UN-Habitat has launched an open online consultation for external stakeholders to contribute with views, inputs and ideas on how to leverage technologies, data and innovation for sustainable urban development and to address peoples’ needs to leave no one behind.

Following the Resolution HSP/HA.2/Res.1 adopted by the United Nations Habitat Assembly on 9 June 2023, UN-Habitat has been mandated to initiate the development of International Guidelines on People-Centred Smart Cities, as a non-binding framework for developing national and local smart city regulations, plans and strategies to ensure that digital urban infrastructure and data contribute to making cities and communities sustainable, inclusive, prosperous and respectful of human rights.

Throughout 2024, UN-Habitat has developed the International Guidelines, leading to the third draft now being shared for review online. This draft is the result of an extensive and inclusive consultative process. UN-Habitat holds a series of regional, thematic and stakeholder consultations. The stakeholder consultations took place with civil society organizations, local and regional governments, academia and the private sector, as well as international organizations. In the upcoming months, a series of regional consultations will take place. In addition, the Global Expert Working Group, consisting of 31 experts that have been appointed by UN-Habitat’s Executive Director, have reviewed each draft as the main global advisory body for the drafting process.

In this phase of the drafting process, UN-Habitat has launched an open online consultation for external stakeholders to contribute to the drafting process directly and review the current draft of the International Guidelines. Individuals, entities and organizations from the public sector, civil society, academia, private sector, international organizations and development agencies, among others, are invited to participate in the consultation. We encourage organizations and entities to seek internal alignment and prepare corporate submissions. The feedback received will be consolidated and included in the Guidelines to be submitted for the approval of UN-Habitat’s General Assembly in June 2025.

You can access the current draft for review here.

Please submit your contribution here via this form, by the 17^th of November 2024.

For any comments or further information, please contact roberta.maio@un.org with a copy to ig-pcsc@un.org. For your further information, you will find an outline of the form used for the open online consultation here.