Cairo, Egypt - The 22nd LivCom Finals & Forum concluded in Cairo on the afternoon of 7 November, with the announcement of the winners of the Finals, including those of Whole City Award, Project Award and Technology & Solution Award, by Dr. Arab Hoballah, Chairman of the LivCom Jury, at the Awards Ceremony. Ms. Angela Kane, Chair of the LivCom Committee & Former UN Under-Secretary-General, and a number of officials from UN agencies, as well as the international jury, presented the awards to the winners.
Launched in 1997, the International Awards for Liveable Communities/LivCom Awards is the World’s only Awards Competition focusing on International Best Practice regarding the management of the local environment and development, managed by the LivCom Committee and held in collaboration with UN agencies and international organizations. Every year, LivCom Awards focuses on the latest theme in building liveable cities worldwide. Since 2018, LivCom Awards has been comprehensively upgraded to further support local authorities in implementing the global agenda for sustainable development and SDGs.
The 2024 LivCom Finals & Forum are considered as a parallel event of the WUF12, organized by the LivCom Committee in collaboration with ISOCARP, UN-INIA, UNESCO-CISH, UNCRD, UNU-EHS and CEDARE, and supported by the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities of Egypt. A total number of 33 cities and 39 projects from 30 countries were invited to the Finals.
The theme of ‘Smart and Liveable Cities’ for the 2024 LivCom Finals & Forum was included throughout the four-day programme, echoing the annual theme of WUF12 - ‘It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities’, with the high-profile LivCom Finals Opening Ceremony & Forum, Mayors' Dialogue, City and Project Presentations, Exhibition and Showcase, International Training Programme on Active Ageing and Age-Friendly Cities, City Tour to the New Administrative Capital, Awards Ceremony and other activities. Many participants also took part in the side events of WUF12 at the same time.
After two days of online and in-person presentations, for Category A (population up to 20,000) of the Whole City Award, the first place with Bronze was presented to Caodian Community, Chinese Taipei, and the second place with Bronze to Lidzbark, Poland. For Category B (population 20,001-75,000), Águeda, Portugal won the first place with Gold; Shinan-gun, South Korea, the second place with Gold; Ostrow Wielkopolski, Poland, the third place with Silver. For Category C (population 75,001-150,000), Mafra, Portugal won the first place with Silver; Curridabat, Costa Rica, the second place with Silver; Canelones, Uruguay, the third place with Bronze. For Category D (population 150,001-400,000), the first place with Silver was presented to Yangjiang, P.R. China; the second place with Silver to Braga, Portugal. For Category E (population over 400,000), the first place with Gold was presented to Yantai, P.R. China, the second place with Gold to Cape Town, South Africa, and the third place with Gold to New Administrative Capital, Egypt. Regarding Project Award, the BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano of Italy won the first place with Gold; the İzmit Gulf Fish Stok Enchancement Project in Kocaeli of Türkiye, the second place with Gold; the Guangyanggu Urban Forest Park in Xicheng District, Beijing of China, the third place with Gold. As for Technology & Solution Award, the Intelligent Transport System in Katowice: Enhancing Urban Mobility and Sustainability of Poland won the first place with Silver; the Mafra: On the Path to Becoming a Smart City of Portugal, the second place with Silver; the Business Environmental Management of Crumb Rubber Concrete Products from Rubber Waste Recycling in Tehran of Iran, the third place with Silver. (For more information on award winners, please visit http://www.livcomawards.org for the full winner list)
The success organizing of 2024 LivCom Finals & Forum benefited from the support of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, and New Administrative Capital of Egypt. The Administrative Capital For Urban Development (ACUD) was the sole sponsor of LivCom Finals, and the Canadian International College (CIC) in Egypt provided technical support for LivCom logistics.
