UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour award was launched in 1989 and is one of the most prestigious human settlements award in the world. It aims to acknowledge initiatives which 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 award is handed over at the Global Observance of the World Habitat Day, the day the United Nations has set aside to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to reflect on the state of our cities and towns and to shape the future. World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/202 and was first celebrated in 1986.

 

Who can Apply?

Individuals, organizations, projects and any Habitat Agenda partner can be nominated for the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour. These include:

  • Government and inter-governmental organizations or agencies, including bilateral aid agencies
  • Cities, local authorities or their associations
  • Civil society organizations
  • The private sector
  • National Habitat Committees or focal points
  • Research and academic institutions
  • Public or private foundations
  • Multilateral agencies (United Nations Agencies, World Bank, etc.)
  • The media
  • Individuals

Evaluation criteria

A Committee comprising from UN-Habitat experts and senior management makes the initial assessment of the nominations and submissions of the candidates and verify that the submission conforms to the standards outlined in the guidelines. After strict reviewing and screening materials of all the candidates, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme chooses the winners. In the past, every year the number of awards by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme depends, generally below ten. Since 2018 only five winners, ideally from each Region of the world, are selected. Past winners are outstanding in the international, regional or national level of human living and have extensive influences. On every World Habitat Day, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme will hold the award ceremony in a prior selected city.

Winners

Each year, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme receives a large number of projects nominated by governments after selection. Recommended candidates can be government organizations or agencies, individuals, or projects, and initiatives can address any aspects of human settlements, such as housing, infrastructure, urban renewal, sustainable human settlements development, or post-disaster reconstruction.

2022

Awards were given to the following:

Winner  Awarded For Country
15-Minute City Global Initiative For offering a compelling model with global outreach that facilitates narratives and mobilization on sustainable urban development and is contributing to accelerating the implementation of the New Urban Agenda as a blueprint for the COVID-19 recovery. Global
Mr. Stanley Anigbogu For his pioneering use of simple technology and recycling electronic waste to create innovative energy solutions for marginalized communities and families, small business owners, and refugees. Nigeria
Ms. Dipti Mahapatro For her innovative leadership in turning a failing public-private transport service into inclusive, accessible, cleaner and safer urban mass rapid transit system with transformative impacts especially regarding opportunities provided for women. India
Programa Parceria For its in-situ approach to undertake disaster risk reduction strategies and enhancing resilience in favelas with a community-based approach that seeks to improve infrastructure in existing settlements and avoid evictions. Brazil
URBAN Intergroup of the European Parliament For being effective in enabling European legislation, policies, and financing for sustainable urban development in cities and human settlements which can provide inspiration for parliaments and parliamentary assemblies in other regions of the world. European Parliament
United Cities and Local Governments, UCLG (Special Citation) For its global outreach in promoting networks and alliances and generating technical guidance to local governments worldwide, highlighting the importance of localizing SDGs for tangibility of global agendas and establishing appropriate monitoring systems. UCLG

 

2021

Awards were given to the following:

Winner Awarded For Country
New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) "Its role in providing safe, affordable social housing projects in Egypt" Egypt
Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) "Being a leading example of a community-led change to eradicate extreme poverty in Kenya’s urban slums" Kenya
Baoji City "Its innovative housing provision project benefiting low and middle-income residents in Baoji City" China
Let's Do It! World (LDIW) "For organizing three World Cleanup Days (WCD) to tackle the global waste crisis and reduce carbon emissions" Estonia
Ciudad Emergente (CEM) "Its innovative approach on piloting a Shared Streets concept (Calles Compartidas) for low carbon cities" Chile

 

2020

Awards were given to the following:

