Expo Dubai 2020 works to protect the natural world

Expo Dubai 2020, DP World and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) are taking global action to promote the conservation of animals and natural habitats to help safeguard planet Earth. 

With more than 190 countries participating and millions expected to visit from around the globe, Dubai World Expo 2020, which runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 (following the forced postponement of the coronavirus pandemic), is cooperating in ZSL's global efforts to protect wildlife, combining the international scientific and conservation expertise of the London-based organisation.  

Working with DP World, ZSL will help co-curate Expo 2020’s ‘Conservation for Hope’ programme – an event-time initiative focusing on wildlife and ecosystem conservation and restoration as a means to ensure environmental sustainability and the safeguarding of our planet.

With this shared mission, the alliance cuts across many of Expo’s key themed weeks that will explore collaborative solutions to pressing issues, including the Global Goals, and Climate and Biodiversity.

Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, said, "Our alliance with ZSL recognises the need for meaningful, collaborative action to address the looming threats of climate change and human encroachment – helping humanity to become more aware of our connection to wildlife and the natural world". "Its global work on animal and habitat conservation will help shape our thought-provoking content and conversations … engaging our 200-plus international participants and millions of visitors on the greatest climate and biodiversity-related challenges of our time to create a lasting legacy of global environmental conservation for decades to come,” said Al-Hashemy. 

The initiative was announced ahead of Expo’s Climate and Biodiversity Week, a digital, public event taking place on 20-21 October 2020, and delivered in partnership with DP World. Representatives from all three will take part in a panel discussion on the ‘Conversation for Hope’ programme during the event.

Dominic Jermey CVO OBE, Director-General, Zoological Society of London, said, "The current global health crisis has highlighted the fragility of the human existence and what happens through our over-exploitation of nature. It is part of a broader crisis caused by the worsening loss of biodiversity and the impacts of climate breakdown. We know that only through major systemic change can we change the course of wildlife loss". "This partnership is an important opportunity to feed into the global debate on how such systemic changes can be made to enable both people and wildlife to thrive once more. By combining our efforts, we seek to more effectively preserve the richness and wonder of the natural world – raising awareness among millions worldwide and inspiring meaningful, tangible action to help roll back biodiversity loss, strengthen species conservation and develop pathways for the symbiotic human-animal relationship to flourish within a resilient ecosystem," added Jermey, as reported by the Emirates' WAM news agency.  

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said, "Living in balance with the Earth and its resources is fundamental to the future for us all. This initiative builds on DP World’s efforts to incentivise global action to repair our planet and ensure its health for generations to come – evidenced recently when we became a Global Alliance Founding Partner, alongside Expo 2020 Dubai, of ‘The Earthshot Prize’, the most ambitious environmental prize in history."

This global goal of environmental protection ties in with the challenges of the Dubai World Expo 2020, based on global collaboration to improve the future of humanity. Expo Dubai 2020 will be the first Universal Exposition to be held in the MEASA area (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) and will bring together more than 190 countries to explore new ideas, form new connections and collectively tackle some of the greatest global challenges; being faithful to the main slogan of Expo Dubai 2020 which is 'Connecting minds, creating the future'; all aimed at promoting world cooperation to face and solve global challenges by promoting the development of the most innovative technologies. Everything will revolve around the three main pillars of the world fair: Sustainability, Opportunity and Mobility.