5 categories will be included in the 13th edition of the award
New category for the most beautiful innovative iconic building  

Al Hajri: “The award reflects the policy, commitment and global leadership of the UAE and the Government of Dubai in the field of sustainable environmental practices and improving the quality of life”

“We seek to make it the premier global award in adopting best practices, programs and policies that have a positive impact, improve the quality of life, and achieve human happiness to advance the cities of the future.”

Dubai, UAE, 30 May 2023:
Dubai Municipality has opened the registration for the 13th edition of the Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development, which will remain open till the end of August 2023. The award, which is organized by Dubai Municipality in cooperation with the United Nations Human Settlements Program, UN-Habitat, is one of the initiatives aimed at praising global best practices in the field of improving the quality of life and the living environment, by spreading and supporting these best practices, in line with the sustainable development goals. 

H.E. Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “The Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development embodies the policy and commitment of the UAE and the Government of Dubai towards the sustainable development of human settlements and the protection of the environment. It reflects the leadership and global position of the Emirate of Dubai in implementing and supporting sustainable environmental practices and its commitment to improving the quality of life. Our goal is to establish the Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development as the premier global award that encourages and supports the adoption of best practices, programs, and policies related to sustainable development and implementation, in order to achieve the best possible quality of life.” 

“We were keen to introduce some updates to the award, to enhance its presence as a global platform for sharing development practices that make a positive impact and improve the quality of life through practices that preserve the environment and achieve human happiness and well-being for the advancement of future cities. The changes include developing the categories and standards in the latest edition and adding a new category that focuses on the most beautiful innovative and iconic building,” Al Hajri added. 

The 13th edition categories
The 13th edition of the Dubai International Award for Best Practices will include 5 categories. The first category will recognize the best practices in the domain of urban renewal and public spaces. The second category is for the most beautiful innovative and iconic building. The third category will emphasize the best practices in maintaining urban food systems, while the fourth category will be dedicated to the best practices in tackling climate change and reducing pollution. The fifth category will highlight the best practices in the area of planning and managing urban infrastructure.

Partnerships
On the sidelines of the World Government Summit 2023, Dubai Municipality had renewed the cooperation agreement with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) regarding the 13th edition of the Dubai International Award for Best Practices. The agreement aims to improve the collaboration between Dubai Municipality and UN-Habitat in order to strengthen the global recognition of the award's editions, maintain its momentum, and document it in the UN-Habitat database for best practices as part of the new urban agenda.

Over a period of 25 years the award received 8,000 practices to be selected as best practices, as well as direct exchanges between cities and communities in improving living. In the previous year, the 12th edition of the award achieved remarkable success with 3,000 applications submitted, indicating a 90% increase from the 11th edition. The award had participants from 145 countries worldwide.
The Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development was established in 1995 under the directive of late Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, during the United Nations International Conference on Human Settlements that was convened in Dubai, in recognition of the best practices of sustainable development in this field.