Report of the Best Practice Jury

We, the members of the International Jury, after having reviewed the 40 best practices forwarded to us by an independent Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), have decided that the following ten initiatives be given the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment:

• Humanitarian News Agency, ARGENTINA
• Programme d’Assainissement et Protection de l’Environnement, BENIN
• Gender and Citizenship Programme, Santo Andre, BRAZIL
• Liveable Region Strategic Plan for Greater Vancouver, CANADA
• Action Plan for Sustainable Guangzhou, CHINA
• Relocation of backyard tenants, NAMIBIA
• Women’s contribution in sustainable rural development, LEBANON
• Mother Centre International Network, GERMANY/INTERNATIONAL
• Area-based assessment of property tax in Patna, INDIA
• Protection and rehabilitation of the heritage site of Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN

In addition to the above, the Jury recommends 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, inter alia, 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.

In reviewing the 40 submissions, the Jury used the established criteria of tangible impact, partnership, and sustainability as well as the additional considerations of leadership and community empowerment, gender equality, social inclusion, innovation within the local context and transferability.

In reaching its conclusions, the members of the Jury worked in two independent groups, each selecting its own list before unanimously agreeing in plenary session on the final selection. The Jury gave due recognition to the need for geographical representation and the diverse social, economic and environmental issues associated with urbanisation.

The 1996 Awards featured initiatives in the areas of housing, infrastructure and basic services. The 1998 Awards witnessed the emerging concerns for environmental planning and management. The 2000 Awards, while reaffirming the continued importance of basic needs and of sectoral concerns, give more emphasis to the interdependencies of these issues with those of human rights, good governance and the empowerment of people. Finally, the 2002 Award-winning practices, despite the diversity of themes covered and their different scales of intervention, reflect an overriding concern with social equity, justice and integration. The Jury firmly believes that the combined impact of urbanisation and globalisation will require in all societies, rich or poor, specific policies as well as concerted approaches to eliminating the barriers to poverty reduction, gender equality and social inclusion.

The Jury commends UN-HABITAT for the impetus it is giving to new forms of action in the field of international co-operation and development based on the exchange of lessons learned derived from successful practices and policies. The Jury notes with particular satisfaction the growing use of the UN-HABITAT Best Practices Database by decision-makers and practising professionals from a wide range of countries at all levels and encourages both UN-HABITAT and Dubai Municipality to continue to invest in the broadest possible dissemination and transfer of Best Practices.

The Jury also notes with satisfaction the number of submissions from areas and regions which were, to date, poorly or not at all represented, namely from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Although they did not win any Award in 2002, the Jury acknowledges both the seriousness and quality of their contributions and wishes to encourage these areas and regions to continue to submit their practices.

In light of all of the above, the Jury fully endorses the further development of the Best Practices Database as an information-sharing and networking tool. In addition, it encourages all partners and relevant institutions in all sectors, to actively participate in, and contribute to, the Best Practice Network as a unique international forum for mutual learning, for promoting peer-to-peer learning and as a basis for matching supply with demand for decentralised forms of cooperation.

The 2002 Dubai International Award for Best Practices programme has resulted in total of more than 2000 documented and peer-reviewed success stories. The lessons learned from this critical mass of knowledge, expertise and experience, not to mention human ingenuity, is of particular significance to in the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in August-September 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa. They demonstrate the links and interdependencies between the urban and environmental agendas and how, in an increasingly urbanised world, more sustainable forms of urbanisation will contribute to global sustainable development.

The Jury wishes to thank the members of the TAC for their excellent work and fully endorses the TAC’s recommendations regarding the widespread adoption of national and regional award systems, competitions and exhibitions for the identification, documentation and dissemination of good and best practices.

Last but not least, the Jury wishes to express its gratitude to the Government of Italy, the Province of Naples and the City of Naples for hosting the Jury and its appreciation for the continuing contribution made by Dubai Municipality and UN-HABITAT to the entire best practices endeavour.

Naples, 26 June 2002

Members of the 2000 Jury

Hon. Rosa Russo Jervolino, Lady Mayor of Naples, Italy (Honorary Chair)
Dr. Sang Don Lee, Dean and Professor of Law, Chung-Ang University, Korea
Hussain Nasser Ahmed Lootah, Assistant Director-General for Environment and Public Health, Dubai Municipality, UAE
H.E. Ms. Benigna Mukibi, Minister of State for Public Service, Government of Uganda, (co-Chair)
Ms. Barbara Pyle, former Corporate Vice-president for Environmental Policy, Turner Broadcasting System
Ms. Anne Ruden, Director, The Norwegian State Housing Bank, Norway
Secretariat:

Ms. Silvia Arrais, Architect, Brazil (Advisor, member of the TAC)
Mr. Martin Medina-Martinez, Director, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Mexico (Advisor and co-Chair of the TAC)
Nicholas You, Best Practices & Policies, UN-HABITAT

For more information, please contact:

Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme (BLP)
UN-HABITAT
P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (254 20) 623029; 624981; 624328
Fax: (254 20) 623080, 624266, 624267
Email: bestpractices@unhabitat.org

Dubai Municipality
P.O.Box 67
Dubai
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Tel: (+971) 4 206 4414 / 221 5555
Fax: (+971) 4 222 1319 / 224 6666
E-mail: info@dm.gov.ae
dubai-award@dm.gov.ae
Web: http://dubai-award.dm.gov.ae