02 / 19 / 2021
The concept of Integrated Financing Strategies (IFS) was developed by the Global Mechanism (GM) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 2005 – 2006 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.
01 / 18 / 2020
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
12 / 27 / 2017
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.
Focused on capacity building and market creation for sustainable housing, the project is implemented by the Association Voûte Nubienne (AVN), a well-established organisation in Burkina Faso, with a view to ensuring local ownership of the project and of climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. Between now and the project’s end in 2020, it is forecast that the entrepreneurial and technical capacity of 400 masons will be enhanced so that 900 new buildings can be built.
The project is supported in part by the Government of Québec in the context of the 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan financed by through Québec's Green Fund.
To learn more about the project, please contact: Andréanne Grimard, Project Director.
03 / 22 / 2016
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.
Produced by the World Water Assessment Programme, hosted by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water, the report is partly co-written by Marc Paquin, CEO of UNISFÉRA, and Richard Connor, UNISFÉRA’s Chief Scientist, is the Editor-in-Chief of the report.
“Water and jobs are inextricably linked on various levels, whether we look at them from an economic, environmental or social perspective. This edition of the World Water Development Report breaks new ground by addressing the pervasive relationship between water and jobs to an extent not yet seen in any other report”, said the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova.
Launched on World Water Day, and in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the report demonstrates the key role water will play in the transition to a green economy. From its extraction to its return to the environment, via numerous uses, water is a key factor in the creation of jobs.
The document also underlines that many jobs will be created in the water sectors per se in the coming years.
The report is available in English at the following address: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/water_drives_job_creation_and_economic_growth_says_new_un_report/#.VvFTqBLhCCR
See also World Water Day 2016: http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday
03 / 17 / 2016
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/