Throughout 2025, the United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC-Hamburg) delivered a series of trainings to city leaders on people-centred smart cities in Brazil, Kenya and Egypt. The sessions were co-organized in partnership with the relevant UN-Habitat country offices and local stakeholders. Aligned with UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan to advance access to adequate housing, land and basic urban services, the sessions explored how digital tools and data can support local municipalities and authorities in their digital urban transformation processes. The content was tailored to the country’s local contexts. Topics included:
- Smart city strategies and digital governance frameworks for sustainable urban development
- Case studies demonstrating the implementation of digitalization strategies and tools as a driver for improving access to housing, land, and basic urban needs
- Global trends and good practices in urban digital transformation
The trainings further provided a platform for exchange and dialogue between local stakeholders on their digitization strategies, processes and priorities.
The training in Brasilia, Brazil was conducted on February 13 2025. UNITAC-Hamburg delivered the session titled “People-Centred Smart Cities: Digital tools and data for sustainable urban development and inclusive digital transformation” in collaboration with the UN-Habitat Regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC)Opens a new window. The event took place alongside the National Mayors Conference and convened over 60 representatives from the local governments and public sector.
In the training, participants were introduced to the people-centred approach and discussed how digital tools and data can contribute to sustainable urban development. The UNITAC-Hamburg team shared examples of capacity building activities and strategies that utilize a people-centred approach and shared an overview of the use of AI as well as key areas of interventions in cities.
The second training titled “Knowledge, Data, Digitalization and Capacity Development” was held in Kenya on 14 August as a dedicated side event to the 2025 Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County. The session brought together over 100 participants from Kenyan Municipal Boards. UNITAC-Hamburg co-organized the session in partnership with UN-Habitat’s Kenya Country Office and the Council of Governors.
A short survey conducted during the session highlighted the current state of digitalization in Kenyan municipal offices. While 30% of participants reported their county offices as mostly or fully digital,70% indicated they are only moderately, slightly, or not digital at all. The responses also revealed that digital services are currently concentrated in revenue collection, permits, and service requests, with land records, planning, and resident feedback remaining less digitized.
The third training event named “Digital Capacity Building for Leaders of New Urban Communities and Local Administration” took place in Cairo on 28 August in collaboration with UN-Habitat Egypt.Opens a new window The training was delivered in two separate sessions to a total of 46 participants from different audiences. The first session convened mayors and representatives from the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, while the second session hosted governors, deputy governors, and representatives from the Ministry of Local Development.
The training was organized as part of Egypt’s efforts to operationalize its National Urban Policy (NUP), officially endorsed in September 2023. The NUP provides the national framework for sustainable urban development, aligning with Egypt Vision 2030 and the Strategic Development Plan 2052. A key pillar of its implementation is the integration of People-Centered Smart City Approaches (PCSCA) to ensure urbanization is inclusive, resilient, and future-oriented. To advance this, the training helped to build capacity among national and local stakeholders—government, academia, and private sector—on smart cities and digitalization. The initiative served as a practical step to translate the NUP into action, reinforcing political commitment expressed during WUF12, and ensuring stakeholders are equipped to implement smart city strategies under the policy framework.
By enhancing the digital knowledge and skills of municipal leaders, local and national governments, these capacity building activities advance the achievement of SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and strengthen local leadership to drive digital transformation for more inclusive, resilient, and people-centered smart cities.
