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The 2017 Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Awards Were Grandly Announced in New York
Source:Global Forum on Human Settlements | Author:gfhsforum | Published time: 2017-10-31 | 2077 Views | Share:


Reported by  Department of Public Information of Global Forum on Human Settlements from New York, October 30, 2017


On the evening of October 30, 2017, EST, the grand opening of the 2017 Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Awards (referred to as "SCAHSA") ceremony took place at Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza hotel. After nearly one year long intense competition, 23 best examples standing out from different countries and regions all over the world have been selected to receive the 2017 Sustainable City and Human Settlement Awards.


 

Presenters and Awardees of SCAHSA 2017


As an important celebration events of the 2017 "World City Day", "SCAHSA" Ceremony is also one of the brilliant light spots that unveiled the twelfth Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS-XII).

 

The distinguished guests gathered in an exciting atmosphere at the Diplomat Ballroom at the ONE UN Plaza and kicked off the ceremony in the stream music. Ms. Mara Angélica Murillo-Correa, Senior Programme Officer of Intergovernmental Affairs, United Nations Environment Programme New York Office, stressed in her welcome remarks:“ We at UN Environment believe that cities and human settlements are part of the solution. Their innovation capacity, economic power and the densities that allow for economies of scale make them prime places to reinvent our consumption and production patterns to reduce the impacts on our ecosystems. But this may not happen 'naturally'; we need to integrate these considerations into the way in which we plan and design and manage cities and human settlements. It is important to share good practices and leadership to recognize the courage of first mover, to inspire and encourage others to  innovate or replicate. UN Environment therefore salutes GFHS for having developed the awards and for its consistency in running them for the twelfth time.”


 

Ms. Mara Angélica Murillo-Correa, Senior Programme Officer of Intergovernmental Affairs, United Nations Environment Programme New York Office


The awards evaluation expert, Mr. Arab Hoballah, Senior Sustainability Expert, former Chief of Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry Branch at UNEP, noted: “ The Award is operated on the basis of “voluntary submission, differential elimination and fairness and justness”. Each category has an array of strict indicators and evaluation criteria for reference, and shall be appraised by authorized and independent committee of experts. 23 outstanding and remarkable projects were selected this year, demonstrating the increasing commitment to greening cities, human settlements and lifestyles, representing innovation from Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, USA and of course China.  ”



 Mr. Arab Hoballah, Senior Sustainability Expert, former Chief of Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry Branch at UNEP


Lu Haifeng, Secretary General of the Global Forum on Human Settlements, stated in his welcome remarks: the United Nations Habitat III identified that innovative urban governance and effective planning and management of urban space development are two keys to achieve the goals of sustainable cities and human settlements. Winners of  2017 SCAHSA will bring the inspirations and memorable stories to everyone.


Around 200 participants from various regions of the world watched and enjoyed the video clips of winners of each category played by the organizers in order to share the winners’ achievements and successful experiences in improving their cities and human settlements, and demonstrate the reasons of their winning and success. Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative, Chairman of GFHS; H. E. Mr. Mamadou Tangara, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Gambia to the United Nations; and the other guests were invited to give the winners the Green Crystal Trophies, the medals and their congratulations and encouragements.


In the total 23 awards and 6 major categories of “SCAHSA”: Mannheim, Germany, Surabaya, Indonesia, Wuyi County, Zhejiang Province, China are the receivers of Global Green City award; “Smart Retro in Lahti, Finland” won the Global Model of Urban Renewal award; “Massive Bicycle Parking Facilities in Mexico City” won the Global Model of Green Mobility award; the Zipline Adventure Tours in St. Thomas,Virgin Islands, U.S. , and China Zhejiang Changshan Sanqu Stone Forest Scenic Spot won the Global Low-Carbon Ecological Scenic Spots award; CSCEC•Meixi Lake Center, SNTO • MudanGe, Gezhouba Nanjing Jianye District Land 8-6 and Metropolis Mansion together obtained the Global Human Settlements Model of Community award; Mission Hills Centreville won the Global Model of Green Cultural Commercial Complex; CGPV Industrial Building System Industrial Park in Malaysia won Global Model of Green Building Industrialization award; India Mumbai Reimagining Public Spaces, Sustainable Improvement of Romani Settlements in Bulgaria, as well as China Vanke•Wonderland, Prime Orienting, Harbin International Agricultural Exhibition Center respectively won the Global Human Settlements Award on Planning and Design; Serge Salat, President of Urban Morphology and Complex Systems Institute, Paris,   Trust for Social Achievement, Bulgaria and Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, GSSRS, the Governor of the Rivers State of Nigeria, won the Global Human Settlements Outstanding Contribution Award; Filler masterbatch with high content of calcium carbonate of China won the Global Human Settlements Model of Green Technology award; Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, U.S.A. gained the Global Model of Green Business award for its outstanding contribution to green business model.


SCAHSA means the flying wind in Chinese language, an impressive and powerful word implying that the wind of the green is flying around the world. During the Awards Ceremony, the audiences have been passionately shouting "Sa Sa!" for many times to cheer for the winners and for the sustainable development. The green stars – award winners will continue to share their ideas and interact with participants on the second day of the GFHS-XII on 31st October. Their stories will drive the attention of international community.


According to the organizers, the next SCAHSA Ceremony will be held in Bangkok, capital of Thailand in October 2018. We look forward to it!


Background Information of the “Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Awards”


The “Sustainable Cities And Human Settlements Award” (SCAHSA) (originally named “Global Human Settlements Award”) is an annual worldwide prize awarded by Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS) and supported United Nations Environment Programme and other UN agencies. It is  focused on promoting the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals and the mission of the GFHS by encouraging Awardees and recommending their prominent progress and valuable experience over the course of a greener and more sustainable goal. It has been successfully held for twelve times to date and the awardees come from different parts of the world. It has created high-level interactive platforms for insiders to share and spread knowledge and experience, exerting significant demonstrative effects.