Part 2: ‘CitiVerse: Turning the world into a global village (or rather sandbox?)’

Published on 19 February 2025

This post is part of the series UN 2.0 and the Metaverse: Are We Seeing What Is Possible?

As we continue our exploration of the metaverse and UN 2.0, we now shift focus to the CitiVerse Initiative. This initiative is a critical step in integrating virtual worlds with urban infrastructure, paving the way for smarter, more inclusive cities. In this article, we examine how the CitiVerse can transform urban spaces while addressing the challenges and opportunities it presents.

A futuristic city blending physical and virtual elements

Additionally, to ensure these technological advancements are effective and equitable, we also examine the critical role of benchmarking progress in digital transformation. A key part of this effort is the United 4 Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) Policy Benchmarks, a global framework designed to guide responsible innovation, ethical AI governance, and inclusive access to smart urban services.

Previously, in Part 1

In Part 1, we explored the converging visions of UN 2.0 and the CitiVerse (i.e. the Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI – Discovering the Citiverse), highlighting their shared commitment to harnessing technology to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. We examined the UN’s Global Digital Compact and the outcomes of the first UN Virtual Worlds Day, identifying key areas of alignment, particularly in multistakeholder collaboration, inclusivity, and responsible technological advancement. We also explored the metaverse as a socio-technical ecosystem, emphasising the complexities and challenges associated with this convergence. This raised critical questions about power dynamics, human rights considerations, and the need for strategic foresight in shaping the future of digital governance.

The CitiVerse

1. Where the future begins

The future is increasingly being shaped in cities. During UN Virtual Worlds Day 2024, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC), and Digital Dubai launched the CitiVerse Initiative.

The CitiVerse Initiative serves as a global platform that aims at fostering open, interoperable and innovative virtual worlds that can be used safely and with confidence by people, businesses and public services. (CitiVerse Initiative)

The CitiVerse Initiative seeks to harness the metaverse to drive progress toward the SDGs by developing virtual world solutions for cities. It creates interconnected digital environments that not only replicate but also enhance physical spaces, promotinginnovation, inclusivity, and sustainability in urban development.

Defined as a metaverse for cities, CitiVerse prioritises a human-centred approach and promotes sustainable urban development (Definitions of CitiVerse).

2. Enablers of progress: Platforms

The CitiVerse Initiative serves as a comprehensive platform that integrates technological advancements with governance, collaboration, and ethical development. It goes beyond technology itself, focusing on its responsible deployment to tackle urban challenges while ensuring governance frameworks prioritise public benefit.

This vision is structured around three key pillars, guiding the responsible and effective integration of virtual worlds into urban environments.

Three key pillars of the CitiVerse Initiative

Pillar 1: Bringing Virtual Worlds to Life (Strategic Guidance, Security and Trust, Digital Inclusion and Accessibility, Scaling Framework, Evaluation and Assessment, Awareness Building)
Pillar 2: Connecting Cities with the Virtual and Real Worlds (Emerging Technologies, Use-case Identification, Sandbox Experiment Facility, Virtual Worlds Toolkit, Annual Training)
Pillar 3: Tunneling the CitiVerse (Annual Assembly, Citiverse Challenge, Network of Cities, Talent Grants Programme for Developing Countries)

The CitiVerse Initiative’s role as a platform is further emphasised by its three key functions:

Developing normative frameworks to ensure responsible development and governance
Providing training and knowledge-sharing to empower cities with the necessary expertise
Delivering a sandbox environment to facilitate experimentation and innovation

By adopting this comprehensive platform approach, the CitiVerse Initiative aims to shape the future of urban spaces in the metaverse in a way that is both innovative and people-centred (Building a People-Centred CitiVerse).

3. Déjà vu or the next big thing?

For those familiar with the concepts of smart cities and the internet of things (IoT), the ambitious claims about solving the world’s most pressing challenges may feel like déjà vu. This is not the first time in the history of digital transformation that cities have partnered with tech companies to improve services for citizens. The smart city movement, with its vision of interconnected infrastructure and data-driven decision-making, promised to revolutionise urban living. Similarly, IoT, with its network of connected devices and sensors, offered the potential to optimise resource management and enhance efficiency.

However, despite the initial hype, the widespread implementation of smart city and IoT technologies has faced numerous challenges, including concerns about privacy, security, and the equitable distribution of benefits. This has led to scepticism and questions about whether the CitiVerse will become another overhyped trend or if it truly represents a significant leap forward. Therefore, it is crucial to acknowledge the lessons learned from previous digital transformations and approach CitiVerse development with a critical yet optimistic perspective.

