2023 NEAR International Forum and the 14th Subcommittee on Economy and Humanities Exchange
The 2023 NEAR International Forum and the 14th Subcommittee on Economy and Humanities Exchange took place from Wednesday, December 6 to Friday, December 8, 2023 in Gyeongju. Operating under the theme “In the Era of Transformation, Local Government Cooperation in Northeast Asia,” the NEAR Forum aims to assemble government officials and experts among NEAR members to discuss measures to strengthen local government cooperation.
The highlights of the program included the opening ceremony, where the WeGO Secretary General, along with the Mayor of Gyeongju, provided congratulatory remarks. The opening ceremony was followed by the 2023 International Forum (expert session) and the 14th NEAR Subcommittee on Economy and Humanities Exchange (special lecture session), as well as the Local Government Session, during which NEAR member government officials shared their policies, discussed proposals for regional cooperation, and shared best practices in local governmental cooperation in the Northeast Asia region.
The Forum sessions delved into the swiftly evolving political landscape of Northeast Asia, assessed the current state of exchanges among local governments in the region, and explored practical cooperation measures.
The WeGO Secretariat participated in the 2023 NEAR International Forum, recognizing the significance of cooperation at the local government level. During the Forum, WeGO engaged with stakeholders in the region while also sharing WeGO’s visions for strengthened cooperation in promoting smart and sustainable urban development and in narrowing the digital divide.
During the opening ceremony, the WeGO Secretary-General Ms. Jung Sook Park emphasized the cooperation in the area of digitalization of public services in the Northeast Asia region. The Secretary-General stressed that “local government cooperation in the smart city field is also increasingly being recognized as a wide range of policy areas demand applications of smart city technologies and mechanisms.”
WeGO’s activities, such as capacity building programs, Smart City Champions, and the Seoul Smart City Prize, inviting local government officials and university representatives present at the Forum. Were introduced.
The WeGO Secretary-General also conducted a bilateral meeting with the NEAR Secretary-General, Mr. Byung Jin Lim, discussing the two organizations’ shared interest in serving and expanding as a platform for local governments in facilitating their knowledge and policy exchange in areas ranging from youth to sustainable development.
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR) is the largest multilateral exchange platform in Northeast Asia, with 81 metropolitan and local governments from 6 countries joining. This year’s NEAR International Forum was the largest in scale with 38 participating member organizations from 5 countries (Korea, China, Japan, Russia, Mongolia). The main participants included local government officials and local university representatives in respective countries.
Local level cooperation is paramount amidst challenges and limitations at the national level especially in the context of unstable geopolitical conditions. As shown through its participation at the 2023 NEAR International Forum, WeGO is committed to continuing its endeavors in increasing more opportunities for collaboration among municipal and local governments.
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: Jin Hwang
E-mail: jin.hwang@we-gov.org
Phone: 02-720-9231