Cristina Bueti is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focal Point on Environment and Smart Sustainable Cities. She is the Counsellor of ITU-T Study Group 20 “Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities and Communities (SC&C)”, where she further serves as the Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB/ITU) focal point for Latin America. Cristina Bueti graduated from the Faculty of Political Science, Law and International Cooperation and Development of the University of Florence, where she completed postgraduate studies in International Cooperation and Telecommunications Law in Europe. She also holds a specialization in Environmental Law with a special focus on Telecommunications. As a Counsellor at the ITU, she has been working on various projects related to virtual worlds and AI, IoT, and Smart Sustainable cities for over 20 years. Her role involves developing and promoting international standards for IoT, digital twins and smart cities, and contributing to the development of policies and strategies for these areas. She is passionate about leveraging technology to create positive social and environmental impacts. With extensive experience in digital transformation, corporate sustainability, and smart cities, Cristina has contributed to several initiatives and projects that aim to promote innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity in the tech industry. Her goal is to use her expertise and skills to help shape the future of technology and its applications in various sectors. UNU-EGOV: Could you walk us through your professional journey and share some of the key moments that led you to your current role as Counsellor on Smart Sustainable Cities, AI-enabled Citiverse & Virtual Worlds at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)? We can tell that everything started on the “wrong floor”… Cristina Bueti (CB): My professional journey has been guided by one conviction: technology has meaning only when it helps people and communities thrive. I joined ITU in 2004 with a simple dream: