Mauritania receives the Innovation Award for Financing Cities

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Housing, Urbanism and Territorial Reclamation, Mohamed Salem Ould Boukhris, received, on Tuesday in Cairo, the “Innovation for Urban Finance” award presented by the Global Fund for Cities Development, within the framework of the 12th session of the World Urban Forum.

The Housing, Urbanization and Territorial Reclamation Sector won this award for a project submitted by the Nouakchott Beach Reclamation Company (SALN).

Receiving the award, the Secretary-General said in his speech that the government established this company within the framework of its national and international commitments to protect the environment and combat the negative effects of climate change, and the company has prepared an ambitious urban planning and infrastructure program to protect and enhance the coast of Nouakchott.

The Secretary-General reviewed the role of the housing, urbanization and territorial reclamation sector in climate change adaptation processes in accordance with the national strategy for adaptation to climate change, including strengthening urban planning mechanisms and urban management of cities to transform them into productive cities, and issuing a new law on urbanization and construction, issued on January 17 of this year, which fully takes into account aspects related to environmental issues, as well as promoting construction with local materials, which provide local labor, respect environmental standards and promote cultural patterns.

The Secretary-General added that work is continuing to protect inner cities from seasonal floods, and work is underway to prepare a new housing strategy, in cooperation with the United Nations Human Settlements Organization, with the trend towards new and modern mechanisms for real estate development, and the search for the best ways to finance social and economic housing.