Kaluga, Russia, 15 March 2019 – UN -Habitat and the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities Sector of the Russian Federation (Minstroy), the Kaluga Region Government, and a non-profit organization Digital economy have jointly convened an international forum on Smart City: Application guide in the Russian city of Kaluga.

The Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the Smart City concept contributes greatly to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda. “Only with new ideas and new digital technologies can we find solutions to major urban challenges. The Smart City approach will help citizens to work together towards making our cities happier, healthier and better informed,” she said in a video message to the forum in which she also stressed the need to create a favorable environment for the business, entrepreneurship and scientific communities to facilitate and actively engage in   innovative and transformative interventions to improve the well-being of cities.

The Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Sector of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Yakushev, Deputy Minister, Smart City Project Director, Mr. Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Kaluga Region Mr. Anatoly Artamonov, Governor of the Ryazan Region, Mr. Nikolay Lyubimov, and Coordinator, Urban Planning and Design Branch, UN-Habitat Ms. Shipra Narang Suri attended the opening ceremony.

“Member States committed to adopting a smart-city approach that makes use of opportunities from digitalization, clean energy technologies, and innovative transport technologies to provide residents with more environmentally friendly choices, enhance sustainable economic growth, and help cities to improve service delivery,” said Ms. Suri.

The Smart City forum brought together more than 400 participants from 10 countries among them leading Russian and international experts, representatives of federal and regional authorities, IT professionals, and mayors of cities participating in the pilot Smart City Project. Agreements on implementation of the project were signed, and the Government of the Russian Federation and the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) held their first Smart City dialogue during the forum.

For more information on the Smart City Project visit: https://russiasmartcity.ru/