FICA was one of the five winners of the UN-Habitat 2023 Scroll of Honor Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions towards a more sustainable and inclusive urban future - outstanding initiatives that have contributed to sustainable urbanization and improved quality of urban life in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
FICA has gained prominence on the Brazilian scene due to its fight for housing for low-income families, as well as against real estate speculation and gentrification in central areas of the country.
"The award was very important for the history of FICA because we now have international recognition for our work. Although we already had international sponsors, we were little known internationally. Winning an award like this makes FICA a global player in this field. For us it was a surprise and, at the same time, very interesting, because the other award-winning experiences are much older and bigger than us, which shows that we are on an excellent path. In a way, we're also bringing this recognition to Brazil, which is important for increasing our fundraising, working better with our investors... The whole world now knows about FICA's experiences." celebrated Emil Lewinger, director of FICA , who represented the organization at the awards ceremony.
This year, UN-Habitat received more than 80 nominations, including individuals, organizations and projects from across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The award ceremony was celebrated on a global scale during World Habitat Day on October 2 in Azerbaijan, an occasion dedicated to reflecting on the state of cities and settlements.
The other winners are:
- Pro Empleo Productivo Foundation, Mexico with training programs that promote job creation and improve economic productivity in cities;
- Dubai Municipality, United Arab Emirates with Fat, Oil and Grease Waste Recycling Program to deal with waste from the hotel industry;
- Assembleia de Moradores de Braga, Portugal with the creation of social, economic and environmental development solutions for all the city's residents;
- Ecovinroment from Bumeh Slum, Sierra Leone that deals with the critical issue of plastic pollution and its negative impact on the urban environment.
