Connecting Local to Global… in NYC!
A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with over 20 representatives from New York City’s international community of Consulates General, UN Missions and trade missions for a global tech roundtable discussion my office co-hosted with the New York City Mayor’s Office of International Affairs.
The purpose was to convene NYC’s international community and provide an overview of how our City is leveraging technology to be a more responsive and equitable city, closing the digital divide, protecting digital rights and making sure that technological breakthroughs continue are born right here in NYC.
In many tech conversations with my global peers, I’ve realized that what we’re focused on in NYC (e.g., ubiquitous internet access for all New Yorkers and how to use technology and sensors to free up traffic congestion or manage waste) — are conversations also happening in other places around the world, like Dubai, Barcelona and London.
When I shared this with Penny Abeywardena, Mayor’s Office for International Affairs Commissioner, she told me about her Connecting Local to Global Roundtable series which is designed to connect the consular community to NYC. She proposed we leverage the roundtable to engage the consuls on tech. A great idea for a couple of reasons: to learn about how tech is helping address common issues and challenges and because I wanted to know if what I suspected was true: our City’s challenges were likely international challenges as well.

At the event, Penny spoke about NYC’s leadership in tackling global issues and why cities worldwide are at the helm of harnessing technology solutions to address civic challenges. She noted that creating a more equitable city is the driver behind NYC Mayor de Blasio’s vision, and technology can be a powerful tool in that effort — if used wisely and thoughtfully.

I presented on the Mayor’s vision to further enhance New York City as innovative, tech-friendly and equitable, and how NYC’s bold leadership is using technology to approach a few specific areas:
· Internet connectivity for all
· Becoming a smarter city
· Digital service delivery, and
· Industry engagement
The other piece, of course, is international engagement.

NYC regularly meets with foreign delegations and has hosted conferences related to smart cities and the sharing economy. Additionally, I co-founded the Council of Global City CIOs to educate and share information on new technologies and policies.
This roundtable was a natural extension of these efforts. What happened was a lively discussion that highlighted some common themes:
1. Digitizing government is essential to bringing government to people who need it most.
2. Cities can be a technology driver and can participate in the development of new technologies and harness the benefits in real time.
4. Tech talent is paramount — we need people to do the work so we must invest in ensuring access to education and fair competition in the tech job market.
5. International civic engagement is crucial to a city like NYC. Through this type of engagement, we can exchange knowledge, best practices and shared understanding of how technology can address civic issues.
My message at that meeting and right now is that cities from around the world can and should work together on common initiatives, share information and partner on common goals that evolve local governments for the benefit of our global public.
I‘ve often said — the super power of the public sector is our ability to share and learn from each other. On an international level, this sentiment is no different.

What I suspected was true all along: our City is not alone in our challenges and we have an opportunity to connect and learn from our global peers. So we’re leaning-in to international engagement.
This is an open invitation our international peers facing civic challenges that tech may address: reach out and connect with me and our NYC team.
