WeGO Strengthens Cooperation in Greece and Qatar to Advance Smart and Sustainable Urban Development
Athens, Greece / Doha, Qatar, October 2025 — The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) continued to expand its international network through a series of high-level meetings, site visits, and engagement sessions in Greece and Qatar, reinforcing its commitment to building smarter, more sustainable, and inclusive cities worldwide.
In Greece, WeGO Secretary General Mr. Jeong-kee Kim met with Ms. Andriana Zarakeli, Deputy Mayor of Piraeus, to explore opportunities for collaboration in smart city development. As one of Europe’s oldest and most vital port cities, Piraeus plays a key role as Greece’s maritime gateway and is undertaking significant efforts to accelerate its digital and sustainable urban transition. During the meeting, Deputy Mayor Zarakeli expressed Piraeus’ strong interest in applying for the Seoul Smart City Prize, joining WeGO’s Smart City Matchmaking Program, and becoming an official WeGO member city. Deputy Mayor conveyed the city’s enthusiasm for potentially hosting a future WeGO General Assembly, requesting detailed information on membership obligations and financial contributions. Following the meeting, the WeGO delegation toured the Piraeus Command Center located inside City Hall — a digital operations hub that monitors public services, transportation, and environmental conditions across the city. One of its most innovative projects focuses on urban tree management, using real-time data to track the health and maintenance of thousands of trees. Deputy Mayor Zarakeli also proposed the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, as a potential venue for future WeGO General Assembly 2026. With seating for around 200 participants and proximity to Athens, the theatre represents both the historic soul and the modern ambition of the city.
WeGO’s mission continued in Ellinikon, a municipality in southern Athens that is home to one of Europe’s most ambitious regeneration projects — the Ellinikon Project. On the site of the former international airport, the city is building an entirely new district featuring expansive green spaces, sustainable housing, cultural and sports facilities, and cutting-edge digital infrastructure. During discussions with Mayor Ioannis Konstantatos, WeGO explored ways to integrate smart city technologies and governance frameworks into the project. The Mayor shared Ellinikon’s intention to apply for the Seoul Smart City Prize and expressed interest in joining WeGO. He also proposed establishing a WeGO Regional Office in Ellinikon to serve as a coordination hub for smart city initiatives in Southern Europe.
WeGO also hosted a networking dinner in Athens, convening a cross-section of academia, municipal leaders, and the private sector to discuss urban innovation and collaboration opportunities. Among the participants were Prof. Georgos Panetsos and Prof. Alcestis Rodi from the University of Patras, Mrs. Martha Kesisoglou, Head of Corporate Affairs at Nova, Greece’s leading telecommunications company, and Prof. Alexandre Hedjazi, Chair of the Geneva Charter Center of Excellence for Smart Sustainable Cities.
Finally, Prof. Alexandre Hedjazi, who is one of the advisor of the WeGO Sustainable Smart City Champions program hosted a WeGO Champions Session with students from a leading Greek technical university. The interactive session introduced participants to real-world applications of smart city concepts, inspiring young innovators to engage in global cooperation for sustainable urban growth.
Further WeGO continued its mission in Doha, where the WeGO Secretary General had a meeting with H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Mayor of Doha, Minister at the Ministry of Municipality, and Chairman of Barwa Real Estate Company, one of Qatar’s foremost developers.
Discussions centered on Doha’s intention to join WeGO and its interest in hosting a future WeGO General Assembly. H.E. Al Attiyah emphasized the alignment between WeGO’s global vision and Qatar’s national ambitions for sustainable urbanization. The city also confirmed plans to send a delegation to the upcoming WeGO Executive Committee (EXCOM) meeting in Abu Dhabi to observe best practices in international cooperation.
WeGO further engaged with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Qatar and Qatar University to explore collaboration through the WeGO Champions Program, which empowers youth to contribute to smart city development. The meeting was attended by Ms. Albatool AlSaied, Director of Higher Education Institutions Administration, along with senior university officials overseeing research and international partnerships. The Ministry requested official documentation through the Qatari Embassy to facilitate national university participation and proposed assigning a local coordinator at Qatar University to lead the initiative. Both institutions expressed enthusiasm for participating in Seoul Smart Life Week and the Seoul Smart City Prize, reinforcing the growing synergy between WeGO and Qatar’s academic and municipal sectors.
Following the meeting, WeGO visited Qatar University, the country’s largest and oldest higher-education institution, serving more than 50,000 students. The university’s research infrastructure and forward-looking programs position it as a strong partner in embedding smart city education into national curricula.
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