The United Nations Center for Human Settlements’ award for the Habitat Scroll of Honor was given to the Director General of Dubai Municipality, the first Arab to receive such an honor, in recognition of his vital role in instituting and supporting comprehensive and sustainable development plans for Dubai city. The award came as a boost for Dubai Municipality’s active programs that benefit the international community, especially in the role it plays in improving living condition.

The “Cup of Excellence” was awarded to the Director General of Dubai Municipality in recognition of the role of the Dubai Municipality and its Director General in supporting activities of the American Business Council in Dubai.”

The ICCC Pioneer Award for outstanding achievement and contribution to world betterment was won by the Dubai Municipality in recognition for the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment. The late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, established this pioneering award to encourage and enhance awareness of the pressing need in urban and rural settlements for people everywhere. It is a tribute to the excellent work and dedication of the Director General of Dubai Municipality to Human Settlement improvements worldwide. The Dubai Declaration and Best Practices were central to the United Nations Conference for Human Settlements (HABITAT II Conference), and the World Assembly of Cities and Local Authorities, held in Istanbul in 1996.

Following the approval of the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Director General of Dubai Municipality was chosen as the Good Will Ambassador of the UNCHS in recognition of the distinguished role he has been playing over the past 15 years in establishing a pioneer model of urban development in Dubai. This model got international acclaim and many international organizations have recognized it. The Director General had been awarded a medal of the United Nations Center for Human Settlements. He was instrumental in organizing the second Habitat Conference in 1995. The conference paved the way for the Dubai Declaration, according to which the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment was instituted. The award since has got international acclaim thanks to its noble objectives and outstanding value.

The Director General of Dubai Municipality was chosen as a member of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Local Authorities UNACLA, which is a subsidiary of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and consists of 20 officials from around the world.

The Director General of Dubai Municipality was presented with this award in 2001, along with a group of ten distinguished personalities who were chosen annually by the European Cooperation Center in recognition of their outstanding role in environment conservation programs, both locally and internationally. The award was presented to the Director General on the sidelines of a conference on Environment Protection, which is being held annually under the auspices of the European Cooperation Center. This recognition is a testimony to Dubai’s outstanding efforts in the fields of environment protection and general cleanliness of the city.

The award was presented to the Dubai Municipality for a study titled “Combating Environmental Pollution in Dubai” for Dubai Municipality’s concerted effort at the institutional level and daily activities in the field of integrated and sustainable environmental services and management. This study was a pioneering contribution for the Arab city, which can be used in the Arab cities package. It was also recommended to take advantage of this experience and disseminate it in the Arab world, especially in the fields of environmental legislation, institutional organization and achieving the desired sustainable development.

Alexandria University conferred the Director General of Dubai Municipality on the Regional Leadership Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the field of leadership. By receiving this honor in 2005 Mr. Sultan became the first recipient of this nascent award. The Award also came as a testimony to Mr. Sultan’s well-established status as an international figure, and as an acknowledgement of his role in advancing the mutual relationships between Egypt and the UAE.