IFC and the World Green Building Council will partner to help accelerate the construction of green buildings in emerging markets.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is a global development institution focused on helping developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment.

The WorldGBC has agreed to connect its network of national green building councils to IFC’s investment and advisory program. The WorldGBC’s local affiliate councils will certify green buildings through IFC’s EDGE, a new web application that reveals solutions at the early design stage to reduce energy, water, and material consumption by 20%.

The partnership will focus on rapidly urbanizing countries with surging population growth that need to build sustainably to avoid emissions growth, bolster energy security, and minimize resource depletion. According to WorldGBC, the built environment is expected to double by 2050.

To date IFC has invested more than $570 million in resource-efficient buildings, including directly and through financial intermediaries. IFC has also worked with the governments of Colombia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam to help develop their regulatory environments.

“The business case for green buildings continues to drive change throughout the world,” said Jane Henley, CEO of WorldGBC. “The WorldGBC and IFC are organizations dedicated to transforming the marketplace so that all buildings are more sustainable and efficient. Together, as leaders in this movement, we have an opportunity to directly affect sustainability on a global scale.”

For more information, visit www.ifc.org/greenbuildings.