Integrated Financing Strategy for Development

2021-02-19

Unisfera is making available a series of documents prepared by the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) that cannot be found elsewhere on the Web. These documents constitute useful references for those interested in advancing innovative financing approaches in support of development priorities that need a coordinated agenda setting, institutional collaboration and blended finance for effective national programming and budgeting.

The documents notably include a series of papers on the concept of Integrated Financing Strategies (IFS) that was developed by the Global Mechanism as a response to the international call for better coordination between governmental institutions in developing countries, civil society, the private sector as well as the bilateral and multilateral development partners as a means to increase financial resources at the country level.  

To view the documents: https://docs.unisfera.org/gm-documents/

iA Financial Group to become carbon neutral

2020-01-18

 iA Financial Group recently announced its commitment to offsetting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. Beginning in 2020, the company will work to become carbon neutral.

https://ia.ca/newsroom/2019/decembre/ia-financial-group-becomes-carbon-neutral

UNISFÉRA kicks off sustainable housing project in Burkina Faso with AVN

2017-12-27

The project, which started in September 2017, promotes an ancestral construction technique that relies on raw earth bricks and mortars, called Nubian Vault. This low-cost technique relies on readily available local materials and allows for the construction of buildings better adapted to climate change. The buildings also contribute to climate change mitigation. The buildings built with this method are more resilient to rainfall and extreme climate conditions while offering improved thermal comfort. The technique also contributes to reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), notably that resulting from the production and transport of cement and corrugated iron. It also reduces deforestation resulting from timber production. Nubian Vaults have a lifecycle of 50 years, compared to 10 years for more conventional buildings built in the region.

2016 UN report on water: water and jobs

2016-03-22

An estimated three out of four jobs that make up the global workforce are either heavily or moderately dependent on water. This means that water shortages and problems of access to water and sanitation could limit economic growth and job creation in the coming decades, according to a UN report. The 2016 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report, Water and Jobs, also notes that half of the world's workers - 1.5 billion people - are employed in eight water and natural resource-dependent industries.

7th edition of the HEC Montréal Sustainability Challenge

2016-03-17

The HEC Montréal MBA Student Association holds the seventh edition of the Sustainable Development Challenge. The competition invites MBA students from around the world to come up with business decisions compatible with sustainable development. Marc Paquin(UNISFÉRA) is part of the jury that will evaluate the practical solutions the teams will submit.http://hecaemba.org/en/events/sustainability-challenge-2016/