Multilevel Governance for Sustainable Buildings and Construction

Sustainable Buildings and Construction
Our Urban Future Webinar Series
  • Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 | 3:00–4:15 p.m. CEST
  • Format: Virtual
  • Register here
Overview of the Event

Climate targets for the buildings and construction sector are set at the international level. Yet delivery happens on the ground. Decarbonizing the sector at scale requires inclusive planning, context-specific solutions, and governance that connects every level of government.

This final session of the Our Urban Future peer-learning series examines what multilevel delivery looks like in practice. It builds on the outcomes of the Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit 2026, co-organized by UNEP as host of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), where national governments, city networks, and technical institutions made the case for scaling up multilevel collaboration on urban planning, and where housing emerged as an underused tool for both decarbonization and equity.

To carry that conversation forward, UNEP and the City Diplomacy Lab convene a three-city panel from Mumbai (India), Kisumu County (Kenya), and Toronto (Canada). Together, they will show how multilevel governance is experienced and mobilized by local governments for inclusive planning, sustainable materials use, and innovative financing arrangements connecting local, national, and international partners and institutions.

Agenda

Opening session

  • Dr. Gulnara Roll, Head of the GlobalABC Secretariat; Head of Sectoral Transition Unit, Mitigation Branch, Climate Change Division, UNEP

City Roundtable

  • Mumbai (India): Dr. Shankar Depende, Chief, Town & Country Planning Division, Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority
  • Kisumu (Kenya): Mr. Felix Akello, Energy Planning/Chief Heat Officer, County Government of Kisumu
  • Toronto (Canada): Mr. Howlan Mullally, Manager, Corporate Sustainability, Environment, Climate and Forestry Division, City of Toronto

Q&A

Register
Overview of the Series

This session is part of Our Urban Future, a peer-learning webinar series convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the City Diplomacy Lab.

The series brings cities together to learn directly from one another, showing how locally grounded climate action can be accelerated through inclusive governance, more agile and accessible financing, and partnerships that connect global objectives with municipal realities.

Explore past sessions in the series: