WeGO Pushes Global Smart City Agenda at AIM 2025 in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, April 9, 2025 — WeGO, the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization, solidified its presence and commitment to advancing smart city initiatives in the Middle East during the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) 2025, held from April 7th to 9th in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Hosted by the Annual Investment Meeting Foundation, this year’s AIM theme, “Empowering Tomorrow, Today! Overcoming Challenges, Seizing New Global Opportunities,” provided an ideal platform for WeGO to engage with global leaders and stakeholders.
On the first day of the AIM 2025, WeGO Head of the Program Department Ms. Cho Eunbyul contributed to the High-Level Policy Roundtable: People-Centered Smart Cities Organized by UN-Habitat focusing on the future paradigm shift in investment opportunities to foster sustainable economic growth, diversity, and prosperity in cities. Ms. Cho emphasized the holistic nature of smart city concepts, which extend beyond technology to encompass collaborative problem-solving and citizen participation. She also highlighted the Seoul Smart City Prize, inviting cities to participate and celebrate diverse city efforts in advancing smart city initiatives. On that day WeGO held bilateral meeting with Chair & Executive Director of Open & Agile Smart Cities Mr. Karl-Filip Coenegrachts. We agreed to sign an MOU and mutually promote activities. OASC will distribute Seoul Prize materials to its network of European cities.
WeGO’s efforts were formally recognized at the AIM Gala Dinner, where the organization received a Special Award for its contribution to global smart city development. Its corporate member, Qala AI, was also honored with a Special Innovation Award for its AI-powered project — a strong validation of WeGO’s support for tech-forward partners. Back on the ground, WeGO deepened ties with institutions like Zoom Global Smart Cities, Expo City Dubai’s APCS program, and Paris East Marne & Bois — all of which pledged to share the Seoul Prize across their own city networks or confirmed attendance at EXCOM 2025.
On the second day of the AIM 2025, WeGO had bilateral meetings with members and partners. In a meeting with a senior official from Prague’s EU Funds and International Relations Committee, WeGO encouraged the Czech capital to apply for the Seoul Smart City Prize and join the organization’s growing network. A similar response came from Moscow, where officials confirmed continued membership, an upcoming Prize application, and even proposed a visit from WeGO’s Secretary General — with special arrangements to connect with Saint Petersburg. Cities from emerging regions also stepped forward. The Mayor of Monrovia, Liberia, expressed strong interest in WeGO’s Champions Program, suggesting additional financial incentives and requesting follow-up support. The city is eager to connect with WeGO’s corporate members for funding and pilot implementation. In Central America, WeGO’s meeting with San José de Colinas (Honduras) led to a commitment to apply for the Prize and join the network. The mayor also promised to connect WeGO with Honduras’ cities association and national partners.
WeGO’s presence extended well beyond private meetings. During the AIM session titled “The Inclusive Metropolis: Designing Cities for Equity and Access,” WeGO’s Head of the Program Department Ms. Cho Eunbyul joined global thought leaders as a panelist, highlighting the organization’s values around people-centered innovation. WeGO also co-organized the Second Mayors’ Roundtable at AIM that brought together city leaders including: Hon. John-Charuk Saah Siafa, Mayor of Monrovia, Liberia Hon. Amable de Jesús Hernández, Mayor of San José de Colinas, Honduras Ms. Nadia Verjee, Executive Director, Expo Dubai Group Hon. Tamraz Taghiyev, Chair of the National Association of City Municipalities of Azerbaijan Hon. Tunbosun Alake, Commissioner of Innovation, Lagos State, Nigeria The Seoul Smart City Prize promotional video was screened, and Ms. Cho Eunbyul gave an engaging presentation about WeGO’s international programs and partnership opportunities.
One particularly valuable session was a discussion with UN-Habitat, where WeGO shared its internal engagement practices — offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the organization builds relationships with its members. UN-Habitat committed to finalizing its MOU in the coming months and invited WeGO to participate in the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku in 2026. In a final show of cross-institutional commitment, AIM’s lead organizer, signed the Steering Committee Agreement with WeGO and expressed interest in visiting Korea for Seoul Smart Life Week. WeGO closed the week by hosting a private networking dinner, attended by city leaders from Monrovia, Tegucigalpa, Prague, and corporate members like Qala AI and Zoom Smart Cities. It was a fitting end to a week of diplomacy, strategy, and city-to-city solidarity. As cities continue to seek scalable, citizen-first innovations, WeGO’s presence at AIM 2025 was more than symbolic — it was catalytic. With new partnerships in motion and a clearer global vision for digital governance and urban inclusion, WeGO returns to Seoul ready to turn discussions into impact.
WeGO held a dedicated meeting with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) to align timelines and activities for the upcoming EXCOM 2025. WeGO also conducted a technical inspection of the EXCOM 2025 venue, reviewed session planning with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport, and aligned programming around the Champions Program and other priority areas.
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