During the fifth Smart Cities Forum, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, H.E Chung Byung-ha stressed on the initiative of the vision “Kuwait 2035”.
Kuwait strives to enhance its city while Korea hopes to contribute in this development, further adding that both the nations have risen from the scourge of war in the past and rebuilt themselves as established cities.
He stated that this conference is a great opportunity for officials and businessmen to exchange their views and ideas that’ll help achieve victory over modern challenges.
While technological development is at its peak and with its wide availability, the world is still suffering from climate changes, environmental degradation, epidemic and lack of food security, and in order to resolve these challenges implementation of beneficial ideas is a must.
According to the United Nations, the world’s urbanization rates will reach 70 percent in 2030, and the population is expected to increase to 9 billion which will cause many sustainability problems. He stated that the term “smart cities” does not only refer to models of future cities, which are equipped with latest technologies, but can be defined more broadly as a platform for developing the quality of life, as well as improving the sustainability of cities.
Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Resident Coordinator, Dr. Tariq Al-Sheikh, said that a smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technology to improve the quality of life, make urban operations and services more efficient, and enhance its competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of current generations.
Further adding, that many cities have embarked their journey on becoming sustainably smart, with reliance on ICTs to enhance energy efficiency and waste management, improve housing and health care, improve traffic flow and safety, detect air quality and much more.