Winners of 2012 Dubai International Award unveiled

An independent jury of international experts has decided the 12 winners of the 2012 Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment. In the 9th year of the award, the jury selected 10 Best Practices and two Best Practice Transfer winners from a shortlist of 46 programmes previously selected by a Technical Advisory Committee.

The criteria used to assess the practices included sustainability, impact and partnership, and other considerations such as the potential for replication, innovation and contribution to the promotion of gender equality and social inclusion and integrated approach to human settlements issues.

Meeting in Dubai, the jury was composed of Ms. Agnes Kadama Kalibbala, Director of Housing in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Uganda; Dr. Philip Amis of Birmingham University, United Kingdom; Professor Dinesh Mehta of CEPT University in Ahmadabad, India; and Mr. Hamdan Khalifa Al Shaer from Dubai.

This winners 
of the 10 Best Practices 
were:

Africa

1.        Kenya – Women Empowerment in Harsh Climatic and Social – Cultural Environment

Arab States

2. United Arab Emirates – Dubai Metro Red Line Best Practices
3. Lebanon – Operation Big Blue Association

Asia & Pacific

4. Cambodia – RevoLooTionizing Rural Market for Sanitation
5. China – Linfen City Public Toilet Improving the Living Conditions and Human  Environment

Europe & Former Soviet States

6. Spain – The City of Children: Children’s Participation as the Basis for Citizenship
7. Portugal – Sports Inspire Me

Latin America & the Caribbean

8. Brazil – Water Conservator – Extrema, Brazil
9. Uruguay – Programme of Organic Vegetable Gardens at Schools

North America

10. Canada – Chapelview Apartments

Two Best Practice Transfer Award winners:

1. Burkina Faso – Affordable Housing for Sub-Sahara Africa
2. Chile – Un Techo Para Mi Pais

The winners will be presented with their awards at a ceremony to be held in Dubai in 2013, and all submissions received during the 9th cycle of the award will be added to the UN-Habitat Best Practices database to support knowledge sharing and transfer of best practices to communities around the world.

The Dubai International Award is jointly administered by UN-Habitat and Dubai Municipality, and was established in 1995 with the support of the Dubai Government and United Arab Emirates to support transfer and exchange of knowledge, expertise and experiences through networking and peer-to-peer learning.