Moroccan Urban Project Wins Dubai International Award for Best Practices

A Moroccan project was awarded the prestigious Dubai International Award for Best Practice in the category of national urban policies, UN Habitat and Dubai municipality announced.

The initiative “We are Medina Learning from Jnane Aztout” implemented in the northern city of Larache won the “best practice for improving the environment” in the field of national urban policy, said officials of the UN agency at a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi.

The Jnane Aztout project, carried out within the framework of Morocco’s “Slum-free Cities” program, is the fruit of a partnership between the Ministry of Housing, local authorities in Larache, the Jnane Aztout association, and the cooperation group for housing and development of the University of Seville.

The 2017 Award comes at a critical time; with the New Urban Agenda being signed in October last year, this is a distinct opportunity to showcase the most effective interventions for improving the lives of urban residents around the globe, the UN agency said.

In total,10 submissions are awarded for their innovative ways of dealing with social, economic, and environmental challenges in a sustainable manner: 2 Best Practices, 2 Best Practices Transfers; 2 Personal awards, and 2 Private sector winners are all given $30,000 each while 2 University Research winners receive $15,000 each; the UN agency added.