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BRICS city mayors honoured with World Innovation Awards in Moscow

The award honours innovation leaders who have made an outstanding contribution toward the attainment of the UN's vision for a better quality of human life and global prosperity

The World Innovation Awards honour leaders who have made remarkable contributions toward achieving the United Nations' vision for a better quality of life and global prosperity, as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, awards were presented across nine categories: Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Partnerships for the Goals.

The award ceremony took place on September 18 in Moscow, as part of the Cloud Cities Forum, which focuses on the future of BRICS cities. The jury was chaired by Maimunah Mohd Sharif, mayor of Kuala Lumpur and former executive director of UN-Habitat, the UN’s leading body for urban development. Other prominent members of the jury included Nicholas You, executive director of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation; Sameep Shastri, vice chairman of the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Ismail Tekin, vice chairman of the World Organization for Development; Dr Nicolas Buchoud, president of the Grand Paris Alliance for Metropolitan Development (under the G20); and professor Renato Troncon, head of the design Research Lab at the University of Trento.

The Good Health and Wellbeing award was given to Mansour Ajran Al Buainain, director general (Mayor) of Doha Municipality, in recognition of his efforts in promoting healthcare and infrastructure projects that have enhanced the quality of life for citizens. Other nominees in this category included Claudio Orrego, governor of Santiago's Metropolitan Region, and Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, secretary general of the Executive Council of Dubai.

The Quality Education award went to Marat Sultangaziev, Akim of the Almaty Region, for his contribution to improving educational standards. Sun Zhiyang, Mayor of Guangzhou, and Firhad Hakim, Mayor of Kolkata, were also nominated in this category.

Mansur Yavaş, Mayor of Ankara, won the award for Affordable and Clean Energy for his exceptional achievements in the energy sector. He was chosen over fellow nominees Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the UAE, and Eduardo da Costa Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro.

Sergei Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow, was honoured with the Sustainable Cities and Communities award for initiatives such as deploying Pixel, an autonomous cleaning robot, and enhancing eco-monitoring laboratories. The other nominees were Yin Yong, Mayor of Beijing, and Jorge Macri, Chief of Government (Mayor) of Buenos Aires. The award was presented by Rae Kwon Chung, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former advisor on climate change to the UN Secretary-General.

The Decent Work and Economic Growth category recognised D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, for his efforts to create job opportunities and foster economic growth in the region. He surpassed nominees Carolina Cosse, Mayor of Montevideo, and Sayyid Saud bin Hilal bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Minister of State and Governor of Muscat.

In the Clean Water and Sanitation category, Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Governor of Bahrain's Capital Governorate, was awarded for pioneering advanced technologies to deliver safe drinking water to Bahrain's residents. He was nominated alongside Abdelkader Amara, Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water of Morocco, and Ruhakana Rugunda, former Prime Minister of Uganda.

Alireza Zakani, Mayor of Tehran, received the award for Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, recognizing his forward-thinking approach to fostering technological advancements in manufacturing and infrastructure. Other contenders included Vladimir Kukharev, Chairman of Minsk's Executive Committee, and Ricardo Luis Reis Nunes, Mayor of São Paulo.

In the Reduced Inequalities category, the award was presented to Eldar Aziz oglu Azizov, Mayor of Baku, for his efforts to bridge gaps in social and economic disparities. His competitors were Aleksandar Šapić, Acting Mayor of Belgrade, and Saif Badr Al Qubaisi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Municipality.

Lastly, the award for Partnerships for the Goals went to Yanet Hernández Pérez, Governor of Havana, for her exceptional work in fostering partnerships that support global development goals. She was chosen over Aibek Junushaliev, Mayor of Bishkek, and Fuad Noman, Mayor of Belo Horizonte.

The World Innovation Awards was founded by the World Organization for Development, an international non-profit organisation, member of the UN Global Compact, a group of non-governmental organisations working to achieve the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The award honours innovation leaders who have made an outstanding contribution toward the attainment of the UN's vision for a better quality of human life and global prosperity, as defined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It rewards achievement in environment protection, education, innovation, economy, and culture. The award methodology is derived from the UN's approach to assessing cities' progress in innovation-driven sustainable development (UN New Urban Agenda, UN Global Urban Monitoring Framework). Projects are evaluated according to 14 criteria, grouped under four categories: innovativeness, relevance, efficiency, replicability.