WeGO Kicks-Off 2026 with Diplomatic Corps, WeGO Advisory Board Members and WeGO Members!
Seoul, March 12, 2026 — The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) Secretariat convened a distinguished group of participants for the 2026 Activities Kick-off Event, held at the Orchid Room of The Westin Josun Seoul, including ambassadors from Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Italy, and Kazakhstan, as well as Acting Ambassadors from Honduras, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia. Senior diplomats representing missions in Seoul also attended, including the Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister of the People’s Republic of China; the Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General of the Republic of the Philippines; Deputy Heads of Mission from Azerbaijan, Belgium, and Peru; a Minister from the Kingdom of Thailand; and a Minister Counsellor from El Salvador. Diplomats and officials from the embassies of Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Italy, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, and Zambia were also present, alongside members of the WeGO Advisory Board.
The event also welcomed members of the Seoul Smart City Prize Committee, representatives from WeGO member cities including Pohang City Government and Goyang Special City, representatives from leading companies such as LG Electronics, partner institutions including the World Bank Group and the Next Challenge Foundation, and members of the media including Yonhap News Agency.
The event provided an opportunity for WeGO to present its major initiatives and strategic priorities for 2026 while strengthening international cooperation for human-centric smart city development.
The program opened with welcoming remarks by Jeong-kee Kim, Secretary General of WeGO, who highlighted the importance of collaboration among cities, governments, and institutions to address evolving urban challenges. He outlined WeGO’s major initiatives for the year, including the continued expansion of the Seoul Smart City Prize, the Global Youth Award, and preparations for the 7th WeGO General Assembly.
As the President City of WeGO, Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, delivered congratulatory remarks through a video message, reaffirming Seoul’s commitment to supporting global cooperation among cities and advancing knowledge exchange in the smart city sector.
Additional congratulatory remarks were delivered by Chong-ha Yoo, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and Honorary Chair of the WeGO Advisory Board, who underscored the important role of diplomats, cities, and partners present at the event as bridges connecting diverse stakeholders across regions. He encouraged those present to continue serving as bridges through WeGO, helping to strengthen international cooperation and create greater synergy for advancing sustainable and smart urban development.
H.E. Emilia Gatto, Ambassador of Italy to the Republic of Korea, highlighted the growing importance of city diplomacy and shared examples of smart city initiatives undertaken by Italian cities. She reaffirmed her commitment, as Ambassador of Italy, to actively support and promote collaboration among cities, affirming Italy’s willingness to contribute to global efforts toward innovative and sustainable urban development.
During the program briefing, Eunbyul Elena Cho, Program Director of WeGO, presented the organization’s key activities and strategic priorities for 2026. The presentation also introduced the AI & Smart Cities Training Program led by the WeGO MENA Regional Office – Abu Dhabi (UAE), aimed at strengthening capacity-building and knowledge exchange among member cities.
The 4th Seoul Smart City Prize was introduced, an initiative recognizing innovative and yet inclusive smart city projects worldwide. Ms.Cho highlighted the opportunities associated with the Seoul Prize, including feasibility study program, training programs, and participation in Smart Life Week.
The program continued with a presentation by Lii Inn Tan, Program Manager of WeGO, introducing the upcoming 7th WeGO General Assembly, which will be hosted by São Paulo, Brazil this November. As WeGO’s flagship event held every three years, the General Assembly brings together leaders and representatives from cities, governments, companies, and international organizations to review the organization’s achievements and discuss future priorities.
The session concluded with the introduction of the WeGO Sustainable Smart City Champions Program and the Global Youth Award by Tatiana Ferreira, Program Officer of WeGO. The initiative aims to empower students and young professionals under the age of 35 through training programs, workshops, and recognition of innovative contributions to smart city development.
The event concluded with a networking session accompanied by a live music performance, allowing participants to exchange perspectives and explore opportunities for collaboration. By convening diplomatic missions, advisory board members, prize committee members, and domestic partners, the Kick-off Event reinforced WeGO’s commitment to expanding its global partnerships and advancing sustainable smart city 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 4th 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), 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: Natália Raimundo
E-mail: natalia@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169