Winner Awarded For Country
Upcycle Africa "Transforming lives through affordable housing provision, waste education and job opportunities" Uganda
Subang Jaya Municipal Council "Its holistic and integrated approach to affordable housing and community empowerment" Malaysia
Community Impact Nepal, Kathmandu "Empowering entrepreneurs to produce eco-friendly constructions for families in substandard housing" Nepal
Ministry of Housing and Cities "Its leadership in the development of an urban policy that promotes sustainable housing and cities putting housing at the centre" Colombia
ECOCASA "Addressing energy efficient construction standards for housing, facilitating inclusive access to financial mechanisms and creating decent homes" Mexico

 

2018

Awards were given to the following:

Winner Awarded For Country
Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province "Promoting holistic and broad-based approaches to ecological restoration through intelligent waste-management" China
National Action Plan for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda in Cuba 2017-2036: Institute of Physical Planning "Implementing positive urban and territorial change through the integration and implementation of the principles of the New Urban Agenda" Cuba
Tri Rismaharini, Mayor of Surabaya City "Implementing people-centred and inclusive city regeneration and development initiatives prioritizing low income residents to ensure they are not left behind" Indonesia
Isaac 'Kaka' Muasa, Chairman of Mathare Environmental Conservation Youth Group "Harnessing the potential of disadvantaged youth and inspiring community-wide involvement in solid waste management" Kenya
Presented Posthumously in Memory of Dr. Mona A. Serageldin (1938 – 2018), Vice President: Institute for International Urban Development (I2UD) (2005 – 2018) "Promoting practical research-based approaches to address a broad spectrum of development challenges in a wide range of settings" United States

 

2013

Awards were given to the following:

Winner Awarded For Country
UPP Social Programme (Municipality of Rio de Janeiro) "Advancing the promotion of urban, social and economic development in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro" Brazil
People's Government of Shouguang "Improvements in infrastructure, transport and traffic systems" China
Ministry of Urban Development and Construction of Ethiopia "Its groundbreaking Cobblestone - Youth Job Creation Initiative" Ethiopia
Suwon "Its citizen-initiated governance and participatory urban planning and budgeting" Korea
Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility "Enabling organizations of the urban poor to access greater resources" United Kingdom

 

2012

Awards were given to the following:

Winner Awarded For Country
The São Paulo Slum Upgrading Programme of the Municipal Housing Secretariat (SEHAB) "Implementing one of the largest slum upgrading project in Brazil" Brazil
The Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance (FEICOM) "Assisting municipalities in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including efforts on clean water, access to education and health facilities" Cameroon
Anji County "Transforming Anji city into one of the world's greenest cities" China
Olusegun Mimiko, Governor of Ondo State "The drive to reduce urban poverty and make Ondo the best-run State in the country." Nigeria
Muchadeyi Masunda, Mayor of Harare "10 years charismatic leadership and courageous promotion of ethical governance in a city stressed by socio-economic, political and service delivery problems" Zimbabwe

 

2011

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Wintringham Specialist Aged Care Australia
Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Estructuras y Materiales (CIDEM) Cuba
Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) by MMC-Gamuda Malaysia
Edith Mbanga of the Shack Dwellers Federation for Namibia Namibia
Yakutsk City Administration Russia
Austin Energy Green Building United States

 

2010

Awards were given to:

Winner  Country
Vienna (Municipal)'s Sustainable Urban Renewal Programme Austria
Kunshan Municipal People's Government China
City of Medellin Colombia
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development of Morocco and the Al Omrane Group Morocco
Housing and Development Board (HDB) Singapore
Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO) South Africa

 

2009

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Peter Oberlander Canada
Un Techo Para Mi Pais Chile
Rizhao Municipal Government China
CEMEX Mexico
The city of Grozny Russia
The Saudi Al-Medina Al Munawarah Local Urban Observatory Saudi Arabia
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (Special Citation) Republic of Korea
Jan Peterson of Huairou Commission United States of America
The Alexandra Renewal Project South Africa
The City of Malmö Sweden
Uganda Women's Efforts to Save Children (UWESO) Uganda
Neal Peirce, Journalist United States of America

 

