WeGO Executive Committee Meeting Convenes to Drive Global Initiatives Forward
Seoul, September 04, 2023 – The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of its Executive Committee Meeting (EXCOM) that was held virtually on September 4th, 2023 hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This gathering brought together key leaders of WeGO members to discuss and strategize on organization initiatives that are crucial for a brighter and more sustainable future.
The WeGO Executive Committee Meeting (EXCOM) is a yearly mandated gathering of Executive Committee members, convened in a host city. Its purpose is to assess the Secretariat’s performance and achievements while determining the forthcoming pivotal priorities that will steer WeGO’s path forward. The meeting provided a platform for future-oriented discussions and decision-making, focusing on several critical areas of the agenda.
This year, Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Almaty, Beyoğlu, Chengdu, Cuenca, Hebron, Kampala, Makati City, Moscow, São Paulo, Seberang Perai, Wellington, and Ulaanbaatar were present and the meeting was chaired by the Director-General Of the Digital Policy Bureau, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Jin-man Kim.
On the agendas, WeGO’s update on membership status, the next new EXCOM host city in 2024, review of amendments to WeGO statutes, financial report and presentation of its upcoming activities etc. were presented to the committee members.
In moving forward, WeGO’s ten agendas were approved by EXCOM members including next year’s plans and budget. Also, seven new members were welcomed on board including four local governments and three corporations. Bishkek, Ryde, Tehran, Chirchik, Veuron, Laboratory of Software Embedded Engineering (LASEE), and Woorigangsan.
The next new host city for EXCOM 2024 will be Almaty. The committee members collectively approved and applauded Almaty’s commitment in holding the next position to be the welcoming host. Additional approbation goes to Almaty, Cuenca, and Abu Dhabi’s approval for WeGO Regional Office in Central Asia, Latin America and the Middle East respectively.
EXCOM culminated in a series of actionable initiatives and recommendations, which will guide the organization’s work in the coming year. These initiatives will further advance the mission of creating smart and sustainable cities that improve the quality of life for urban residents while safeguarding the environment.
In 2024, WeGO will make the effort to elevate citizen engagement in smart cities by providing spaces where citizens can be more active and creative in contributing towards smart sustainable cities.
As we look toward the future, WeGO remains committed to driving positive change in urban environments around the world. The organization will continue to promote innovation, collaboration, and sustainability in cities, recognizing that the challenges faced by urban areas are global in nature and require a united, multi-stakeholder approach.
About WeGO
The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), is a membership-based international association of local governments, smart tech solution providers, and institutions committed to the transformation of cities into smart sustainable cities through facilitating public-private partnerships (PPP). WeGO was founded by 50 member cities in 2010 as the World e-Governments Organization, hence our acronym. In response to the evolving concept of smart cities, WeGO expanded its vision and mandate at the 7th General Assembly (2017) and its name to the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization. WeGO’s Secretariat is based in Seoul, Korea, and has regional offices in East Asia (Chengdu, China), the Mediterranean (Beyoglu, Turkey), Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), Middle East & North Africa (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Latin America (Cuenca, Ecuador), and Central Asia (Almaty, Kazakhstan). As the leading platform on smart city development, WeGO’s mission is to share knowledge and good practices in e-Governance; strengthen administrative efficiency and transparency; advance digital capacity; facilitate civic involvement; bridge the digital divide and inequality; and promote cooperation solidarity among cities and local governments around the world.
WeGO serves for its members as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional competitiveness.
Press Contact:
Name: Kakim Danabayev
E-mail: kakim@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169