Expo 2020 Dubai: Smart villages

A high-level debate and presentation on Smart Villages, organized under the auspices of the 2021 Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU by the office of MEP Franc Bogovič as part of Slovenia's appearance at Expo 2020 in Dubai was moderated by MSc Ladeja Godina Košir, Founder and Director of Circular Change/Chair of CG ECESP.

Dubai is one of the most forward-thinking, technologically advanced cities in the world. Synergizing state of the art technology and AI is the way forward and can have a significant positive impact also on rural and remote communities.

In his speech, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of Slovenia, Jože Podgoršek emphasized areas that can improve the quality of life in rural areas.

"The quality of life in rural areas is linked to the preservation of the agricultural landscape and natural heritage with an appropriate level of digitalization, mobility, access to public services and job creation," said Podgoršek, pointing out that new technologies will help improve production processes and enable production of more affordable food of higher quality. “Smart villages are therefore understood as rural communities that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience, building on local strengths and opportunities,” he said.

MEP Franc Bogovič said in the debate that smart villages are people. New technologies and social innovations open new opportunities for development and sustainable growth. "Our mission is nothing short of changing our lifestyle into a sustainable lifestyle in which we are in touch with the natural environment and food production and live our lives consciously, using smart technology to help guide our daily behavior towards a healthy and sustainable life," said Bogovič.

European Commission Vice President Dubravka Šuica, responsible for the long-term vision of rural development, said that with innovation, technology and digital solutions we can really make our villages smart and significantly improve the lives of the people who live in them.

You can find the video recording of this interesting session on Smart Villages during Dubai EXPO Urban and Rural Development Week here.