The Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment has put the emirate on the world map, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality, said yesterday when announcing the Award.
He said the award has "raised the image of the UAE and Dubai around the world."
Earlier, 10 initiatives from around the globe to help improve the living environment were yesterday awarded by Sheikh Hamdan.
In a glittering ceremony held at the historic Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House in Shindagha, two representatives each from each winning entry received the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment trophies.
The awards are designed in the shape of a barjeel or the wind tower, and includes a certificate and $30,000.
Qasim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality, congratulated the winners, noting that the award truly expresses the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and it is aimed at supporting humanitarian projects and improving living conditions.
| Sheikh Hamdan, Qasim Sultan and Daniel Bou with the winners. ©Gulf News |
Sultan added that the best practices had been documented and stored in a database which now includes a total of more than 1,500 practices that were applied and had a positive impact in more than 125 countries.
"During this cycle of the award, of more than 500 nominations we received from more than 90 countries, there were different projects including those concerning infrastructure, housing, heritage, historical buildings, waste recycling, and creating new job opportunities," he said.
The award is considered as one of the effective tools of the UN-Habitat as it contributes to improve the living environment and highlights the role of countries, he said.
Sultan added that the award has opened new channels of competition in all parts of the world because some governments including those in China, Spain and Brazil formed national committees to appraise their various entries and select the best entry before being nominated to take part in the award.
"We hope that the award will contribute in future for streamlining and boosting the Arab participation in a better way," he said.
Addressing the ceremony, Daniel Bou, Deputy Executive Director of the UN-Habitat, said the award has provided the international community with the empirical evidence that the principles found in the Habitat Agenda - namely partnership, participation, decentralisation, gender equality and social inclusion - can work everywhere to improve the living conditions of women, men and children, and to do so in a sustainable manner.
"From the presentation of best practices, these stakeholders are learning about innovative ways and means for dealing with some of the most critical social, economic and environmental problems we are confronted with in a rapidly urbanising and globalising world.
"This is notably the case with this year's award-winning 'Humanitarian News Agency' in Argentina, a media network in support of mutual self-help in a time of national economic crisis.
He added that this unique collection of documented good and best practices has enabled a global network of partners to apply that experience to ongoing leadership and capacity-building efforts.
For instance, The Mother Centres International, a movement started in Germany to empower women.
A short film on the winning initiatives was shown. Sheikh Hamdan then presented the award to the winners.
In addition, the International Jury of the award has recommended that the Central Council for Disabled Persons of Sri Lanka be given a special commendation for its outstanding achievements and exemplary approach to empowering disabled persons through, awareness building, training, job opportunities and enterprise creation.
It further recommends that both UN-Habitat and Dubai Municipality bring to the attention of relevant agencies and organisations the high degree of replicability and transferability of this initiative.