2008

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Nanjing Municipal Government (Special Citation) China
The ancient canal city of Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province China
The bustling port city of Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu Province China
The City of Bugulma in the Tartarstan Republic of Western Russia Russia
The Capital of Rwanda, Kigali Rwanda
Ciudad Juarez, a major Mexican city on the United States border Mexico

 

2007

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
The Nanning Municipal People's Government China
Eusebio Leal Spengler, Historian of the City of Havana Cuba
The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies The Netherlands
Lieutenant-General Nadeem Ahmed, Deputy Chairman, Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority Pakistan
The Palestinian Housing Council (PHC) Palestinian National Authority
Russia, the Stavropol City Administration's project Russian Federation
The Mwanza Rural Housing Programme United Republic of Tanzania

 

2006

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
The National Cities Conference Programme, Ministry of Cities Brazil
The Yangzhou Municipal People's Government China
The French firm Veolia Environment France
The Government of Alexandria Egypt
Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Italy
Pag IBIG Fund The Philippines
Federation Yaroslavl City Administration Russian Federation
H.H. Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa (Special Citation), The Prime Minister of The Kingdom of Bahrain Kingdom of Bahrain

 

2005

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Rose Molokoane South Africa
The Municipality of Kazan City Russia
Sarvodaya Shramandana Movement Sri Lanka
Professor Johan Silas Indonesia
Jakarta Metropolitan City Indonesia
North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin (posthumous) Indonesia
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (Special Citation) Sweden

 

2004

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Xiamen Municipal People's Government China
Centre for Development Communication India
President Joaquim Chissano (Special Citation) Mozambique
The Big Issue magazine United Kingdom
Prime Minister Rafic Hariri (Special Citation) Lebanon

 

2003

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Margaret Catley-Carlson Canada
Weihai Municipal Government China
German Garcia Duran Colombia
Nasreen Mustafa Sideek Iraq
Pamoja Trust Kenya
Sankie D. Mthembi-Mahanyele South Africa
Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council Switzerland
Zena Daysh, Commonwealth Human Ecology Council UK
Teolinda Bolivar Venezuela
His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand (Special Citation) Thailand

 

2002

Awards were given to:

Winner Awarded For Country
City-to-City cooperation between Nakuru, Kenya and Leuven "For their multifaceted City-to-City Cooperation on sustainable Urban Development." Belgium
Brazilian Institute of Municipal Administration "For its continuous support to local government development through training on municipal and urban issues." Brazil
Baotou Municipal Government "For outstanding improvements in shelter and the urban environment and successful cooperation with other Chinese cities." China
CITYNET based in Yokohama "For playing a key role in facilitating C2C and networking amongst local governments, NGOs and development agencies in Asia." Japan
Dutch Habitat Platform "For coordinating the Habitat Agenda and linking municipalities in the Netherlands with their partners in developing countries." The Netherlands
Mayor Joan Clos "For his outstanding commitment and contribution to global cooperation between local authorities and the United Nations." Spain
ENDA Tiers Monde, Dakar "For promoting alternative development options at local level, reducing poverty and advocating housing rights." Senegal
René Frank "For his dedication to low-cost housing as a leading member of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI)." USA
John Hodges (Special Citation) "for his contribution to poverty elimination and sustainable urban development in South Asia and sub-Saharian Africa." United Kingdom

 

2001

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Hangzhou Municipal Government China
Pastora Nuez Gonzalez Cuba
Bremer Beginenhof Modell Germany
Fukuoka City Japan
Father Pedro Opeka Madagascar
Centre on Housing Rights and Eviction Switzerland
Television Trust for the Environment (TVE), UK Asiaweek Magazine UK
The Cooperating Committee for Japan Habitat Fukuoka Office (Special Citation) Japan

 

2000

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Ana Vasilache Romania
Caroline Pezzullo USA
Jacqueline daCosta Jamaica
Women and Peace Network Costa Rica
Mary Jane Ortega Philippines
International Union of Local Authorities based in the Netherlands
Sheela Patel India
Charles N. Keenja Tanzania
Mmatshilo Motsei South Africa

