Expo 2020, participating countries show strong progress on path towards global event

Expo 2020 Dubai and its participating countries are making sound progress with preparations for the global event, slated to begin on October 1, 2021.

Organisers, members of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee and BIE representatives, plus participants, commercial partners and government officials from around the world, are convening virtually from August 24-27 for the fifth Expo 2020 International Participants Meeting (IPM).

The virtual meeting will consist of discussions covering updates on site operations, facilities management, events and programming calendar, and content related to marketing, communications and media services.

Expo 2020’s response to the current global health crisis has enabled progress to continue. Following the completion of Expo-led construction at the end of 2019, work this year has focused on landscaping the site and fitting out the Expo-owned buildings. Preparations for the country pavilions also continue.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said: “The agility and responsiveness of Dubai and the UAE has been instrumental in the swift re-opening of the country’s tourism sector. Coupled with its infrastructure and facilities, including airlines and hotels, Dubai has emerged quickly from what has been a challenging period for the whole world.

“The Expo 2020 theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ that has guided our preparations reflects this and is now more relevant than ever. Expo 2020 and its hundreds of participants will highlight the importance of international collaboration and cooperation to help contribute to global progress.”

Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member and UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “I am delighted and inspired by the resolve of the Expo community to push forward in the delivery of this important event. I am proud of the passion and diligence of my fellow Commissioners General, and I am excited by the potential of our collective efforts to learn, to grow, and to fulfil the mandate of our nations, and of the World Expo itself.”

“Dubai and the UAE along with all participating countries have continued to make remarkable progress towards delivering the next World Expo despite the impact and challenges of a global pandemic. Over the coming days, organisers and participants will exchange closely to ensure that Expo 2020 is an exceptional event, reminding us of the unlimited opportunities that are made possible when we come together as one,” noted Dimitri Kerkentzes, secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the governing body of World Expos.

Every country will contribute to Expo 2020’s events programme, while Expo 2020 has continued to develop its specialist programming, which will highlight some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including climate change, health and wellness, inequality and environmental degradation.

Expo 2020 Dubai has been postponed by a year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and will now run from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Read: Expo 2020 Dubai to be held from October 1, 2021

The event will coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the founding of the UAE.

Also read: Expo 2020 Dubai appoints China’s Terminus as official robotics partner