Nominations invited for Dubai International Award for Best Practices aimed at improving the living environment

Nominations are currently being invited for 2012 Dubai International Award for Best Practices.

The Dubai International Award for Best Practices (DIABP) was started during the United Nations International Conference that was held in Dubai in 1995. Late Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum played an important role in establishing this award, which reflects the commitment of the Dubai Government  and the United Arab Emirates towards sustainable development of human settlements through mutual international cooperation. This award aims to recognize the best practices with positive impact on improving the living environment. The governments of Dubai and UAE administer the award jointly with UN-HABITAT.

About the Award

The purpose of DIABP is to recognise and enhance awareness of outstanding and sustainable achievements in improving the living environment as per the basic criteria established by the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the Dubai Declaration.

Every two years, 12 award winners are selected from a large number of applicants (500+). Two of the 12 awards are reserved for best practice transfers. The total amount of the Award is US$ 360,000 (Three hundred and sixty thousand US Dollars). This amount will be divided as follows:

• US$ 240,000 (Two hundred and forty thousand US Dollars) divided between six Best Practices and two Best Practices Transfers. Each of these winners will also receive a trophy and commemorative certificate designed for the award.
• US$ 120,000 (One hundred and twenty thousand US Dollars) towards management expenses including travel and accommodation for a delegation of up to two people for each award winning practice.
• Starting in 2012, two private sector entities and one individual will be awarded with a trophy and commemorative certificate especially designed for the award.

Eligibility Criteria
The following are eligible for the award:

• Government organizations or agencies; including bilateral aid agencies, e.g. DFID, SIDA, USAID etc.
• National Habitat committees or Focal Points;
• Multilateral Agencies (United Nations Agencies, World Bank, etc.)
• Cities, local authorities or their associations;
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
• Community-based organizations (CBOs);
• Private Sector;
• Research and academic institutions;
• Media;
• Public or Private foundations;
• Individuals are eligible for the Dubai International Award provided that they are submitting a specific initiative or project that meets the Best Practice criteria.

Last date for submitting the nominations is March 30, 2012.
For more information, visit this link.