Wednesday, July 25, 2012

UN-Habitat announces Scroll of Honour call for applications



The United Nations Habitat has released the guidelines for submission of nominations for the 2012 ‘Scroll of Honour’.
The Habitat Scroll of Honour award was launched by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in 1989. It is currently the most prestigious human settlements award in the world. Its aim is to acknowledge initiatives which have made outstanding contributions in various fields such as shelter provision, highlighting the plight of the homeless, leadership in post conflict reconstruction, and developing and improving the human settlements and the quality of urban life.
In previous years, we have received submissions describing an array of impressive initiatives to improve shelter and urban services.
Eligibility
Individuals, organizations, projects and any Habitat Agenda partner can be nominated for the Habitat Scroll of Honour. These include:
  • Government and inter-governmental organizations or agencies, including bilateral aid agencies
  • Cities, local authorities or their associations
  • Civil society organizations
  • The private sector
  • National Habitat Committees or focal points
  • Research and academic institutions
  • Public or private foundations
  • Multilateral agencies (United Nations Agencies, World Bank, etc.)
  • The media
  • Individuals

The deadline for submitting entries to the Habitat Scroll of Honour 2012 is 6 August 2012.
The award, a plaque engraved with the name of the winner and their achievement will be presented to the winners during e WUF6 closing ceremony on 6 September 2012.


The Selection process
The selection process will consist of three steps:
1. The World Habitat Day Coordinator will make an initial assessment of the nominations and submissions and verify that they conform to the standards outlined in the submission guidelines. Qualifying submissions will be sent to the jury.
2. A jury of experts on human settlements and urban development and the World Habitat Day theme for 2012, Changing Cities, Building Opportunities, will be constituted to select a maximum of five winning initiatives. The jury will make their recommendations to the UN-Habitat Executive Director outlining their reasons for the selection.
3. UN-Habitat’s Executive Director, based on the recommendations of the independent jury, will make the final selection of the UN-Habitat
Scroll of Honour winners.

Areas of achievement
In selecting the winners for the award, the jury will be looking for achievements in the key areas outlined in the table below. The achievements will be considered within the overall context of sustainable human settlements and urban development.
This year, the jury will give particular attention to achievements related to this year’s theme of Changing Cities, Building Opportunities, and especially
those pertaining to Urban Land and Legislation & Governance, Urban Planning & Design, Urban Economy, Urban Basic Services, Housing & Slum Upgrading, Risk Reduction & Rehabilitation, and Urban Research & Capacity Development.

To nominate an organization, individual or project for this year’s award you can do one of the following:
• Fill in the online nomination form on the website at http://www.unhabitat.org/whd
• Download the form on the website at www.unhabitat.org/whd and email it to whd@unhabitat.org, or
• Complete the nomination form on below, and send it to: World Habitat Day Coordinator, Advocacy, Outreach and Communications,
P.O Box 30030, Nairobi 00100, Kenya; Fax: +254 20 762 3477


By: Samuel Mantey
Property Express
Email: sammyoo3@yahoo.com

Why i'm still a virgin



Life is full of surprises. In any case, I honestly feel that by not having sex before married is the best choice to make. I missed out on some of the more unpleasant surprises in life.
 I have been teased and mocked at for choosing to stay with God rather the World. But I know the crown always fit the cross-one day will be our day as Christians to ‘show off’ in Heaven.
I don't fault people who have casual sex but I pray that they see the light. But for me, not having sex till marriage is the best decision I ever made. It's a choice I would highly recommend to others.
Till I say ‘ I Do’ to that special person, I have vow to my parents, God, myself and my future unknown wife that I will stay focus pursuing God and believing that all things will fall in place. But keeping sex for marriage is both more and less sacred. Virginity is not something to be worshiped. It’s not about cultural shame. It’s about the way God designed us and the really hard battle of following Him.
There are serious reasons to save sex for marriage. First, because as believers, we are to obey what God tells us to do. 1 Corinthians 6: 18-20 states, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
If we are in Christ, we have allowed Him to purchase us with the sacrifice of His blood. In exchange for eternal life, we are to trust that He knows what is best for us, and obey Him.
It is God’s will that we should be sanctified: that we should avoid sexual immorality; that each of us should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.
The Lord says he will punish all those who commit such sins. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” Allowing our body to control our actions is an act of defiance against God. Godly sex is giving. Using someone else to fulfill a desire of the flesh is selfish and abusive. Even if the partner is willing, you are still helping them to sin and negatively altering their relationship with God and others.
The purpose of marriage is to reflect the relationship between the church and Christ and to serve God as a strong, unified partnership. Sex, along with procreation, was designed by God to strengthen that partnership. Sex before marriage means creates bonds that tear apart people’s hearts instead of joining them together.

Love is worth waiting for. Sex is something worth guarding for our spiritual growth. So until I say ‘I Do’ ‘I Wont’ give in to S-E-X!

By: Samuel Mantey
Email: Samuelmantey@gmail.com
Twitter: SamuelMantey