One year to go for Expo Dubai
The countdown to the start of the Expo 2020 Dubai begins in the UAE's Dubai enclave. From October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the first World Expo will be held in the Middle East region.
A few months ago, the news was announced that this major international event, which was to take place this year, had been postponed due to the coronavirus health crisis that has hit the whole world. Because of this scourge, the Emirates authorities postponed the event until 2021 (although maintaining 2020 in the name of the event) and everything is still going on with a great deal of work carried out by all the parties involved. In May this year, the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) officially approved the one-year postponement of the world event. The participating countries had requested the postponement in order to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the member states unanimously accepted Dubai's request to maintain the name 'Expo 2020 Dubai'. More than 210 million working hours have been invested so far in a site that will host more than 190 participating countries confirming attendance.
Although there is still a year to go before the opening, there is already a long way to go in terms of preparatory work at the exhibition site near Al-Maktoum International Airport in southern Dubai. Reem al-Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of the Expo 2020 Office in Dubai, said that in the coming weeks the team will begin to share new details and ideas on space, health, welfare, travel and connectivity, among other issues.
"Our leadership has spared no effort, guided us, and provided all resources to ensure that our World Expo will be a true expression of the UAE's values," said Al-Hashemy. “Our World Expo has a mission to inspire hope, and in the coming weeks we will begin to share new details and ideas about space, health and wellness, travel and connectivity and other subjects that sit at the heart of this Expo,”said the Minister, who expressed her gratitude for the work done: “As we mark a year to go until we open, I want to thank all those who work so hard and so passionately to deliver an exceptional Expo. The journey has been worth it, and in 365 days we will share our excitement and our passion with millions".
Over 210 million hours of work have been completed to date. An effort that has focused on 2020 on the landscaping and fitting out of the buildings owned by the Expo, and on the construction of field pavilions, which will be completed by the end of the year. The first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region runs from October 1st next year until March 31st, 2022, and will bring together more than 190 countries to explore new ideas, form new connections and collectively tackle some of the greatest global challenges of our time, all in keeping with Expo Dubai 2020's main theme of 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future', which aims to promote global cooperation to address and solve global challenges by promoting the development of innovative technologies. Everything will revolve around the three main pillars of the world fair: Sustainability, Opportunity and Mobility.
