WeGO Expands Presence with the Inauguration of Central Asia Regional Office
Almaty, September 20th — The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) is thrilled to announce the official opening of its Central Asia Regional Office. The inauguration ceremony took place on September 20th, 2024, at the Almaty City Hall. This momentous event marked a significant milestone for WeGO as it expands its footprint into the Central Asian region, strengthening its commitment to fostering smart and sustainable urban development worldwide.
Distinguished guests and high-level officials included Abdykadyrov Alisher, Vice mayor of Almaty, Manuel De Araujo, Mayor of Quelimane, Nasir Umar Usman, Deputy Mayor of Abuja, Gabriela Brito, Deputy Mayor for Smart and Sustainable Cities of Cuenca, Mohd Ibrahim Md Nor, City Secretary of Seberang Perai City Council, Koo Hong-seok, Ambassador for International Relations at Seoul Metropolitan Government, H.E. Omar Al Shaiba, Executive Director, Information Technology Affairs of Abu Dhabi, and Park Nae-cheon, Council General of the Republic of Korea to Kazakhstan,
Chief Division, International Exchanges Division, Foreign Affairs Office of Chengdu, Head of International and Professional Organizations Office of Tehran, Lina Ramírez, Director of the International Relations and Cooperation Office of Cali, Head of the Information & Communications Technology Organization of Shiraz, corporate members including Deputy General Director for Commercial Affairs of beCloud, Chairman of Malaysian Smart Cities Alliance Association, CEO of YOYA Technologies, CEO of Qala AI and Reporter at Yonhap News were present to mark the opening ceremony. The Central Asia Regional Office endeavored to enhance its network by involving both current and prospective local government members, establishing platforms for sharing knowledge and best practices tailored to the unique needs and approaches of the Central Asia region.
“Today’s opening is also a testimony of Almaty’s commitment to becoming a regional hub for smart city development in Central Asia. As we inaugurate our new Regional Office today, we reflect on the achievements of our five existing offices around the world and look forward to the contributions that this new office will bring. The establishment of this office signifies not only the expansion of our network but also the deepening of our engagement with Central Asia, a region filled with potential and creativity” – said WeGO Secretary General Ms. Jung Sook Park during her opening remarks.
WeGO President city, represented by Koo Hong-seok, Ambassador for International Relations at Seoul Metropolitan Government, delivered the Inaugural Remarks congratulating Almaty on its new role. He expressed hope for enhancing global collaboration among organizations and cities, aiming for a smarter and more sustainable future for all citizens.
“As you may know, the WeGO EXCOM meeting was held online from 2020 to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am pleased that this year, we are holding the face-to-face EXCOM meeting here in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city which plays a central role in the region’s economic and technological landscape. WeGO’s mission is to promote smart cities where no one is left behind, with a focus on strengthening cities’ digital capabilities to develop innovative smart city solutions. The City of Seoul shares a similar vision with WeGO. Our fundamental philosophy is “Going Together with the Socially Neglected”. Based on these core values, we are making efforts to turn Seoul into a future-oriented smart city that resolves urban polarization and facilitates inclusive growth” – said Koo Hong-seok, @Ambassador for International Relations at Seoul Metropolitan Government.
As the African regional office which role is to share knowledge and good practices in smart city area, and advance digital capacity; facilitate civic involvement; bridge the digital divide and inequality Abuja Deputy Mayor, Mr. Nasir Umar Usman, as a WeGO member representative and the head of the WeGO Africa Regional Office offered congratulatory remarks to the new WeGO Central Asia Regional Office.
Lastly, Ambassador Koo Hong-seok then presented the Abu Dhabi Regional Office plaque to Abdykadyrov Alisher, Vice mayor of Almaty followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate this momentous juncture.
The WeGO Central Asia Regional Office will serve as a hub for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building initiatives aimed at empowering cities in the region to harness the benefits of smart technologies for sustainable urban development.
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