Ms. Belinda Yuen: From Singapore; urban planner, university lecturer and researcher on urban planning and policy analysis; Chartered Town Planner and Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore; current President, Singapore Institute of Planners, and Vice-President, Commonwealth Association of Planners - Southeast Asia. Ms. Yuen has also served on international advisory boards.

Mr. Cecil Steward: A US national; architect who has won several architectural awards and served on various boards of architectural associations; Current Dean, Emeritus and Emeritus Professor at the University of Nebraska College of Architecture in Lincoln.

Mr. Mostafa Kamal Madbouly: An Egyptian national; architect, urban designer and planner with 16 years experience in many aspects of urban management. He is the current Vice Chair, General Organization of Physical Planning (GOPP), Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities.

Mr. Donatus Charles Ifebueme Okpala: A Nigerian national; urban and regional planner with national, regional and international experience spanning over 30 years; Member of American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP); Member, Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria (MIMC)

Mr. Michael Parkes: A UK national; an architect who has served on various UN bodies, bilateral agencies and international non-governmental organisations; has also served as an architecture lecturer in Europe and Africa.

Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa: Kingdom of Bahrain; jury chair; a legal expert with experience at national and international levels spanning three decades; has served as legal adviser to the Royal Court in the Kingdom of Bahrain and on the International Bar Association; served as Bahrain’s Ambassador to France and non-resident Ambassador to Belgium, Switzerland and Spain; served as permanent representative to UNESCO; member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Arbitration Centre Consultative Committee; Bahrain’s representative on the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce; elected president of the sixty-first session of the UN General Assembly- the third woman to serve as GA president.

Ms. Axumite Gebre-Egziabher: An Ethiopian national; development planning expert, with over twenty five years of experience, in the field of urban and regional development planning and housing, proven through policy and strategy advisory assignments, management, programme/project design, development and evaluation and action-oriented research work; current Director of UN-HABITAT New York Office. Ms. Axumite has also done consultancies with international NGOs and worked in government agencies.

The thematic focus of the award will be on policies and practices that have proven effective in:

• Urban poverty reduction including job creation and local economic development;
• Development of innovative affordable housing supply systems including slum improvement, slum prevention, access to land, housing finance, real estate management and basic services;
• Urban environmental management including climate change mitigation and adaptation;
• Urban governance including decentralisation and the strengthening of local authorities;
• Gender equality and social inclusion including economic empowerment of women and the youth and their universal access to water, sanitation, health, education and political participation.