Sustainable Housing for Rural Communities in Mali

AVN receives the World Habitat Award in Nairobi

AVN received the World Habitat Award on Monday May 8th in Nairobi, at the 26th plenary opening session of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat. During the entire week, this bi-annual meeting brings together representatives of member states for the implementation of the new Urban Agenda, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Objectives and the Paris Climate Agreement.

After the presentation of the laureates by David Ireland, Director of the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF), Joan Clos, UN Deputy Secretary General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat presented the trophy to Cécilia Rinaudo, AVN Deputy Director, for the programme « A Roof, A Skill, A Market» carried out by the Association in Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin, and Ghana over the last 17 years.

In his speech, Joan Clos emphasised that «affordable housing presents a tremendous challenge worldwide: in both developing and developed world, housing is unaffordable». The other Award winner, the programme of European cooperatives for eco-housing « More than housing » was also recognised and praised during the ceremony

In the afternoon, during an event organised by BSHF, Cécilia Rinaudo presented the AVN programme, stressing that the long-term evolution of appropriate construction practices in Africa is only achievable if it takes on board the challenges faced by the populations concerned: decent housing, 'green' employment, adaptation to and attenuation of climate change, economic independence etc. Christophe Lalande, Head of the Housing Department, emphasised the support of UN-Habitat for AVN's programme as a major solution for access to affordable and sustainable housing for the many.

AVN at the World Economic Forum, Durban, South Africa

At the beginning of May,Thomas Granier, Director General and co-founder of AVN, was invited by the Schwab Foundation to take part in the World Economic Forum on Africa, in Durban. The meeting convened regional and global leaders from business, government and civil society to agree priorities that will help Africa achieve inclusive growth through responsive and responsible leadership.

A four-day 'Solutions Summit' was organised alongside the Forum, uniting three networks brought together by the Schwab Foundation: the Young Global Leaders, the Global Shapers and theSchwab Social Entrepreneurs. Thomas Granier and Séri Youlou, as co-founders of AVN, were recognised in this last category in 2012, when AVN won the African Social Entrepreneur of the Year award.

AVN at UN Climate Change Conference, Bonn

Eighteen months after COP21 and the commitment of member states to combat the effects of climate change, delegations from the 196 member countries of the UN Climate Change Convention held discussions in Bonn this monthconcerning implementation of the Paris Agreement. This Agreement aims to commit the international community to act to limit global warming, in particular by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.

AVN, present at the Bonn Conference as a major player in the adapted housing sector in Africa, ran a stand from May 15^th -18^th to raise awareness of the impact of the construction sector on greenhouse gas emissions, and to present the example of the Nubian Vault concept as a potential mitigation. The AVN Programme well illustrates the fact that simple and affordable solutions can contribute significantly to limit the effects of climate change, and at the same time improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable populations.

Cecilia Rinaudo, AVN's Deputy Director was also invited by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to contribute to a conference on May 12^th on the themes of energy efficiency, green jobs, and low-carbon initiatives, along with three other laureates of the Momentum for ChangeAward.

Links:

• AVN website - for all the latest news
• AVN's entry for World habitat Award