The UN-HABITAT delegation was led by Mr. Alain Grimard, Senior Human Settlements Officer for the Regional Office for Africa and the Arab States. He was accompanied by Mr. Filiep Decorte, Chief Technical Advisor, Palestine, Mr. Nael Salman, Habitat Programme Manager, West Bank, Palestine, Mr. Abdalla Abbas, former UN-Habitat manager now working with the Kingdom of Bahrain. The team held talks with Sheikh Hussam Bin Essa Al-khalifa, Advisor to Prime Minister of Kingdom of Bahrain and Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to UN-HABITAT and Mr. Abdulla Abdullatif Abdulla, Under Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain. Both hosts have reiterated their satisfaction with UN-Habitat work worldwide and in the region (in particular in the oPT where the money from the Kingdom of Bahrain has been well used. Citing the good relationship between Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, and the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hussam Bin Essa Al-khalifa, the officials stressed Bahrain’s wish to maintain the strong cooperation initiated since 2007 and its willingness to continue supporting UN-HABITAT, especially in Palestine and in the sub-region, and also on its global mandate, by having UN-HABITAT’s flagship reports translated into Arabic. The 2010 Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa UN-HABITAT Award The biennial Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Habitat Award aims to promote the ideals and principles of good governance and equity in housing and urban development policies and practice. The Award recognises outstanding efforts at city and country levels in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and the attainment of human settlements related Millennium Development Goals. The Land and Housing Programme of the Bento Rubião Foundation has benefited more than 23,000 families over a period spanning two decades. The Award is a joint initiative of the Kingdom of Bahrain and UN-HABITAT. The 2010 selection was drawn from a shortlist of 16 finalists. The foundation was recognized for maintaining momentum in advocating for human and housing rights of all segments of the urban population – especially the poor and marginalized. The programme was also highly commended for its impact and extensive coverage, diverse partnerships, replication and influence on policy. Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT said: “This initiative showcases the exemplary work on slum upgrading and access to housing rights for thousands of urban poor in Brazil.” Mrs. Tibaijuka cited her appreciation to the Government of Bahrain for the continuing partnership with UN-HABITAT, aimed at recognising such outstanding initiatives globally.
When it was instituted two years ago, the award went to the Green Brigade, a project that has seen some 1,700 women being mobilized to clean up the streets of Ouagadogou, Burkina Faso. World Habitat Day Bahrain |
