Municipalities and Housing Ministry Wins Global Certificate for 'Balady Lens' at WSIS 2025

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing achieved a new international achievement by obtaining a certificate of excellence from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2025 in the E-government track for its technical innovation "Balady Lens,” during the annual ceremony held in Geneva, Switzerland. It was selected from hundreds of initiatives submitted from different countries.

 The certificate is one of the most prominent international awards overseen by the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU), recognizing innovative digital solutions that accelerate technological transformation and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 Balady Lens utilizes artificial-intelligence (AI) techniques to monitor visual distortion in cities, providing accurate field images and data that support the competent authorities in making immediate decisions to address the targeted sites, which positively reflects on improving the urban landscape and quality of life.

 The innovation managed to book its place among the top 360 projects out of 973 nominated projects from around the world, reflecting the qualitative progress made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in adopting modern technologies in government work.

 The achievement is an extension of the ministry's efforts to support digital transformation, enhance the international presence of national innovations, and build effective partnerships in the fields of technology and knowledge, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.