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Digital Transformation and Cities Digest
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Message from Seizo Onoe, Director,
Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU
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Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the latest edition of the Digital Transformation and Cities Digest.
As May unfolds, a series of major international events will bring together policymakers, city leaders, industry experts, and the United Nations system to advance dialogue, standardization and action on AI, digital twins, and AI-enabled citiverse.
From global convenings in Geneva to engagement across regions, these efforts reflect a shared commitment to shaping inclusive, trusted, and interoperable digital futures for cities and communities.
We hope this edition provides valuable insights and encourages your continued engagement in ITU’s work.
If you have any comments on this digest or suggestions for improvement, please send an email to digitaltransformation@itu.int.
Sincerely,
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Seizo Onoe,
Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU |
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Key Global Engagements in May
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3rd UN Virtual Worlds Day (Geneva & Online, 11‑12 May 2026)
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The 3rd UN Virtual Worlds Day, co-organized by ITU together with 20 UN entities, in partnership with the Global Cities Hub, will take place on 11–12 May 2026 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. This flagship UN event will convene ambassadors, ministers, city leaders, and innovators to explore how artificial intelligence, spatial intelligence, and immersive technologies are transforming cities and public services.
Key highlights include:
- Ambassadors’ Roundtable
- Fireside Chats
- Thematic sessions on AI, spatial intelligence, digital twins, and global collaboration
Participation is open to all. Register here.
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2nd Citiverse Assembly (Geneva & Online, 12 May 2026)
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2nd Citiverse Assembly, co-organized by ITU, the European Commission, OASC and UNICC, will bring cities, governments, industry, standards bodies, research, and academia to strengthen global collaboration on the AI-enabled citiverse. The Assembly will:
Participation is open to all. Register here.
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Meeting of ITU-T Study Group 20 “IoT, digital twins and smart sustainable cities and communities” (Geneva, 12‑21 May 2026)
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The meeting of ITU-T Study Group 20 will advance international standards for digital twins, IoT, smart sustainable cities and AI-enabled citiverse. With 248 contributions received, key discussions will focus on AI transformation for cities and communities, digital public infrastructure, interoperability and much more.
In conjunction with the SG20 meeting, the following coordination activities will take place:
More information is available here.
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Advancing people-centred digital transformation
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Cooperation agreement between ITU and Federación Española De Municipios Y Provincias (FEMP)
On 25 February 2026, ITU signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias (FEMP) to advance standards-based digital transformation across Spanish cities and provinces. The partnership promotes interoperable, people-centred urban solutions, supports the development of urban data spaces and governance frameworks, and advances the implementation of ITU-T standards, including Recommendation ITU-T Y.4903 (U4SSC KPIs) to strengthen evidence-based decision-making, environmental performance, and service delivery. More information is available here.
Letter of Intent between ITU and Fira de Barcelona
The Letter of Intent between ITU and Fira de Barcelona establishes a partnership to advance trustworthy, people-centred AI and inclusive smart city development. It enhances knowledge exchange through dedicated sessions at the Smart City Expo World Congress, introduces new thematic spaces on the AI-enabled citiverse and digital public infrastructure, and integrates the Annual United for Smart and Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) Meeting into this global platform, fostering dialogue and coordinated policy action. More information is available here.
Together, these agreements reinforce the role of cities as key drivers of inclusive, interoperable, and standards-based digital innovation.
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Digital Transformation Dialogues
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The ITU Digital Transformation Dialogues (DTD) continue to provide a platform for expert insights and global exchange.
Webinar – Scaling Impact: AI-Driven Digital Public Infrastructure for African Cities and Communities (27 April 2026)
Co-organized by ITU and African Telecommunications Union (ATU), this webinar gathered over 360 participants worldwide to explore how AI-driven digital public infrastructure can scale inclusive and resilient urban development. Recordings and materials are available here.
Webinar – Reimagining the Future of Cities: AI, Virtual Worlds and the Citiverse (4 March 2026)
Co-organized by ITU and the Education and Capacity Building Working Group of the Living-in.EU initiative, this webinar explored the citiverse and its implications for planning, governance, and citizen engagement. The session also highlighted the ongoing work of the Global Initiative on AI and Virtual Worlds – Discovering the Citiverse, supported by more than 70 partners worldwide. Recordings and materials are available here.
Ask the Expert Session: Connecting physical and virtual worlds with digital twins (22 January 2026)
This session highlighted digital twins as a foundational technology for integrating physical and virtual environments, supported by ITU-T international standards. Recordings and materials are available here.
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Giga Story – The Giga Accelerator: Advancing Open-Source Solutions for School Connectivity
Giga, a joint initiative of ITU and UNICEF, supports governments in their efforts to connect every school to the Internet. Building on its work developing open source tools, Giga introduced the Giga Accelerator—a business development programme for growth stage innovators. The programme recently completed its first five month cohort, culminating in participants presenting scalable school connectivity solutions to a global audience at Mobile World Congress 2026 and at Giga’s Technology Centre. Discover these innovations here.
Recognition for Recommendation ITU-T Y.4903 “Key performance indicators for smart sustainable cities to assess the achievement of sustainable development goals”
Recommendation ITU-T Y.4903 has received a 2nd prize from China Communications Standards Association, in recognition of its implementation through U4SSC in more than 250 cities around the world.
The U4SSC initiative is a global UN platform, coordinated by ITU, UNECE and UN-Habitat and supported by 20 UN partners. It serves as an international platform for knowledge exchange and partnerships to help cities advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Data and API requirements for decentralized smart city platforms
This report provides technical guidance on designing and implementing decentralized smart city ecosystems. It explores the shift from centralized to decentralized data architectures, highlighting issues such as data sovereignty, interoperability, trust, and governance in urban digital platforms.
Read it here.
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