Dear colleagues,

As cities continue to grow, it becomes paramount to prioritize people-centred digital transformation, enabling cities to take a leading role in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ITU is supporting digital transformation of cities and communities by developing and promoting international standards that facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies and sustainable practices.

In this edition of the Digest, we are excited to share with you updates of our recent activities between June and September 2023. These include outcomes of the seventh meeting of the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC), as well as highlights of the three most recent Digital Transformation webinars, which covered a diverse range of topics including the impact of digital transformation on testing, mobility, and animal ethics.

Furthermore, we will keep you informed about the upcoming ITU activities which may be of interest, ensuring that you are fully engaged with the latest developments and initiatives.

I hope you enjoy this short digest. If you have any comments or suggestions for improvement, please send an email to digitaltransformation@itu.int.

Sincerely,

Seizo Onoe,
Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU.

The seventh meeting of United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) took place virtually on 20 June 2023. Over 254 participants representing leading smart city stakeholders from around the world attended the event.

The U4SSC is a global initiative that provides an international platform for information exchange and partnership building to guide cities and communities in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The U4SSC is a UN initiative coordinated by ITU, UNECE and UN-Habitat and supported by other 16 UN bodies, that help support the development of institutional policies and strategies which encourage the use of digital technologies to facilitate digital transformation and ease the transition to smart sustainable cities. The U4SSC supports cities on their digital transformation journey in order to meet their goals and targets and create the cities and communities of tomorrow.

During the meeting, Mr Okan Geray, Strategic Planning Advisor, Dubai Digital Authority, was appointed the new U4SSC Chairman, leading the U4SSC management team. Participants agreed on the Annual Work Plan 2023-2024, with discussions emphasizing the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in achieving the U4SSC's goals. For more details see the outcome document.

The U4SSC actively works through a number of thematic groups. During the meeting, updates were presented along with the announcement of the formation of a new digital wellbeing thematic group. Experts are invited to join these thematic groups and contribute their expertise:

• City Platforms,
• Building Urban Economic Resilience at City Level,
• Artificial Intelligence in Cities,
• Enabling People-Centred Cities through Digital Transformation,
• Procurement for Smart Sustainable Cities,
• Digital Wellbeing.

The meeting also heard from H.E. Mr Kenneth Ofori-Atta, Minister, Ministry of Finance, Republic of Ghana who announced that Ghana will host the first U4SSC Country Hub in Africa, further expanding the initiative's global reach.

The meeting reinforced the U4SSC's continued relevance as a global platform for stakeholders to collaborate and deliberate on building people-centred cities through digital transformation. To learn more about the United for Smart Sustainable Cities initiative and how to get involved, visit the U4SSC webpage.

The latest ITU Digital Transformation webinars focused on a range of digital transformation topics. In Episode #26: Digital transformation of mobility: Paving the way for road safety webinar, the focus was on remote testing and federated test beds as a service. The discussion covered the latest trends in remote testing, including scalable models for private networks and the role of open architecture in testing 5G and 6G innovations. A project utilizing open 5G architecture to develop a cloud-based platform for academic research and experimentation was introduced. Challenges related to realistic test beds for data collection, experimentation, and security evaluation were also discussed, as well as voltage and emergency call issues.

In Episode #27: Digital transformation of testing: federated testbeds as a service webinar, experts emphasized the importance of safety in autonomous vehicles, discussing the distinction between autonomous driving and autonomous vehicles, with the latter including infrastructure, fleet management, and connectivity. They highlighted the need for a safe system to handle misperception cases, using sensors such as cameras, lidar, radar, IMU, and GPS to gather information about the surroundings. The panellists also stressed the importance of understanding human driving behaviour and modelling human driving profiles to develop safer automated vehicles.

In Episode #28: Digital Transformation and Ethical Use of Technology for Animals webinar, the focus shifted towards the impact of digital technologies on non-human animals and the environment. Recognizing that most digital transformation initiatives are primarily centred around improving the quality of life for humans, the webinar aimed to address the often overlooked consequences of these advancements on the animal kingdom. Panellists discussed the ethical implications of deploying emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and digital twin in agriculture and biodiversity conservation, and how these can be used responsibly for the benefit of all living beings.

