Dubai, UAE, 14 February 2023:  In the presence of His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs - UAE and Chairman of the World Government Summit Organization, His Excellency Abdullah Al Basti, Secretary General of Dubai Executive Council, Dubai Municipality and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in conjunction with the World Government Summit, signed a collaboration agreement of the 13th Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development. By promoting and supporting the best urban practises, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the award is one of several initiatives aimed at recognising the best practises in the area of enhancing global living environment.

The agreement was signed by His Excellency Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, and Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, in the presence of a number of executive leaders from both sides.

Al Hajri said: “As part of the World Government Summit 2023, an important gathering of the world's top leaders to share experiences and knowledge in critical areas that advance the future of humanity, we are thrilled to sign collaboration agreements and strategic partnerships with leading international and local entities. We are also grateful for our partnership with UN-Habitat on the Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development, which recognises outstanding initiatives and accomplishments in the sector. Additionally, the partnership provides assistance with urban policies and initiatives, assisting in the adoption of solutions to the problems posed by social, economic, and environmental issues for urban sustainable development and enhancing the recognition of the award globally.”

Ms. Sharif, the UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat said: “UN-Habitat is a leader in disseminating best practices. We believe these examples inspire others and help accelerate the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and meet Sustainable Development Goals. I strongly value more than twenty-five years of cooperation with Dubai Municipalities and the contribution the Dubai Award has made to amplify the transformative potential of sustainable urban development.”

By launching the 13th edition of the Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development, which will be granted in 2024, the agreement further aims at enhancing collaboration between Dubai Municipality and UN-Habitat, consolidating the international recognition of the award's editions, and maintaining their growth. As part of the new urban agenda, this collaboration intends to establish the Programme as the primary entity for adoption of best practises in urban sustainable development on a global scale.

The agreement entails promotion of the 13th edition of the award's implementation phases both regionally and internationally in order to support the working team's efforts. It also involves managing marketing campaigns and contributing and participating in launching the award on its website. As a result, this is designed to guarantee system effectiveness and enables functions like registration, application, and evaluation. Additionally, it further aids in the procedures of screening and evaluating applications, choosing and implementing screening and arbitration committees for applications, appointing experts in the fields covered by the Award, monitoring the performance of committees, and ensuring the legitimacy of the chosen projects.