Member States concurred on the need to fill global normative gaps in the domain of smart cities and digitalization and committed to support the development of international guidelines. With Resolution HSP/HA.2/Res.1, adopted during the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, UN-Habitat has been mandated to initiate the development of international guidelines on people-centred smart cities through an inclusive consultative process. The guidelines, which will be developed by 2025, will serve as a non-binding framework for developing national and local smart city regulations, plans and strategies to ensure that digital urban infrastructure and data contribute to making cities and human settlements sustainable, inclusive and prosperous and respectful of human rights.
In carrying out this work, UN-Habitat is building on lessons learned and ongoing projects under the umbrella of the People-centred smart cities programme.