To subscribe for upcoming webinars and to view recordings of past events visit the Digital Transformation webinar series webpage.

The next meeting of ITU-T Study Group 20: Internet of things (IoT) and smart cities and communities (SCC) will take place in Arusha, Tanzania on 13-22 September 2023. The meeting will review progress of work and latest contributions from experts on topics ranging from autonomous urban delivery robots to requirements for industrial IoT and smart manufacturing.

The 28th Joint Coordination Activity on Internet of Things (JCA-IoT) meeting is scheduled to take place in Arusha, Tanzania on 12 September 2023.

The ITU-T SG20 Newcomers' session will take place in Arusha, Tanzania on 12 September 2023.

The ITU-T SG20 Regional Group for the Arab Region (SG20RG-ARB) meeting, chaired by Mr Muath Alrumayh, Director, International Cooperation and Negotiation Department, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Saudi Arabia, took place virtually on 1 August 2023. The meeting discussed pressing SG20 standardisation issues concerning the Arab Region.

The inaugural meeting of the ITU-T SG20 Regional Group for Asia and the Pacific (SG20RG-AP) took place virtually on 25-26 July 2023 and was attended by more than 120 participants representing 15 countries. The meeting was chaired by Mr Sushil Kumar, Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC), India, and discussed the group's future work plans and how best to amplify regional voices in the international standards making process.

The ITU-T SG20 Regional Group for Africa (SG20RG-AFR) meeting was chaired by Mr Ramy Ahmed Fathy, Director of Digital Services Policies and Planning at the Egyptian National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), and took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on 8 June 2023 in conjunction with the Global Symposium for Regulators. The meeting discussed key regional standardization issues in Africa.

The 3rd ITU Focus Group on metaverse meeting will take place in Geneva, Switzerland on 3-5 October 2023.

A special session of the ITU Focus Group on metaverse will take place in Arusha, Tanzania on 12 September 2023. It will be followed by the 3rd ITU Forum on “Cities and the metaverse: shaping a citiverse for all”.

The 2nd ITU Focus Group on metaverse meeting took place on 4-6 July 2023. It was a historic meeting where for the first time in ITU’s history a deliverable was approved unanimously at the second meeting of the focus group.

The Technical Report titled "Exploring the metaverse: opportunities and challenges" provides valuable insights into the metaverse landscape and its associated opportunities and challenges.

The 2nd ITU Forum on Creating a metaverse for all through international standards successfully took place in Shanghai, China on 7 July 2023 and concluded with an Outcome Document, which provides a comprehensive overview of the discussions, insights, and recommendations generated during the event. The Focus group meeting and forum were attended by over 15000 participants.

ITU together with the Ministry of Digital Governance of Greece and with the support of Tanzania, organized the  HLPF side event on Exploring the metaverse: A New World of Possibilities for Cities and Communities. This side event took place on 13 July 2023 during the 2023 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

This side event featured a diverse mix of countries and experts to ensure geographic and gender balance. It highlighted examples of how cities are already using the metaverse to promote sustainable development, foster innovation and create new opportunities for their inhabitants. Participants had the opportunity to engage in discussion on the potential challenges and opportunities of the metaverse. Overall, the side event aimed to inspire and motivate cities to shape a metaverse for all.

The side event also featured the official launch of the new Building a People-Centered Digital Future for Cities and Communities Brochure. This brochure highlights ITU’s activities and initiatives aimed at driving the development and standardization of smart sustainable cities and communities.

Building a people-centered digital future for cities and communities
This Brochure showcases ITU's commitment to creating an inclusive, accessible and sustainable digital future that supports the needs of people and communities. The Brochure provides an overview of ITU's key initiatives, programs and ITU-T Recommendations that accelerate digital transformation. Explore how together, we can make a real difference and build a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for all. To read or download a copy click here.