AVN at the World Urban Forum

Cécilia Rinaudo, AVN Deputy Director, took part last February in the World Urban Forum 9 (WUF9), the first global meeting organised by UN-Habitat following the Habitat III Conference in Quito in 2016, at which the new urban agenda was adopted. Over 22,000 participants from 165 countries took part to exchange views and experiences on urban challenges.

At this meeting AVN and the Global Alliance for Buildings (GABC) organised an event on the theme of “eco-energy buildings with zero emissions for durable and non-polluting cities”; invited participants included Yves-Laurent Sapoval, advisor to the French Government’s Ministère de la transition écologique et solidaire and Ernest Dione, Coordinator at Senegal’s Ministère de l’environnement et du développement durable. Addressing many key issues around the crucial transformation of construction practices to ensure the resilience of towns and cities, the meeting was also an opportunity to present the results of AVN’s programme to a wider audience, stressing the importance of adapted housing issues for African populations.

In parallel, the UN Programme for the Environment (UNPE) invited Cécilia Rinaudo to an event on “ecological and durable housing for all”, in particular to address the related economic (affordable housing, job creation) and environmental (local materials, respect for the environment) dimensions.

This was an occasion to point out the various levers used by AVN to promote the long-lasting transformation of construction and housing practices in Africa, e.g.strong political backing and adoption, and the use of financial incentives (along the same lines as the tax credits for energy transition in France).

Finally, this international forum was a chance to initiate support and new contacts with NGO’s and institutional actors, and to renew others, such as with Mali’s Minister of Habitat et de l’Urbanisme , engaged in the promotion of the Nubian Vault with the Office Malien de l’Habitat.

Galerie Photo