UNITAR’s Affiliated Training Center in Shanghai Organized the 10th Global City Informatization Forum
4 - 6 November 2014, Shanghai, China – UNITAR’s affiliated training centre CIFAL Shanghai, in partnership with the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences organized the 10th Global City Informatization Forum (GCIF) that took place at the Kerry Hotel Pudong in Shanghai. An initiative created in 2000, the GCIF is a platform to exchange visions, policies and strategies on information and communications technology (ICT) applications.
In its 10th edition, the GCIF gathered 950 participants, including government leaders, decision-makers and policy developers from USA, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Fiji, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Indonesia, China and representatives of the UN system. This edition received the support of various UN agencies, including UNDESA, UNDP, UNIDO, and ITU, as well as of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, the Ministry of Commerce of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, intelligent terminals and applications have become increasingly powerful due to the development of information technologies. New patterns of large-scale production, sharing and application have come into reality, tremendously transforming the way people study, work and live. In this context, the GCIF 2014 provides a great platform for people to explore important topics such as Urban Management in the Era of Big Data; Re-industrialization in the Era of Intelligence; and Smart Applications in the Era of Informatization.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. YANG Xiong, Mayor of Shanghai Municipal Government; Mr. MIAO Wei, Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Mr. WU Hongbo, UNDESA; Ms. Sally Fegan-Wyles, UNITAR; Mr. LONG Yongtu, Co-chairman of Global CEO Conference; and Mr. Collins Chabane, Minister for the Public Service and Administration of South Africa delivered speeches.
Ms. Sally Fegan-Wyles spoke on the importance of promoting smart partnerships and collaborative leadership to facilitate information technology and innovation in order to lift people’s livelihood. She also encouraged a new form of leadership that can foster collaboration between companies, and between companies, government and civil society, to achieve great results. Mr. WU Hongbo pointed out that urbanization is the future global trend and that governments shall prepare in advance to accommodate more population in cities. The development of cities requires innovation and the use of ICTs to change urban management and forge smart cities.
After 10 editions, the GCIF has become an arena for exchanges and cooperation among government leaders, mayors, enterprises, experts and professionals in the field of IT, in up-to-date ICT solutions, applications and products. Since 2000, the GCIF has welcomed more than 6,000 participants from over 180 cities and 105 countries.
Photo: Global City Informatization Forum