WeGO and AME Sign MoU and Celebrate New Membership at Seoul Smart Life Week
Seoul, October 1st — As part of Seoul Smart Life Week, the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) hosted a special MoU Signing and Membership Ceremony with the Asociación de Municipalidades Ecuatorianas (AME) on October 1, 2025, at COEX. The ceremony marked a formal step in deepening collaboration and welcomed AME as a new member of the WeGO network.
The ceremony was attended by Mr. José Luis Arteaga León, Mayor of Chimbo and a member of AME’s Executive Committee; Mr. Jorge Edmundo Manrique Alomía, Mayor of Urcuquí; and Mrs. Karen Lisbeth Marcillo Vera, Mayor of Paján, along with other high-level representatives from Ecuadorian municipalities and the Embassy of Ecuador in Korea.
Secretary General Jeong-kee Kim opened the ceremony with remarks that reflected the importance of international cooperation and the growing interest from Latin American cities in sustainable smart city development. He also acknowledged the support of Ambassador Patricio Troya of Ecuador and the role of the Ecuadorian Embassy in facilitating this new partnership.
Speaking on behalf of Patricio Maldonado Jiménez, President of AME and Mayor of Nabón, Mayor José Luis Arteaga of Chimbo delivered congratulatory remarks, underscoring the shared vision of smart, inclusive urban growth. This was followed by remarks from Ambassador Troya, highlighting the diplomatic and strategic importance of city-to-city collaboration between Korea and Ecuador.
Although the MoU between WeGO and AME was officially signed earlier in 2025 in a virtual format, the event served as an opportunity to ceremonially commemorate the agreement in person for the first time.
The ceremony concluded with group photos and a message of mutual commitment to future exchanges, knowledge sharing, and cooperation through WeGO’s global programs and platforms.
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: Junho Jeong / Wooyoung Chang
E-mail: secretariat@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169