A UN award has been granted to Madina Mayoralty for pioneering the Madina Observatory System, which has now been molded elsewhere in the country and in the Middle East for smart urban planning. The mayoralty received the United Nations' Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) Scroll of Honor at the last World Habitat Day Celebrations in Washington, USA. Prince Mansour Bin Metib Bin Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs has sent a cable of congratulations to Abdulaziz Al-Hussayn, Mayor of Madina, for winning the award. It was awarded for pioneering data collection which has had a major impact on the lives of the people living in Saudi Arabia and other countries. Its main impact has been on vulnerable groups, especially women. It has been at the forefront of monitoring the Millennium Development Goals, poverty alleviation, and the upgrading of informal settlements. Urban residents have been the direct beneficiaries of the activities of the Observatory as they have become more aware of the situation in their city particularly through the information disseminated by the media, brochures, reports, and the agency's website. Because of its success, the Observatory has been replicated in other Saudi Arabian cities and other Arab countries.
