and cold waves and other extreme climate events. However, our movement can also support the climate transition by connecting people to the agenda in a language they can feel and understand. A green, high-performance building that delivers efficiency, health, and sustainability in everyday homes and offices shows the immediate benefits of climate action.” 

– Felipe Faria, CEO, Green Building Council Brasil

“A positive outcome from the NDC project has been working with the national government to update Colombia’s NDCs. This input was gathered through collaboration with key industry stakeholders from the building and construction sector, industry, and finance at workshops hosted by the Consejo Colombiano de Construcción Sostenible (CCCS). We listened to the people who work daily to accelerate sustainable building practices in the sector.” 
– Angélica Ospina, Executive Director, Consejo Colombiano de Construcción Sostenible (CCCS)

“We believe buildings can’t just be seen as part of the emissions problem – they’re also part of the solution. Because of its crosscutting impacts, the built environment is a powerful lever for climate action. It touches on people’s daily lives, social equity, resilience, and economic opportunity. If we integrate buildings properly into Nigeria’s NDCs, it’s not just about cutting carbon; it’s about making a long-term investment that puts people, the economy, and the environment at the centre of national priorities.” 
– Danjuma Waniko, President, Green Building Council Nigeria 

Find out more: NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings