In a significant milestone for global urban development, the General Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) approved the formation of a group of 30 international experts with the mission to develop guidelines for people-centered smart cities. Brazil, recognized for its active contribution to global urban discussions, had two nominees approved, reaffirming its influential role on the international scene.

The selection, part of a larger UN-Habitat initiative, allowed each member country to nominate two experts for the selection process to compose this important group. One of the nominees is Antonio Carvalho e Silva Neto, a member of the Leadership Board of Cities Coalition for Digital Rights that, with his training in social sciences, governance and development, and his extensive experience in implementing public policies and promoting municipal innovation, guarantees valuables local and global perspective to the group.

The objective of the program is to guide national and local governments in the adoption of digital technologies that promote urban development, with a special focus on the inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable groups. The People-Centered Smart Cities Program defends the importance of financing innovations that improve the quality of life in urban areas, focusing especially on the Global South.

The expert's choice  was coordinated by the Ministry of Cities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reflecting Brazil's commitment to contribute significantly to the global debate on smart cities. The inclusion of this expert in the UN group highlights the importance of Brazil, a highly urbanized country in the Global South, in influencing the development of people-centered smart cities.

More about the expert:

Antonio Carvalho e Silva Neto: bachelor in political science and social sciences, with post graduate studies in Future Intelligence, from the University of Brasília.  He holds an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard School of Government and is a Master Candidate in Governance and Development from Enap. Legislative analyst at the Chamber of Deputies, he has been a career public servant at the federal level for over 11 years. He currently holds the position of President of the Institute for Research and Urban Planning of Maceió City Hall. In addition to that, he is also the President of the National Forum of Municipal Secretaries and Innovation Managers – Forum Inova Cidades - and member of the Leadership Board of the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights. He coordinated one of the commitments of Brazil's 4th Open Government Action Plan and acted as an expert consultant in the UN Habitat project that developed the report “Human Rights in the Digital Era”.