A holographic urban environment where city planners interact with data

4. Lessons learnt?

The FGMV Report on Building a People-Centred CitiVerse highlights that the limited success of such projects often stems from a top-down approach that lacks adequate participation from residents (Building a People-Centred CitiVerse, Section 6.1). Many smart city initiatives have been primarily driven by the objectives of tech companies rather than the actual needs of urban communities. Successful urban planning requires specialised knowledge of the local context, a robust framework for data governance – including data collection, sharing, and use – and active public participation (Clark, 2021). Considering the CitiVerse Initiative’s three pillars and its people-centric approach, it appears to address past shortcomings and guide the CitiVerse toward a more promising direction.

Another key challenge that the CitiVerse Initiative seeks to overcome is the narrow focus of previous projects on solving only sectoral problems. The advent of technologies such as AI, IoT, blockchain, language technologies, digital twins, and virtual or mixed reality offers the potential to move beyond this sectoral approach. In particular, digital twins hold great potential for the development of the CitiVerse (Building a People-Centred CitiVerse, Section 6.2).

5. U4SSC: The future started yesterday

The foundation for this evolutionary development of smart cities within the UN system goes back to 2016, when the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) Initiative. Supported by various UN organisations, the U4SSC initiative serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing and partnerships to help cities achieve the SDGs. U4SSC provides a globally recognised framework upon which the CitiVerse Initiative can build.

U4SSC promotes a holistic, people-centred approach to smart city development, incorporating social, economic, and environmental factors within a globally recognised framework. This is particularly crucial for CitiVerse initiatives, as it enables comparisons, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration between cities worldwide. By adopting U4SSC key performance indicators (KPIs), CitiVerse projects can align with a global network dedicated to sustainable urban development.

A high-tech smart city with AI-powered monitoring

6. A reminder: No cherry-picking

At this point, it is important to follow the guidance of the ITU Focus Group on the Metaverse (FG-MV) titled Building a People-Centred CitiVerse. Part 1 of the legal framework reminds us of the purpose of standardised processes to achieve the SDGs. They are needed to ensure that no country is cherry-picking goals but instead works on all three dimensions (environmental, economic, and social) of sustainable development in coherence with the UN’s agenda (Building a People-Centred CitiVerse 18, 11).

Standards provide 1) a common language to measure and evaluate performance, 2) make interoperability of components made by different companies possible, and 3) protect consumers by ensuring safety, durability, and market equity. (Building a People-Centred CitiVerse 18, 10)

Such a coherent, holistic approach is a difficult task, considering the CitiVerse’s complexity, the development pace, and the potential scale of effects of underlying emerging technologies.

7. Dynamic Policy Maturity Benchmark Model

Following the UN Summit of the Future, the U4SSC published reports in 2024 to advance sustainable digital transformation, including the Dynamic Policy Maturity Benchmark Model (Policy Benchmarks for Digital Transformation of People-Centred Cities). This model provides guidance on policy and regulatory frameworks to support smart, sustainable, and people-centric development.

A visual representation of structured digital governance

The model addresses the need for a standardised, structured, dynamic, and iterative approach to policymaking due to the rapid evolution of emerging technology in the digital age. Policies must be continuously evaluated and updated (iterative) and remain flexible enough to adapt to new information and changing circumstances (dynamic). This process involves critically assessing the impact of technological advancements on communities, services, and ecosystems to ensure policies remain relevant and effective.

A) How the model works

This dynamic policy benchmarking model assesses the impact of digital innovation on policy. To create a continuous cycle of improvement, ensuring policies adapt to ongoing digital transformation, the model follows five steps:

Identify digital innovation: The process begins by identifying a new digital innovation or emerging technology that could have an impact on the urban ecosystem. For example, a city might identify the introduction of autonomous vehicles as a new technology that could significantly impact urban mobility and transportation planning.
Assess impact: The technology’s impact on the city is evaluated in terms of its implications within the boundaries of equity, human rights, inclusion, participation, sustainability, and net-zero goals. For instance, the city would assess how autonomous vehicles could affect accessibility for people with disabilities, job security for transportation workers, and the city’s overall carbon footprint.
Benchmark against existing policies: The technology or innovation is then benchmarked against existing policies to determine whether they adequately address its implications. In the case of autonomous vehicles, the city would review policies related to traffic regulations, public transportation, and urban planning to see if they are sufficient to manage the introduction of this technology.
Adjust policies: If the existing policies are found to be inadequate, they are adjusted, or new policies are introduced to better align with the city’s values and objectives. For autonomous vehicles, this could involve updating traffic laws to accommodate self-driving cars, creating new regulations for the safety and testing of autonomous vehicles, or adjusting public transportation routes to integrate with autonomous vehicle networks.
Iterate: The process is repeated as new technologies and innovations emerge, ensuring that policies remain relevant and effective in the face of rapid digital transformation. The city would continue to monitor the impact of autonomous vehicles and make further adjustments to its policies as needed to ensure they are meeting the city’s goals for a people-centred, sustainable, and inclusive urban environment.

