Introduction

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized the 3rd ITU Forum on “Cities and the metaverse: shaping a citiverse for all”. The Forum took place on 13 September 2023, 0900 – 1230 hours, Arusha time, in the Room BAOBAB, Gran Meliá Arusha in Arusha, Tanzania after the Special Session of ITU Focus Group on metaverse, that took place on 12 September 2023. The Special Session and Forum were followed by the meeting of Study Group 20 (Internet of things (IoT) and smart cities and communities (SC&C)), that took place from 13-22 September 2023, at the same venue. The Special Session, Forum and ITU-T Study Group 20 meeting were kindly hosted by Tanzania.

The Forum brought together metaverse experts from around the world to discuss the role of the metaverse in cities and identify areas of further collaboration, including metaverse standardization activities. By providing an open and collaborative international platform, the ITU continued to play a leading role in ensuring that cities played a central role not only in accelerating digital transformation but also in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Forum provided a platform for all stakeholders to come together and discuss important metaverse-related challenges and opportunities facing cities at that time.

The Forum concluded with the adoption of the Arusha Call to Action which reflected key issues discussed at the Forum. An overview of Forum discussions can be found in the Forum Outcome Document.


Target audience:

Participation in the forum and special session was open to ITU Member States, Sector Members, Associates, and Academic Institutions and to any individual from a country that was a member of ITU and who wished to contribute to the work. This included individuals who were also members of international, regional, and national organizations. This forum was free of charge.

Watch Recording Here
Arusha Call to Action
Outcome Document

Programme

9:00 – 9:30 Opening Ceremony

  • Emmanuella Mtatifikolo, Representative of Arusha Regional Commissioner, Tanzania (on behalf of H.E. Mr John Mongella, Regional Commissioner of Arusha, Tanzania)
  • H.E. Mr Kundo Mathew, Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and Information Technology, Tanzania
  • Seizo Onoe, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

9:30 – 10:45 Session 1: Executive roundtable on the citiverse in the African Region

This session, with a special focus on the African region, aimed to bring together key stakeholders from across the metaverse ecosystem to discuss the important role of technical standards, policy and regulation in developing an open, interoperable, secure, and inclusive metaverse. Senior representatives from across government, industry, academia, and civil society shared their unique views and insights, helping to identify best practices and guidance on how to shape a citiverse for all.

Moderator: Wendy Teresa Goico Campagna, Vice-chairman, United for Smart Sustainable Cities Initiative (U4SSC)

Speakers:

Q&A

10:45 – 11:00 Keynote Speech on “The present and future of Seoul with Metaverse Seoul“

  • Kyunghee OH, Director of Digital Policy Division, Seoul Metropolitan Government [Video]

11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break

11:15 – 12:25 Session 2: Shaping inclusive cities of tomorrow: unlocking the potential of metaverse through global collaboration

This session aimed to provide a platform to discuss the role played by international standards to help shape a citiverse for all. It also demonstrated use cases and the latest experiences of leading cities from around the world in how they were maximizing the benefits of the metaverse for their inhabitants. City leaders shared their experience and lessons learned to assist others in benefiting from the metaverse in their cities and communities while accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 11.

Moderator: Hyoung Jun Kim, Chairman, ITU-T Study Group 20

Speakers:

Q&A

12:25 – 12:30 Closing Remarks

Related information

  • Organized by: International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
  • Hosted by:Tanzania
  • Date: 13 September 2023
  • Venue: Room BAOBAB, Gran Meliá Arusha, Arusha, Tanzania
  • Contact: Ms Cristina Bueti (tsbfgmv@itu.int)
  • Other ITU events in Tanzania

Documentation and registration