“Smart and Sustainable Cities of the Future”
3 july, 2017
Global Hub UNAI on Sustainability at Al Farabi KazNU has contributed to the work of the session "Smart and Sustainable Cities of the Future" at the 10th Astana Economic Forum (AEF) which took place on June 15 and 16, 2017 in Astana city, Kazakhstan. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP, Kazakhstan) organized the session and it focused on the challenges of rapid urbanization especially in developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The session brought together several leading international experts and practitioners from around the world who discussed a new perspective on urbanization and urban development in the 21st century in the context of the proposed paradigm “Smart and Sustainable Cities of the Future”. The chairperson of the session – Mr. Norimasa Shimomura of UNDP Kazakhstan – opened the discussions suggesting to focus on the challenges of urbanization and global climate change. He also suggested to have a fresh look at on the possible ways of solving the challenges facing modern cities in the 21st century in the context of the rapid growth of urbanization in developing and transitional countries. The participants also discussed the best practices in the field of sustainable urbanization – new urban solutions, including Smart city technologies in urban planning and urban management (using an example of Shanghai City, China), as well as the possibilities of their implementation in cities and settlements in Kazakhstan and the Central Asian region.
The session of “Smart and Sustainable Cities of the Future” culminated in a ceremony of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Mayor’s Office of Astana City and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP, Kazakhstan). The MoU will allow developing frameworks for the implementation of joint projects on sustainable urban development through the introduction of best practices in smart city technologies.
The Astana Economic Forum is an annual international forum, which is regularly held in Astana city since 2007. Every year, it brings together the leading international experts and the representatives of the world economic community, current and former heads of states, and businessmen to discuss the global issues of economic development not only in Kazakhstan, but also Asia and Europe.
