India is the most recent member of The G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance. Founded in 2019 – in conjunction with the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan – the organization has the goal of creating global norms and policy standards for the use of connected devices in public spaces. Partners include Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Smart City Mission of India, Cities for All, Cities Today Institute, Commonwealth Local Government Forum, Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network, Connected Places Catapult, Digital Future Society, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, International Telecommunication Union, Open and Agile Smart Cities, Smart City Expo World Congress, United Cities and Local Governments, What Works Cities, the World Economic Forum, and World Enabled.
“India is at the forefront of this urban transformation and is committed to ensuring that our cities develop in a way that is smart and sustainable. The Smart Cities Mission looks forward to working together with city leaders around the world to share best practices and forge new policy standards for the responsible and ethical use of smart technologies in our cities,“ said Kunal Kumar, joint secretary and director of India’s Smart Cities Mission.
The partners represent more than 200,000 cities and local governments, leading companies, start-ups, research institutions, and civil society organizations. The World Economic Forum serves as the secretariat. It is currently accepting nominations from cities and private entities who are interested in piloting and contributing to global policy standards.
“Our cities stand at a crossroads. Rapid urbanization – if not effectively managed – threatens to paralyze local economies and undermine recent advances in the quality of life,” said Jeff Merritt, head of IoT, robotics and smart cities at the World Economic Forum. “Smart city technologies offer huge promise, but they can be a Pandora’s box. Today’s announcement is a critical first step to accelerate global best practices, mitigate risks, and foster greater openness and public trust regarding the collection of data in public spaces.”