International media campaign launched for DIABP

"The award grew within the last ten years and we are working with UN-HABITAT to promote the award and for this purpose an international campaign was launched for the DIABP that spans across the world from Latin America to South East Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Australia and South & North America," said Obeid Salem Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Administrative and General Services Affairs and member of the Board of Trustees of DIABP.

He said that the intensive global media campaign, which is expected to bring in an increased number of nominations this time, has been allotted 55% more funds than the previous cycles.

"We want the information about the award reach everybody in the world. We are using local languages so that everybody understands the goal of the award. This will encourage any organization, NGO or institution take up this opportunity to submit their nominations for the next cycle of the award," said Al Shamsi.

"As the number of awards has been increased from 10 to 12 this time, we have widened the media campaign to get the maximum response from everywhere," he said.

"We have been participating in most of the UN-HABITAT conferences that are being held around the world and giving presentations about the award in the exhibitions held on the sidelines of these conferences as well as conducting press conferences at these venues to promote the award further," said Al Shamsi.

"Last week we were in Jakarta to participate the global observance of the World Habitat Day. We received tremendous response for the Dubai Award during this event. Our stall at the exhibition conducted alongside the event was visited by the Vice President of Indonesia. We also organized a press conference and distributed media materials to promote the award. I hope this will encourage more submission for the 2006 award," he said.
"In November we are going to Colombia to attend the international conference on Best Practices. We will utilize the exhibition in this conference also to promote DIABP by giving presentations and holding press conferences," said Al Shamsi.

He said that Dubai Municipality has appointed Dr. Abdelfattah Toukan as the executive secretary of the award specially for managing and promoting the award.

"The Dubai International Award is growing in scope as we witness an ever increasing number of submissions during every cycle and hence we have launched the worldwide campaign to ensure that the award attracts quality entries that reflect existing initiatives and projects from all corners of the world that have helped improve the living conditions of people in their respective communities. The award has attracted more than 2,300 submissions from over 140 countries in its five cycles since 1995," said Al Shamsi.

He said that more than 8,000 organizations, public and private institutions, NGOs and associations from around the world have been invited to participate in the sixth cycle of the Award.

The last date for accepting submissions for the award is March 31, 2006 and submitters could provide their submissions to Dubai Municipality or to UN-Habitat, said Al Shamsi.

He said the UN-Habitat and the international partners of the award have been helping in not only promoting the DIABP but also working closely with Dubai Municipality in managing and running the award as well as handling submissions received in each cycle and validating them, he said.

Al Shamsi said that Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN-Habitat and the UN staff have played an important role in achieving international success to the award.

"We are also trying to get the honour of hosting next year's official UN function for World Habitat Day in Dubai," he said.

Al Shamsi said that Dubai Municipality has become a member of the Montreal-based International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). "ICSID, which works closely with the UN, certifies international events and awards. It has more than 150,000 people in its mailing list, which will be utilized to promote the DIABP as well as for mailing the submission guidelines of the award," he said.

Toukan said that he had a meeting with the Secretary General of ICSID recently in Toronto during which both the parties discussed the framework to explore collaborative partnership.
"We are currently concentrating on the transfer of best practices to other countries," said Toukan.

At the close of the submission deadline, partners and the UN-Habitat will compile all the received submissions for the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprising experts in the field to meet and review all the entries and select the best of them for the International Jury to select the winning 12 awards, 10 for Best Practices and 2 for Best Practices Transfers, which was added this year to the previous ten awards with a total of U.S.$ 480,000.

Established in 1995 by a decree from Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Award aims at encouraging, recognizing and enhancing awareness of outstanding and sustainable achievements in improving the quality of life in urban and rural settlements.

The Dubai Declaration, which recognized the establishment of DIABP, was adopted as an official document of the UN in the global conference of UN-Habitat II held by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) as well as by the World Association of Local Authorities (WACLA) in Istanbul, Turkey, in their meetings during 3 - 14 June, 1996.

The Dubai Declaration, which was the most important outcome of the DIABP, has set down the main guidelines and principles for identifying, awarding and replicating best practices.

Dubai Municipality and the UN-Habitat worked together closely to make this award a successful international award through the last ten years.

The Award is open to all organizations and individuals from Governments, Local Authorities, international Non-Governmental and Community-Based organizations, the Private Sector and other representatives of Civil Society.

Each one of the 12 winners would receive a monetary prize in addition to a certificate and a trophy depicting the award logo, the Barjeel (Wind Tower). Also, a maximum of two representatives of each winning initiatives are invited by Dubai Municipality to attend the award ceremony in Dubai.