Participation in the 5th ASEAN-Japan Smart Cities Network High Level Meeting, 26 October 2023, Tsukuba, Japan

The United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) participated in the 5th ASEAN-Japan Smart Cities Network High Level Meeting on 26-27 October 2023 in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The high level meeting has been annually organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Government of Japan since 2019, in cooperation with ASEAN member countries, relevant Japanese ministries, local governments, and companies since 2019 to promote cooperation between Japan and the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) in the field of smart cities. UNCRD, through its Smart Cities Project, is engaged in capacity-building activities for the “Japan-ASEAN Mutual Cooperation Support for Smart Cities Abroad (Smart JAMP)”. This year the high-level meeting focused on the theme of “Disaster Prevention: Resilience” and showcased successful examples of smart cities while the participants deepened discussion on the drivers of their success. Mr. Masafumi Mori, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, in charge of National Resilience Building, Social Capital Development, S&T and Innovation Policy, mentioned in his special speech that UNCRD had contributed to capacity building under “the Smart JAMP”. UNCRD extended its network with participating local governments in ASEAN countries and Japan as well as the private sector for the next training workshop on Smart Cities and other relevant events.