UN Centre of Excellence status announced at COP 26

The UN Centre of Excellence status for Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board Centre was announced at COP 26.

Minister Darragh O’Brien and Cllr. Barbara Anne Murphy, Chairperson of Wexford County Council signed a memorandum of understanding declaring the HPBA as a designated UN Centre of Excellence at the COP 26 climate change conference.

The initiative signals Ireland’s commitment to the sustainable and energy-efficient development of buildings in an initiative led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Minister O’Brien said he was 'delighted to sign the UN agreement on behalf of the Irish Government'.

The agreement will see HPBA Centre of Excellence as a global leader in energy efficiency and in assisting with the retrofitting and building of new homes, reducing carbon emissions while providing warmer homes.

Minister O’Brien commended the leadership of Wexford County Council and Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB) who 'worked together to establish the centre of excellence as the first provider of Near Zero Energy Building social housing and the first Education and Training Board to provide NZEB training nationally with over 1,000 people trained to date at the WWETB NZEB Training Centre in Enniscorthy'.

Cllr. Barbara Anne Murphy addressed the live stream at the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow from Ireland’s government buildings and said the High-Performance Building Alliance is determined to be a leader and champion of high-performance energy buildings.

"It will increase knowledge, capacity, and demand for low carbon emissions buildings, and the HPBA will advance innovation and lead in the use of sustainable solutions through collaboration with the Global Network of Centres of Excellence." added. Ms Murphy.

The delegation was hosted by Darragh O'Brien with attendees from the government, Wexford County Council, and Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board.

The UN Centre of Excellence at Enniscorthy is a key driver in reducing carbon emissions in the built environment and providing training for the construction industry in the National Development Plan.

The UN status elevates the HPBA to represent Ireland and will be a global leader working in collaboration with UN centres from other nations.

The HPBA and Minister O’Brien pledged at COP 26 to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the COP 26 goals.

It is expected that WCC and WWETB, the funders of the HPBA initiative, will host an international event to launch the UN centre in Enniscorthy in 2022 and will showcase international speakers on how the built environment can address climate change while providing more energy-efficient homes for people.