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Spain has become the most awarded country by United Nations for its best practice urban
The City Councils of Barcelona and Noaín (Navarra) have won first prize in the eighth edition of the International Awards for Best Practices to improve living conditions in cities, Dubai 2010, promoted by UN-HABITAT and it works with the Ministry of Development.
Both experiences were presented yesterday in a ceremony during which representatives of both municipalities, FEMP, Secretary of State for Housing, Beatriz Corredor and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, Joan Clos,
This is the first time since the awards were instituted in 1996, that a country gets two highest awards in a single call. This is the Municipal Plan for Climate Change Noaín (Navarra) and Agenda 21 of the City of Barcelona school. With them, Spain accumulates eight international awards, standing at the forefront of countries that have achieved the highest distinction in the contest.
The event, held at the Palais des Zurbano of Madrid, also involved representatives of the FEMP, whose network of Cities for Climate received the said award in the 2008 edition. The Director of Territorial Action FEMP, José María Velásquez, said the impetus and dissemination of good practices in urban areas of the Federation and the achievements of the Spanish Network of Cities for Climate.
Beatriz Corredor said: "These awards provide recognition to those pioneering Spanish experience in supporting and promoting sustainable urban development, participatory and effective improvement in the quality of life of citizens."
As a permanent Secretariat Spanish Habitat Committee, the Ministry of Development promotes the participation of Spanish Practice coordinating the selection and transmission of meeting the requirements established by the UN.
For its part, Joan Clos, emphasized the increase of human traffic to the cities in certain areas of the world, following the economic crisis, higher raw material shortages and natural disasters that have occurred significant increase in spaces with substandard housing, without the minimal conditions of habitability.
In these circumstances, the work of UN Habitat focuses on two main lines: on one hand in advising the governments of the territories with more difficulty and, secondly, by working directly in areas with local communities.
School Agenda 21 Barcelona City Council
The winning project of the City of Barcelona, is an initiative directed at schools, acting in line with Agenda 21 of the city of Barcelona, explained Councillor for the Environment. Inma Mayol. Through the program, educational communities are involved in diagnosing, provide solutions and make commitments to a more sustainable city, starting with their immediate environment, school. Began operations in 2001 and has involved more than 350 schools of all non-university educational levels. In the last academic year participated in the program, 81,882 students, 7,583 teachers, 1,481 staff complement of 62,970 schools and families.
This is a pioneering initiative in Spain that has spread to other Spanish cities, Italian, Portuguese and Latin American.
Municipal Plan for Climate Change Noaín
Noaín Plan, as stated Councilman Ambien Meciar, Oscar Arizcuren, affects the urban environmental protection and comes as the culmination of a series of actions taken with regard to saving and energy efficiency in the municipality. Its main goal is to help stop climate change from the level of local expertise with measures such as the Municipal Energy Plan, the promotion of renewable energy, awareness and participation in the fight against climate change, boosting mobility sustainable or increasing sinks of CO2.
Among the achievements, stress the implementation of 15 municipal facilities for renewable energies, an annual saving of 300,000 euros for the implementation of energy efficiency measures and sustainable management, greater public awareness or planting over 35,000 trees and shrubs .
