Driving Urban Sustainability: GeSI at the UTM Global Innovation Summit 2024

October 2024 – Earlier this week, GeSI participated in the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) Global Innovation Summit 2024 and the UTMC Annual Conference in Brussels, where global leaders gathered to discuss planning for a sustainable future. The theme, “Cities Designing Urban Transitions,” explored how cities worldwide are leveraging digitalization to enhance urban services and infrastructure. Our CEO, Luis Neves, joined a panel focused on smart and connected cities, discussing the potential and risks of digital transformation in urban environments.

During the session, chaired by Anvita Arora from KAPSARC, industry experts, including Donna R. Tabangin from Baguio City and Benjamin Jance from GCoM, shared key insights on sustainable smart city design. The panel emphasized the importance of integrating digital solutions while addressing challenges such as cybersecurity and data privacy.

Luis highlighted the importance of cities not just chasing ‘smart’ as an end goal but rather as an enabler for more sustainable and more inclusive cities that leave nobody behind. Focus was also on the rapidly developing and constantly evolving role of technologies such as AI, digital infrastructure and accounting for new energy demands from areas such as data centres. The session provided valuable lessons from rapidly urbanizing regions and underscored the need for robust governance and collaboration to drive the cities of the future.

Finally, we were also proud to announce our new partnership with UTM that will involve launching pilot initiatives in 15 different cities.

As cities continue to face the complexities of digital transformation, events like the UTM Summit are essential platforms for sharing best practices, fostering innovation, and shaping urban transitions towards a sustainable, connected future.