Switzerland is also the location for a number of activities, including the coordination of development programmes within AKDN and with international partners. It is also the home of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The Award’s independent Master Jury selects the shortlisted projects and winners in Geneva.
AKDN IN
Several AKDN agencies, including the Aga Khan Foundation, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, maintain small headquarters offices in Geneva. However, most staff are based in the field. The Aga Khan Foundation, the first component part of AKDN (although there were development predecessors to it) was founded in Switzerland by His Highness the Aga Khan, in 1967, as a private, international, non-denominational, non-profit development agency.
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development’s (AKFED) Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) in Switzerland acts as a focal point and technical clearing house for IPS companies. It also mobilises support for enterprises that are capable of contributing to the development of national and regional economies. Today, Geneva, Switzerland is the registered home of the AKDN and a number of its constituent agencies: