Date: Sunday, 19 May 2026
Time: 09:00 - 09:30 (UTC+4, Baku time)
Location: Canada Pavilion, Urban Expo - Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Virtual/livestream link: TBC
WUF13 Canada Pavilion Roundtable | Organized by UNEP
About the Event
Canada’s housing crisis and climate crisis are deeply interconnected. As housing demand accelerates, the risk of locking in carbon-intensive, inefficient building stock grows, undermining both affordability and long-term resilience. This roundtable, hosted at the Canada Pavilion during the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), explores how decarbonisation of housing can be positioned as a core pillar of Canada’s housing strategy, rather than a parallel objective.
The discussion will showcase complementary initiatives that advance low-carbon, climate-resilient housing, from retrofit programmes and net-zero building standards to innovative financing and community-led solutions. It will highlight how aligning housing delivery with decarbonisation pathways can reduce lifecycle costs, improve energy efficiency, and enhance equity outcomes, particularly for vulnerable communities. UNEP’s work through the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), the UNEP-led Cool Coalition, and the annual Global Status Report on Buildings and Construction (GSRBC) will inform the global context for this discussion.
The session will also examine how multilevel governance, research, and innovation ecosystems can support scalable, investable solutions, ensuring that Canada’s housing expansion contributes to both climate targets and inclusive urban development, in line with WUF13’s theme of Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the event, please contact estefania.rodriguezdelpuerto@un.org.