 

1999

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Habiba Eid Egypt
Bo Xilai Mayor of Dalian China
National Slum Dwellers Federation India
Alvaro Villota Berna Colombia
President Rudolf Schuster Slovak Republic
Pierre Laconte Belgium
Millard Fuller USA
Hon. Kwamena Ahwoi Ghana
Operation Firimbi Kenya

 

1998

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Programa de Mobilizaco de Comunidades Brazil
Fu-Nan River Comprehensive Revitalization Project Chengdu, China
Mayor Mu Suixin, Mayor of Shenyang China
Forum Européene pour la Sécurité Urbaine France
Prof. Akin L. Mabogunje Nigeria
Valdimir A. Kudryavtsev Russia
Association des Habitants del Mourouje Tunisia

 

1997

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Sen. Oscar Lopez Velarde Vega Mexico
Mother Center Stuttgart West Germany
South African Homeless Peoples Federation South Africa
Mayor Huang Ziqiang China
Reinhard Goethert and Nabeel Hamdi USA/United Kingdom
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Canada
Peter Elderfield (Special Citation) United Kingdom
Radinal Moochtar, Minister of Public Works (Special Citation) Indonesia

 

1996

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Hou Jie, Minister of Construction (Special Citation) China
Peter Kimm (Special Citation) USA
Mohamed Hashi, Mayor of Hargeisa Somalia
The late Sidhijai Tanphiphat Thailand
Ministry of Local Government and Housing Zambia
The SISCAT Group Bolivia
Jnos SZAB Budapest

 

1995

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Comunidades Programme State Government of Cear Brazil
Foundation in Support of Local Democracy Poland
Urban Community Development Office Thailand
Gangadhar Rao Dattatri India
Projet de Taza, Agence Nationale de lute contre l'Habitat Insalubre (ANHI) Morocco
La cooprative des veuves de Save Duhozanye Rwanda
Shanghai Municipal Housing Project China
Joe Slovo (deceased) South Africa

 

1994

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Qassim Sultan United Arab Emirates
Bank Tabungan Negara (State Housing Bank of Indonesia) Indonesia
Programme dHabitat Cooperatif Senegal
Jorge E. Hardoy (deceased) Argentina
Housing Development Administration Turkey

 

1993

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Cités Unies Development France
Build Together Programme Namibia
Anthony Williams Bullard United Kingdom

 

1992

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Intermediate Technology Development Group United Kingdom
Shenzhen Housing Bureau China
Habitat International Coalition Mexico
East Wahdat Upgrading Project Jordan
Earthquake Emergency Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Programme Nepal
Rural Housing Reconstruction with Appropriate Technologies Ecuador
Namuwongo Upgrading and Low-Cost Housing Uganda
New Urban Communities in Egypt Egypt
World Relief El Salvador Housing Reconstruction Project El Salvador
Woodless Construction Project Niger
Laurie Baker India
Yona Friedman USA
Mayor Jaime Lerner Curitiba, Brazil
Rozanov Evgueni Grigorievich Russian Federation
John F.C. Turner United Kingdom

 

1991

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Ministry of Housing and Human Settlements Costa Rica
Urban Development Authority Singapore
Cooperative Housing Foundation USA
National Housing Development Authority Sri Lanka
Housing and Urban Development Corporation India
Housing Development Finance Corporation India
Sengki Land-sharing Project Thailand
Projet Assistance IECOSAT Burundi
Institute for Building Materials Viet Nam
Tamako Nakanishi Japan
Arch. Leandro Quintana Uranga Venezuela

 

1990

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Lord Scarman United Kingdom
Tangshan Municipal Government China
Construyamos Colombia
Craterre France
Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority United Republic of Tanzania
Human Settlement Foundation Thailand
American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, Illinois USA

 

1989

Awards were given to:

Winner Country
Otto Koenigsberger United Kingdom
Hassan Fathy Egypt
Lauchlin Currie USA
Habitat for Humanity International USA