WeGO Strengthens Ties in the U.S. East Coast
[New York, Washington D.C., January 22nd-January 31st, 2026] — The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), represented by the Secretary General Mr. Jeong-kee Kim and Program Manager Mr, Lii Inn Tan, concluded an essential mission to the east coast of the United States from 22nd to 31st January 2026 to further enhance its strategic ties with New York City and Washington, D.C., and most significantly to take part in the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM)!
In New York City, the WeGO delegation successfully conducted a series of bilateral meetings with various crucial counterparts, including but not limited to, Professor Stefaan Verhulst at New York University, Mr. Rick Grove and Mr. Jonathan Stevenson from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Chief of Staff Ms. Lauren Barredo and Director Ms. Victoria Cerullo at the New York Climate Exchange, Commissioner Ms. Aissata Camara at the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, Professor Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University, Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Navid Hanif at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and President Dr. Abraham Kim from The Korea Society.
While in Washington, D.C., the WeGO delegation had the honour to take part in the 94th Winter Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM)! The prestigious event brought together over 200 mayors from across the United States. During the USCM, Secretary General Mr. Jeong-kee Kim had the precious chance to meet and engage with Mr. David Holt (Mayor of Oklahoma City and the President of the USCM), Mr. Todd Gloria (Mayor of San Diego and Vice President of the USCM), Mr. Tom Cochran (Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the USCM), Ms. Muriel Bowser (Mayor of the District of Columbia), Mr. Thomas Broderick, Jr. (Mayor of Anderson, Indiana), and Mr. Kazufumi Onishi (Mayor of Kumamoto City, Japan). The USCM served as a crucial platform for WeGO to connect with influential city leaders that further enabled WeGO to promote its vision and mission globally.
In addition, the WeGO delegation also held bilateral meetings in Washington, D.C. with Director Emma Braithwaite at the Foreign Policy, Executive Director Mr. Eric Rosand at the Strong Cities Network, Mr. Jim Ross Mayor of Arlington, Ambassador of Korea to the United States H.E. Kyung-wha Kang, Consul General of Korea in Washington D.C. Mr. Cho Ki Jung, Vice President Mr. Sangbu Kim at the World Bank, Founder & President Mr. Peter Van Praagh at the Halifax International Security Forum, and Senior Fellow Dr. Vijay Jagannathan from the World Resources Institute.
Throughout the meetings in New York City and Washington, D.C., activities and initiatives of WeGO were promoted along with the Seoul Smart City Prize and the Seoul Smart Life Week. Various potential collaborations were explored and discussed together with key stakeholders and partners in academia, government, and organizations. The visit in both New York City and Washington, D.C. underscored WeGO’s commitment to fostering international partnerships and promoting 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: Junho Jeong
E-mail: j.jeong@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169