The UNEP Sasakawa Award is a US$200,000 cash prize awarded annually to a grassroots organization judged to have made the most outstanding contribution to the protection and management of the environment, and to social development.
17 January 2011: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) is urging all campaign cities and partners to submit a nomination for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Sasakawa award to highlight good practices and achievements towards achieving the “ten essentials” for making cities resilient.
The ten essentials of the “Making Cities Resilient” campaign include: putting in place organization and coordination to understand and reduce disaster risk; assigning a budget for disaster risk reduction (DRR); maintaining up‐to‐date data on hazards and vulnerabilities, and preparing risk assessments; investing in and maintaining critical infrastructure that reduces risk; assessing the safety of all schools and health facilities; applying and enforcing realistic, risk‐compliant building regulations and land use planning principles; putting in place education programmes and training on DRR; protecting ecosystems and natural buffers to mitigate floods; installing early warning systems and emergency management capacities; and after any disaster, ensuring that the needs of the survivors are placed at the centre of reconstruction efforts. According to UN/ISDR submissions of good practices already made to the Secretariat can be used as UN Sasakawa submission, complemented with additional information.
The UNEP Sasakawa Award is a US$200,000 cash prize is awarded annually to a grassroots organization judged to have made the most outstanding contribution to the protection and management of the environment and to social development. In 2011, the jury will be particularly interested in projects that: promote the conservation and sustainable management of forests; contribute to a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions caused by deforestation or forest degradation; maintain forest ecosystems to improve resilience to climate change; support development among forest-dependent communities; and conserve biodiversity and help protect ecosystems in forests. The deadline for submitting nominations is 30 September 2010. [UN/ISDR Press Release] [Sasakawa Award Website]