Dubai Expo 2020 preparations hit top gear

The next World Expo will answer global calls for optimism, and demonstrate how human brilliance can create a better future.

That's the message to almost 1,000 delegates attending the fourth International Participants Meeting organised by Expo 2020 Dubai.

Delegates to the latest IPM – taking place from November 29-30 – are hearing how Expo 2020 will be an international platform for collaboration that will explore and encourage innovative solutions to today’s globally-shared challenges.

The Global Optimism Outlook Survey, commissioned by Expo 2020 Dubai, and conducted by YouGov, found earlier this year that people of all backgrounds, in countries around the world, were united in calling for more open dialogue, communication and collaboration between individuals and communities.

Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, said: "Next year, Dubai and the UAE will bring the world together for a World Expo that champions collaboration, and sets out to create an open global dialogue that allows us to look towards the future with renewed optimism. Across our planet, individuals, organisations and nations are tackling collective challenges and applying human brilliance to overcome them; and the best of that will be showcased here at Expo 2020.

"The part played by our international participants in delivering this showcase is critical. Each and every one of the 192 countries taking part has unique insights, experience and innovative ideas that have a part to play in creating a better future. Gathering 1,000 representatives here in Dubai for this International Participants Meeting reflects the shared sense of commitment to collaboration, open dialogue and optimism that Expo 2020 Dubai embodies."

With less than 11 months until doors open, international participants are also receiving the latest updates on the delivery of The World’s Greatest Show, with construction on track and Expo’s entertainment and business programme, covering top-class architecture, tech, culture, art, food, music and creativity from around the planet, coming to life.

In a World Expo first, each of the 192 participating nations will have its own pavilion – a dedicated space to showcase the best of its culture and traditions, and enabling visitors to discover the greatest inventions and future technology from around the world, such as super-fast 5G connectivity, the world’s largest lift and vertical farming.

They will join multilateral organisations, educational establishments and businesses in a six-month celebration of human brilliance and achievement that will create a mega-platform for showcasing ideas, cementing the UAE’s position as a regional gateway for countries and organisations to access new markets and forge new links.

Vicente G Loscertales, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the governing body of World Expos, said: "The ambition of Expo 2020 Dubai to welcome all countries in the world to collectively celebrate human progress is remarkable. This two-day meeting will take us through some of the final aspects of preparation and implementation to deliver this transformative event.

"Coming less than a year before the Expo opens in October for a six-month celebration that will bring together nations, showcase solutions, exchange ideas and promote cultural discovery, this IPM is particularly significant. We are looking forward to hearing the contributions that Expo 2020 Dubai and International Participants from all over the planet will be making towards this global opportunity to help shape our future, together."

With a predicted 25 million visits, and with 70 per cent of visitors expected to come from outside the UAE, Expo 2020 will inspire lasting change, amplifying important messages on issues that resonate around the world.

The fourth IPM is attended by government officials, country delegates, commercial partners, BIE representatives and members of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee.

Organised in collaboration with the BIE, IPMs are held at regular intervals on the journey to the next World Expo to update participants on Expo 2020 Dubai’s progress and plans, and to inform them of opportunities related to their participation. The inaugural meeting took place in 2016.