“As we reflect on our achievements in 2023, I am proud and grateful for the progress we have made in the field of digital transformation, smart cities, and the metaverse. The commitment of ITU towards empowering sustainable smart cities and communities, through the power of interoperable international standards, has been unwavering and is evident in our numerous initiatives throughout the year. The Digital Transformation webinar series, digest, toolkit, and resource hub have played crucial roles in this achievement. Similarly, the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative continues to support digital transformation of cities and communities, making them more efficient, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of their inhabitants. Finally, I want to commend the great achievements of the ITU Focus Group on metaverse, which in its first year achieved remarkable results on its path to develop a metaverse standardization roadmap.”