My Arab City Photo Competition
State of Arab Cities Report 2020: Financing Sustainable Urbanization
DERASAT, UN-Habitat ROAS and UNDP have joined forces to develop the Second State of Arab Cities Report 2020. The “State of Arab Cities Report 2020: Financing Sustainable Urban Development” will look into the challenges encountering the urban economic and financial frameworks of Arab countries at the regional, national and local levels, and the prospects to unleash their growth potential and stimulate their prosperity.
Ultimately, the report will contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals – with focus on SDG 11 – and the New Urban Agenda in the Arab region, by encouraging evidence-based urban policies improving living conditions for city dwellers in Arab countries. It will expand further the Addis Ababa Action Plan of development financing as a foundation for policy guidance towards successful local financing in the different Arab sub- regions.
In a region where urbanization is progressing rapidly, the promotion of broad-based, locally-driven, sustainability-focused, and inclusive policies is imperative to enable Arab cities to grow in an inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable manner. Many Arab governments have already adopted policies to induce greater spatially-balanced economic development through establishing peripheral industrial zones, new towns and development corridors connecting existing growth nodes to backward regions to improve their access to jobs and services and reduce regional disparities. Nevertheless, the region is still lagging behind in defining the respective roles and mandates of cities in economic growth and regional development and improving their productivity. In this respect, the report will provide relevant insights on the multi- dimensional constraints hampering the transition of the Arab region from business-as-usual to increasingly sustainable and inclusive urban economy. It will explore the critical interlinkages between territorial development, effective finance and investment and enabled institutions, and to enhance understanding of the needed synergies and complementarities between public policies that will have profound impact on the urban development of the region.
Photo Competition
UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States invites young photographers – professional and amateurs – in the Arab region to visually document their vision of Arab cities, what they perceive as key urban challenges in their communities, and their aspirations for inclusive sustainable urban communities. We are looking for photos that capture the soul of Arab cities.
The photo competition has five thematic categories open for photographic submissions:
1.Urban Infrastructure and Services;
2.Public spaces and open areas in cities;
3.Urban landscapes and unique sceneries;
4.Manifestation of culture and diversity in cities;
5.Crosscutting issues in urban contexts, including:
–Climate Change and Environment
–Gender
–Youth, Children, and Elderly
–People of determination
–Human Rights
–Migrants and displaced
The entries must be submitted electronically through filling the form and following the steps on: https://bit.ly/359Dpay in accordance with the competition guidelines and subject to the competition rules.
The first three selected images will be given awards of $400, $300, $200 respectively, while all winning images will be featured at the State of Arab Cities Report to be launched in 2020. Winning images will also be featured at UN-Habitat Urban Exhibition in the World Urban Forum held on 8-13 February 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and at the report launch event in the first quarter of 2020, where they will be seen by prominent political and business leaders, urban stakeholders, representatives from civil society, multilateral and regional institutions as well as major regional partners.
The selected images will also gain recognition and wide exposure throughout UN-Habitat websites, social media and all information materials related to the State of Arab Cities Report.
Contest Rules
•The contest is open to entrants of all skill levels;
•Individuals can submit more than one photo in the different categories; however, geographical balance will be considered when selecting winning photos;
•Submissions should be accompanied with a 1-line caption indicating date, location, copyright, category, and a short description.
•Deadline for submissions is on 10 January 2020;
•Winners will be announced on 23 January 2020;
•Entries must be of high resolution (1080*1920) / 300 DPI;
•Consent of individuals to be photographed is a must in case of submissions featuring recognizable individuals.
