"The Smart & Sustainable City Forum" is one of the key events of the Kaohsiung Smart City Forum and Exhibition. Since its inception in 2017, it has received widespread attention, aiming to facilitate the exchange and cooperation of smart solutions in energy management, green finance, circular economy, nature-based solutions, climate adaptation, and sustainable transportation among urban representatives, industry leaders, and academia from Taiwan and around the world to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Organized by the Kaohsiung City Government, Kaohsiung Smart City Project Office, SCSE, ICLEI East Asia Secretariat, and International Climate Development Institute, the "2023 Kaohsiung Smart and Sustainable City Summit" will also be jointly held with ICLEI's 10th anniversary member meeting in Taiwan.

In addition to the representatives of the three major international sustainable smart city leadership organizations: ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, CityNet, and the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), many senior representatives of international cities have been invited to participate in the summit to engage in dialogue and exchange experiences on the development of smart applications at the city level. The summit will also be divided into two sub-sessions, "Smart City Digital Transformation" and "Sustainable City Zero Net Transformation," in line with the theme of the 2023 Smart City Exhibition.

In order to echo the two global initiatives of "Cities Race to Zero" and "Cities Race to Resilience," the organizers hope to lead cities to shift their focus from setting goals and displaying ambitions for sustainable development to launching policy implementation and transformative action plans. Key funding and fiscal support will be highlighted, with a special invitation to a representative from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's Sustainable Infrastructure Policy Department to share the institution's investment policy focus and international trends on green city infrastructure.

The organizers sincerely invite cities, businesses, and experts and scholars from around the world to participate in person and share their experiences in the digital and zero net transformation of cities and the promotion of climate resilience actions.