Smart Dubai holds Smart Cities Global Network Webinar on the resilience of cities in the Covid-19 world
Smart Dubai organized a Smart Cities Global Network (SCGN) Webinar today (Wednesday August 5, 2020 ) to discuss the resilience of cities in the COVID-19 world and to highlight the need to make our cities more agile and responsive to similar challenges in the future.
Discussions shed light on how cities have accelerated the adoption of smart-city technology to battle the ongoing novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, exploring the practices undertaken to efficiently curb the spread of the disease, all the while maintaining business continuity and minimizing interruptions and impact on economic activities.
The event consisted of a high-profile panel discussion bringing His Excellency Younus Al Nasser, Smart Dubai’s Assistant Director General and CEO of the Dubai Data Establishment, together with H.E. John Cavanagh, Deputy Consul-General for Dubai and Trade Commissioner at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade); and Mr. Tan Chee Hau, Director, Smart Nation and Digital Government Office at Prime Minister's Office -Singapore. The panel was moderated by Smart Dubai’s Chief Digital Director Zeina ElKaissi and was titled ‘Lessons Learned From COVID-19: City Resilience in an Unpredictable World’.
“The need for cities to accelerate their digital transformation has today become more crucial than ever,” H.E. Younus Al Nasser said. “Dubai has been pursuing a digital transformation strategy long before the pandemic, since H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai launched the E-Government initiative in 2000. Twenty years later, under the threat of a global pandemic, this strategy has demonstrated its utility at a time it was needed most.”
H.E. Al Nasser’s portion of the discussion focused on the lessons Dubai learned from the lockdown and how the city is utilising this experience to better prepare for future disruptions of this scale – be they public health crises or any other major emergencies. “The success of our smart-city strategies in the face of this global crisis offer additional incentive for us to continue along this path, keep promoting innovation and a future outlook, and draw new and continuously improved plans for the city’s resilience - one that protects and enhances people’s lifestyle and happiness in the emirate, which is our ultimate goal here at Smart Dubai,” H.E. asserted.
“Smart Dubai launched the Smart Cities Global Network to be the largest international network of smart-city stakeholders and offer a platform that brings together international experts and decision makers to explore key elements in smart-city building,” H.E. explained. “The Network’s approach was built around virtual debates since its inception. This approach has proven to be particularly useful in these current circumstances, reflecting Smart Dubai’s forward-thinking vision for the future and its dedication to maintaining communication with its smart-city partners, regardless of the conditions.”
For his part, H.E John Cavanagh highlighted Australia’s response to the crisis, as one of the world’s first countries to ease COVID-19 restrictions back in early May, after successfully slowing down the spread of the virus. H.E. discussed his country’s quick and swift response, which helped it get ahead of the outbreak and made it an example that many countries around the world sought to emulate. Moreover, H.E. Cavanagh drew attention to the many lessons in resiliency that Australia learned from this first round of the battle, as the world braces for a possible second wave while economies reopen after months of lockdown.
“This pandemic has changed all of our lives. Some of those changes will be enduring. Australia’s experience mirrors that of many other countries in the world and we are just starting to learn what some of those longer term changes and trends might be and working through the implications for Governments and industry.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tan Chee Hau, explained how Singapore’s advanced digital infrastructure helped the city-state prepare for a comprehensive and efficient response to the outbreak, being among the world’s first nations to deploy tech on the ground to fight COVID-19. He went on to note that while tech solutions were largely welcomed and encouraged around the world, they also sparked a debate about data privacy. He then offered his thoughts on an approach to build strong, resilient smart cities without jeopardising people’s data privacy.
Smart Dubai’s Smart Cities Global Network is the largest international network of smart city stakeholders, bringing together partners involved in advanced technology, Fourth-Industrial-Revolution breakthroughs, smart living, and spreading happiness in the community with tech-enabled, human-centric services. The network is available online and has so far enlisted more than 500 members, including representatives from governments, the private sector, research centres, academic institutes, and the media.
