Statement on U.S. withdrawal from UNFCCC

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 9, 2026  The United States withdrawal from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and several other treaties is deeply troubling, and leaves communities around the world more vulnerable to the real impacts of climate change and unsustainable development.

The global response will continue without us—as it did at COP30 in Brazil—but American citizens, businesses, financial interests, and architects will lack representation from our national government. This puts U.S. architects, engineers, and developers at a distinct disadvantage as the rest of the world advances building standards, climate resilience strategies, and green technology markets.

The American Institute of Architects became an official Observer Organization of the UNFCCC in 2021 precisely because we understand the importance of being a voice at the table for architects. For the past five years, AIA has ensured that architects are represented at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) to advocate for design excellence, provide opportunities for the industry and contribute to effective policies, and by providing resources to drive implementation. Despite this setback, AIA will remain an active Observer Organization of the UNFCCC, ensuring that our members’ voices are heard in the global effort.

AIA’s engagement with UN-Habitat spans 50 years. We sent delegations to the landmark bi-decennial UN Housing and Sustainable Development Conferences (Habitat I, II, III) in 1976, 1996, and 2016, where our members helped shape global urban policy. Most recently, AIA’s Strategic Council led significant work on the New Urban Agenda, which included a resolution passed at our 2018 Annual Meeting. This history reflects our profession’s long-standing commitment to ensuring that architects have a voice in global conversations about creating more livable, equitable communities.

AIA President Illya Azaroff, FAIA, stated: “These withdrawals isolate us from the global dialogue at a critical moment for architecture and design. The frameworks the United States is abandoning are where the world is defining the next generation of building standards, moving beyond carbon neutrality and towards regenerative design. American architects have helped drive this evolution, but without a seat at the table where these goals are being negotiated, we risk becoming followers rather than leaders in the transformation of our own profession.” And worse, outsiders in the global marketplace.

We will continue to demonstrate that architects can lead the way in creating a low-carbon, resilient future and advocate for the built environment to be central to the implementation of the Paris Agreement. AIA will also continue to engage with UN-Habitat and other intergovernmental agencies to ensure that architects are key leaders in creating more livable communities globally.