Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union organized a virtual discussion on employing metaverse technology in smart cities.
The discussion — which focused on how metaverse technology can contribute to developing education, improving livelihoods, creating new sources of income, providing access to public and private services, promoting global cooperation, building communities, and enhancing civic participation — was held on the sidelines of the two-day virtual Global Science, Technology and Innovation Forum, which began Thursday.
The annual forum is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is, according to a statement “an opportunity to boost evidence-based policymaking, anchored in science, for designing and implementing transformations to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, which are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.”
Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Ambassador Abdulaziz Al-Wasil and Seizo Onoe, director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau at the ITU, opened the discussion.
Al-Wasil shed light on the many objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and its embrace of modern technology, particularly metaverse technology. He cited several events hosted by the Kingdom that aim to stimulate the adoption of this technology, especially in smart cities.
He stressed that the Kingdom is working closely with the ITU to unify visions and standards for the use of metaverse technology and to accelerate achievement of the SDGs.
Moaz bin Sulaiman Al-Rumaih, director of the international negotiation department at the CST, underlined the progress made by the Kingdom in the field of digital transformation and smart cities, highlighting the achievements of the telecommunications industry in the Kingdom — represented by the commission — and the effective cooperation between the CST and various international organizations, which has, he said, made the Kingdom a role model for digital transformation both regionally and globally.