3 Policy Maturity Level 1 to Level 5 U4SCC — Policy Maturity Level 1 to Level 5 U4SCC

B) Levels of maturity

The model includes five levels of policy maturity, ranging from basic policy awareness to fully sustainable policies, each with specific characteristics and requirements. By continuously assessing and updating policies, the model ensures they remain relevant and effective in the face of rapid technological advancements (Policy Benchmarks for Digital Transformation of People-Centred Cities, p. 18).

Characteristics of Level 1 to 5 Policy Maturity Level U4SCC

8. Beyond the sandbox: The UN’s commitment to harnessing technology

The Dynamic Policy Maturity Benchmark Model represents a significant shift from experimentation within a controlled sandbox environment to the active, purpose-driven utilisation of emerging technologies in the real world. This is the essence of ‘harnessing’ – a conscious recognition and commitment to the profound transformative potential of these technologies. Establishing a continuous cycle and a loop system ensures that technology is grounded in reality. This transition from concept to application extends beyond individual technologies to broader frameworks such as digital twins, the CitiVerse, and ultimately, the metaverse.

This fundamental shift aligns with UN 2.0’s call to action. The U4SSC Initiative is currently categorised under data and innovation within the UN 2.0 Quintet of Change framework. The true test of its impact will be whether it fosters a symbiotic relationship within this socio-technical transformation and successfully accelerates progress toward the SDGs.

A global network of cities interconnected through digital infrastructure

9. Conclusion of Part 2

In summary, the CitiVerse Initiative represents the next evolutionary step in urban development, leveraging the metaverse to create interconnected and sustainable virtual environments. By addressing the challenges and opportunities of urban spaces, CitiVerse aims to foster a people-centred approach grounded in equity, human rights, inclusion, participation, sustainability, and net-zero goals.

The Dynamic Policy Maturity Benchmark Model exemplifies the transition from a cautious sandbox approach to a proactive strategy that harnesses emerging technologies for real-world impact. This strategic shift signifies a deeper recognition of technology’s transformative potential and a commitment to responsible innovation within the UN 2.0 framework. Ultimately, it is a calculated risk that global leaders have agreed to take through the Pact for the Future (see Part 1) to accelerate progress toward the SDGs and build a better world for all.

10. Next up: Readiness on the spectrum

Ready or not, here it comes. In Part 3, we will revisit UN Virtual Worlds Day and take a closer look at the metaverse readiness landscape across states and regions. We’ll explore the Metaverse Inclusivity Index as benchmarking tool for assessing tech-driven progress and ensuring inclusive digital transformation.

11. Small steps – big impact

Transformation starts with small steps that solve actual problems.

The problem: The Focus Group Metaverse has produced 52 Technical Reports, along with transcripts from UN Virtual Worlds Day and numerous other key documents—an overwhelming amount of information to read and process.

Our Solution: We have created a dedicated DiploAI Assistant for UN Virtual Worlds to make our readers’ lives easier. If you have any questions, just ask our DiploAI Assistant for quick and reliable insights.

Please don’t forget to provide feedback to help us improve the assistant – an emerging tool designed to make life easier for everyone.

Follow this link to access Diplo’s AI assistant. If you would like to explore other topics in greater depth, please visit our general DiploAI Assistant on our webpage.

A_contrast_between_sandbox_experimentation_and_rea

12. A brief taxonomy

To ensure clarity about the meaning of the terminology, please find below a short collection of definitions for the new terminology used in the underlying reports.

Digital twin: A digital representation of an object of interest. NOTE – A digital twin may require different capabilities (e.g., synchronization, real-time support) according to the specific domain of application.

Internet of things (IoT): As a global infrastructure for the information society, enabling advanced services by interconnecting (physical and virtual) things based on existing and evolving interoperable information and communication technologies. IoT sensors can be used to collect data for the creation of a digital twin system.

Virtual reality (VR): Refers to an immersive environment with simulation of scenarios, processes and objects that appear in real-life. VR forms the basis for the visualization of digital twins.

Augmented reality (AR): The real-time use of information in the form of text, graphics, audio and other virtual enhancements integrated with real-world objects. It is the. ‘real world’ element that differentiates AR from virtual reality. AR integrates and adds value to the user’s interaction with the real world, versus a simulation.

Extended reality (XR): An umbrella term used to encompass immersive technologies like virtual reality, and augmented reality (AR) that can merge the physical and virtual worlds. (Building a People-Centred CitiVerse, Section 7.1).

A smart sustainable city: An innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental, as well as cultural aspects.

NOTE: City competitiveness refers to policies, institutions, strategies and processes that determine the city’s sustainable productivity. (Building a People-Centred CitiVerse, Section 3.1).