It is a great pleasure for me to be back in New Delhi, in a country and a region that is fast emerging as a hub for technology innovation.
India is a technology powerhouse, and I am pleased to see that the ITU Council has confirmed the establishment of a South Asian Area Office and Technology Innovation Centre here in India. This office will result in significant synergies and potential opportunities for enhanced engagement between ITU programmes and India and the region as a whole, including in the area of smart sustainable cities.
India is urbanising at one of the fastest rates in the world. As the United Nations projects the country to add over 400 million urban dwellers by the middle of the century, the question before us is: how will India cope with this rapid and massive urbanization? And the answer concerns us all. All cities around the world face increasing challenges associated with social justice, climate change, urban governance and urban health issues.
As the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, ITU is working to develop the tremendous potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and 5G have to build smarter, more sustainable cities.
Our objective is twofold: to allow for a trusted infrastructure capable of supporting an enormous volume of ICT-based applications and services, and to develop common international standards to ensure openness and interoperability, reduce costs through economies of scale and avoid getting locked into propriety standards.
Our dedicated study group for the Internet of Things and smart cities and communities (ITU-T Study Group 20) is building collaboration between standards developers and city leaders. It serves as a venue where standards experts are gaining insight into how their work can assist government − and where governments are learning how technical standards can help them to innovate efficiently and at scale.
Recent developments in the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and smart grids and meters are driving and supporting the development of smart sustainable cities throughout the world.
At our last Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai last November, ITU Member States resolved to promote investment in the development of the Internet of Things and smart sustainable cities and communities to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
To assist cities in reaching these goals, ITU and the “United for Smart Sustainable Cities Initiative,” a coalition of 16 UN bodies, have developed tools and guidelines that support cities in measuring their smart programs.
Over 50 cities worldwide are using a set of Key Performance Indicators to report the results of their smart city projects. New key partners like the UN Global Compact are joining the initiative. I am here today to call on Indian cities to join us and implement our smart city KPIs.
These indicators represent an important step in making better policies and building smarter and more sustainable cities, not just in words but in deeds. They are designed to allow cities to assess their progress in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals whose central promise is to leave no one behind.
ITU congratulates India on its efforts to use next generation-networks like 5G to expand mobile and broadband connectivity, both in urban and rural areas. One of the most important areas of ITU’s work this year will be the international standardization of 5G, with our World Radiocommunication Conference next October in Egypt.
I have said it before and I will say it again: India is a leading force in today’s global digital economy and a key Member State of ITU. With India’s National Digital Communications Policy 2018 and transformative campaigns such as Digital India, Make in India and the Smart Cities Mission, India is uniquely placed to deliver on its commitments to inclusive and sustainable development.
At ITU, we look forward to continuing to work with India and the entire South Asian region to help build tomorrow’s smart sustainable cities and bring the power of information and communication technologies to all its inhabitants.
Thank you.