ITU‐T's Technical Reports And Specifications 175 Building on that, the third section provides an in‐depth analysis of the roles and responsibilities of each of the stakeholders that contribute to the effective functioning of SSC, namely municipalities and city administration, national and regional governments, city services companies and utility providers, ICT companies, NGOs, multilateral organizations, industry associations, academia and scientific community, citizens and citizen organizations, and standardization bodies. The final section of the report outlines a series of strategic recommendations for multi‐stakeholder involvement, aimed at city decision makers working in the design and/or implementation of SSC. The report concludes by presenting a summary table that identifies SSC stakeholders, their scale/sector of operations, their key aims and challenges, their potential and constraints associated with their role, and their expected contribution to SSC's rollout. Scope The FG‐SSC Working Group 1 (WG1) suggests that one of the major challenges in the emerging SSC field is the lack of a common framework and understanding of SSC stakeholders, including their roles and responsibilities. Responding to that need, the objective of this report is to strengthen the design and implementation of SSC by providing all interested stakeholders with a clear overview of roles and responsibilities, including a series of recommendations that can help maximize their contributions to SSC goals. Global human security and development depend on the strengthening of collective action. The many challenges faced (including the establishment process of SSC) cannot be met effectively by individual governments without the active involvement of civil society, non‐governmental organizations (NGOs), private sector. 5 Hence, countries, governments, business and various stakeholders realize that complex issues such as the establishment of SSC cannot be achieved by a single actor. Such complex activities would require coordinated effort with multiple stakeholders contributing to innovative and sustainable solutions. 6 This document based on this fact is expected to help maximize the contribution of each of these actors, prevent overlapping of functions, and facilitate the identification of gaps, so as to increase the likelihood that SSC's goals will be achieved. It is expected that this document will help to maximize the contribution of each of these actors, prevent overlapping of functions, and facilitate the identification of gaps, so as to facilitate the achievement of SSC's goals. This report is addressed to a broad audience of city decision makers and practitioners involved in the design and implementation of SSC. It is intended to be as general and inclusive as possible, applicable and relevant to any city, regardless of its size or location, in both developed and developing countries. The concepts and definitions presented in this document are in alignment with the series of Technical Reports on smart sustainable cities produced as part of the deliverables of ITU's FG‐SSC. ____________________ 5 UN System Engagement with NGOs, Civil Society, the Private Sector and other Actors. United Nations Non Governmental Liaison Service, German Federal Ministry For Economic Cooperation 6 The Stakeholder Engagement Manual Volume 1: The Guide to Practitioners Perspectives on Stakeholder Engagement Volume 1