WeGO Moderated the 7th UNPOG Regional Symposium
Seoul, October 20, 2023 – The United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) announced the Regional Symposium on Effective Global Governance and Digital Transformation for Accelerating Progress Towards the 2030 Agenda. This insightful and thought-provoking event was set to take place on October 17-19, 2023 at Songdo Convensia in Songdo, Incheon.
The symposium aimed to bring together key stakeholders, experts, policymakers, and leaders from various regions to explore and discuss the pivotal role of digital transformation in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As we navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing global landscape, the symposium serves as a platform for sharing innovative ideas, best practices, and strategies that can help accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda’s goals.
Under the overarching theme of “Effective Global Governance and Digital Transformation,” this symposium featured a lineup of distinguished speakers and panelists who addressed various aspects of global governance and how digital transformation could be leveraged to enhance our collective efforts to build a more sustainable and equitable world.
At this event, WeGO’s Program Officer, Joohee Uhm, was invited to hold the role of moderator for the Local Governance and Partnerships Forum. During this session, the panelists presented local government strategies and ways to incorporate the SDGs into the practices.
Some highlights include a presentation by Yeonhee Park, Director, ICLEI. Director Park illustrated ICLEI’s low emission development, nature-based development, circular development, resilient development, equitable and people-centered development, and the 5 strategies and solutions to this pathway were presented through a series of analyses in cities and local governments. She concluded by emphasizing the need for local action and the use of global networks to entice partnerships in order to execute the actions committed by the local governments.
An additional presentation by Patrick Duong, Lead SDG Localization and Governance Cluster, UNDP Regional Hub for Asia and the Pacific explained how the complexities of combining SDGs to drive the change is the reason why strong partnerships and participation are critical. A better understanding of the root cause is what he considered ‘deep listening’ and ‘appropriation process’ is required to share the best practices that are culturally appropriate. Financing from the public and private sectors was mentioned to accelerate the digital agenda of 2030. He emphasized working speedily as there are only 7 years remaining to achieve and deliver the agenda for 2030.
The 7th Regional Symposium on Effective Global Governance and Digital Transformation provided an excellent opportunity for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving. Participants were able to gain valuable insights into the critical role of digital technologies in advancing the 2030 Agenda, fostering global cooperation, and shaping the future of governance.
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
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