The Dubai International Award for Best Practices was established in 1995 under the directive of the late Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to recognize initiatives which have resulted in a positive impact on improving the living environment.
Since then, more than 5,000 initiatives, which document various ways of solving economic, social and environmental issues from more than 150 countries have been compiled and disseminated through the best practices database hosted at UN-Habitat.
The award has over the years been dynamic to incorporate emerging global trends, while at the same time focusing on its original goal of acknowledging the efforts of different entities in promoting the development of better living environments. Since 1996, over 110 winners from different countries have been awarded cash prizes and trophies for their efforts to improve the living environment.
The last cycle of the Dubai International Award was awarded in 2019 and marked 12 cycles since its inception. The 12th Cycle came at an opportune time when most countries had reaffirmed their commitments through the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The award recognizes international best practices that demonstrate valuable contributions to sustainable urban development as a result of effective partnerships between public, private and civic sectors.
Transformative, global and tangible
Now reaching its 25th year, the award recognises the world’s best practices that demonstrate valuable contributions to sustainable urban development, as a result of effective partnerships between public, private, and civic sectors in these areas:
- Urban Regeneration and Public Spaces
- Construction of Sustainable, Innovative and Smart Buildings
- Sustaining Urban Food Systems
- Addressing Climate Change and Reducing Pollution
- Urban Infrastructure Planning and Management
Urban Best Practices Database
The Urban Best Practices database is an online repository of inspiring breakthroughs on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. It contains practices which have been vetted and made available by different international award schemes. It has a comprehensive search functionality and serves as a useful reference tool for knowledge, success stories and lessons learnt that can be replicated and scaled up.