The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour award was launched in 1989 and is one of the world's most prestigious human settlements award. It aims to acknowledge initiatives that have made outstanding contributions in the field of human settlements, provision of housing, highlighting the plight of people living in poverty or who have been displaced, developing and improving human settlements and the quality of urban life to leave no one behind echoing the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 with emphasis on Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. 

The Dubai International Award for Best Practices (DIABP) was established in 1995 under the directive of the late Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to recognize initiatives which have resulted in 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.

UN-Habitat is actively engaging with Dubai through different channels such as Expo 2020’s Global Best Practice Programme. The program is platform to showcase projects that have provided tangible solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. This is in line with UN-Habitat’s mandate, to share best practices on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the urban-related dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals with member states and key stakeholders.

The Shanghai Manual was established in 2011, following the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai China. The initial purpose of the Manual was to serve as a tool to support mayors and urban managers in achieving sustainable urban development in cities.

The manual plays an increasingly important role in supporting the efforts of mayors and urban administrators in advancing sustainable urban development. The ideas and spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and New Urban Agenda (NUA) have been integrated into the Shanghai Manual in particular, with focuses on inclusive cities, innovative cities, creative cities, low-carbon, and resilient cities, and livable cities.

Using exemplary best practices, the Shanghai Manual provides practical solutions to problems related to sustainable urban development in the real world, with a focus on urban governance and sustainable urban development.