The city of Doha has won first place in the Excellence Award for Electronic and Smart Transformation within the 14th Arab Towns Organisation (ATO) awards.
The results were announced at the award ceremony held in Doha Tuesday.
During a press conference, the judging committee of the 14th edition of the awards announced the names of Arab cities that received awards in different categories. In the Excellence Award for Electronic and Smart Transformation, with six participating cities from different Arab countries, Doha Municipality — City of Doha in Qatar won the first place. The second place was awarded to Greater Amman Municipality — City of Amman in Jordan, and the third place went to the Public Housing and Urban Development Corp — City of Amman, also in Jordan.
Regarding the Creative City Award with five participating entries, the first place was not awarded. However, the second place went to the Public Housing and Urban Development Corp — City of Amman in Jordan. The third place was shared between Ramallah Municipality — City of Ramallah in Palestine and Gabes Municipality — City of Gabes in Tunisia.
In the Sustainable and Resilient City Award, with eleven entries, the first place was awarded to Greater Amman Municipality — City of Amman in Jordan. The second place went to the Region of Laayoune — City of Laayoune in Morocco, and the third place was awarded to Dhofar Governorate in Oman.
HE Secretary General of the Arab Towns Organisation (ATO) Abdulrahman Hesham al-Asfour praised the unlimited support provided by Qatar to the organisation and its institutions. He commended Qatar's diligent efforts to ensure the success of the ATO's activities since Doha has hosted the headquarters of the award in 1983.
He emphasised that ATO's awards have achieved much throughout history, contributing significantly to the common Arab work through the recognition of excellence in various fields, including architecture, environmental health, sustainable cities, electronic and smart transformation, and more.
He added that the organisation presents honorary awards to Arab officials, scientists, and experts who provide vital works or execute projects that contribute to the development of Arab cities in various scientific, technological, artistic, and administrative areas.
Director of Doha Municipality Mansour Ajran al-Buainain expressed his happiness at Doha's first-place win and the Excellence Award for Electronic and Smart Transformation within the 14th ATO awards. He stated that this achievement is part of the continuous efforts to develop the city in various fields, aligning with the Ministry of Municipality's vision to enhance the quality of life, thus realising Qatar National Vision 2030.
He emphasised Doha Municipality's ongoing commitment to keeping pace with urban development, population growth, and achieving sustainable development.
Al-Buainain highlighted several achievements by Doha Municipality in recent years, including Doha's membership in Unesco's Learning Cities and the title of Health City in 2022. Additionally, Doha has established the Sustainability Park and other initiatives.
Director-General of the ATO's Awards Issa Rashid Hamad extended his congratulations to the winning Arab cities in the 14th edition of the awards. The winners included categories for Excellence in Electronic and Smart Transformation, Creative City, and Sustainable and Resilient City.
He emphasised the organization's commitment to providing full support and facilitation to encourage the participation of all Arab cities in the award categories held periodically.
At a press conference, Chairman of the Jury Committee for the 14th ATO Awards Dr Saif bin Ali al-Hajari announced that the committee held its meetings at the awards' headquarters in Doha from November 5 to 7. The committee included members such as Hamza Abdulmotaleb al-Muhaisen from Jordan, Dr Nayef Mohamed Saleh from Lebanon, Eng. Manar Fahad al-Hashash from Kuwait, and Salim Saeed al-Kalbani from the Sultanate of Oman.
The ATO Awards is one of the institutions of the Arab Towns Organisation. It was established as a result of the seventh ATO General Conference held in Algiers in May 1983. The awards aim to encourage Arab cities to innovate and create, with a focus on contemporary architectural aspects influenced by Arab-Islamic architecture. They also emphasise the importance of preserving the identity and heritage of Arab cities, maintaining historical landmarks and monuments, and promoting environmental conservation. Additionally, the awards encourage Arab engineers and planners to work towards greening, beautifying cities and implementing scientific plans to enhance the beauty and aesthetics of urban areas.
Doha has previously won 11 awards in past editions of the ATO Awards, spanning from 1986 to 2017. Other Qatari cities have also won awards in previous years between 2008 and 2017, including Mesaieed Industrial City, Al Dhakhira, Al Daayen, Al Rayyan, Ras Laffan, Al-Wakrah, and Al-Shamal. Qatar has been the host country for the ATO Awards since its inception, providing significant financial and human support to ensure its successful operation.
According to the institution's bylaws, HE the Minister of Municipality is the Chairperson of the ATO, and the Director of the Doha Municipality serves as the ATO president.
