WeGO Champions hosts third workshop in Geneva in collaboration with United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Geneva, October 2nd – Held for the third time in Geneva, in collaboration with the United Nations Office in Geneva, the workshop brought together experts and students to explore the critical role of sustainable urban infrastructures in advancing global decarbonization goals. Focused on “International Cooperation for Sustainable Infrastructures,” the session featured key insights from WeGO leadership and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) experts.
The event opened with a welcome video-message from WeGO’s Secretary-General, followed by a discussion led by Alexandre Hedjazi and Matteo Taranto from the University of Geneva and Catholic University of Milan. They shared their experiences from the WeGO Champions program, highlighting youth-led efforts in driving urban sustainability and smart initiatives.
Ms. Iva Brkic, Economic Affairs Officer at UNECE, presented on the importance of resilient and carbon-neutral energy systems, emphasizing the role of UNECE’s frameworks and toolkits in supporting countries’ efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. Mr. Roel Janssens from UNECE’s Sustainable Transport Division also discussed strategies to enhance competitiveness, safety, and energy efficiency in the transport sector, with a focus on decarbonizing inland transport.
The session encouraged vibrant discussions with 40 students from the University of Geneva and beyond. The students, from Master’s programs in Innovation, Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences, engaged with the experts on innovative and smart methods for deploying sustainable infrastructure in diverse urban contexts.
This event underscored the importance of international cooperation, shared goals, and collective action in addressing the challenges of urban sustainability, preparing the next generation of leaders to contribute to a sustainable future.
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