His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has continued his visit to Expo Milano 2015 for the second day in a row. He toured a number of pavilions participating in the World Expo which attracts more than 100,000 visitors a day from different regions of the world.

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Sheikh Mohammed began his second tour of the Expo after he was received by Giuseppe Sala, Commissioner for Expo Milano 2015, who accompanied him during a tour inside Pavilion Zero, which was designed and built from sustainable wood sources, and focuses its content on the eating habits of different peoples all over the world.

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Sheikh Mohammed then moved to the pavilion of Belgium, named ‘The Future Tunnel.’ In the pavilion, Sheikh Mohammed viewed a model of a Belgian garden planted with various kinds of trees and plants.

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The South Korean pavilion was the third leg of Sheikh Mohammed’s tour, which tells about the food habits and culture of the Korean people, which relies on vegetarian foods, moving away from the white and red meats that, according to Korean Culture, affect human health negatively.

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In the Coffee and Chocolate Pavilion, in which 79 countries are participating, Sheikh Mohammed was briefed on the coffee types spread all over the world.

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In the Italian Pavilion, which is known for its design reflecting modern Italian civilisation, Sheikh Mohammed experienced an exhibit representing the epitome of the pride of the Italian people in their civilisation and its fundamental role in the development of world civilisations.

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The last leg of his tour was in the German pavilion, which displays German agricultural products and demonstrates its focus on modern agriculture, water and food security for its people.

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Sheikh Mohammed expressed satisfaction with the visit, praising Expo Milano 2015's theme ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’ as food sources and agricultural land around the world are vulnerable to destruction before the advance of civilisation, causing the loss of large areas of agricultural land in favour of construction and the establishment of housing and industrial cities.

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Sheikh Mohammed called on the chairman and members of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Preparatory Committee to benefit from the experiences of others and learn from their mistakes, to “dazzle the world with our culture and our excellence, to be the first of its kind in the history of Expos in terms of the preparation, organisation, management and hospitality and respect for its guests.” The Expo will be held under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.’

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Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Emirates Group, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Preparatory Committee, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Managing Director and Director-General of Bureau Dubai Expo 2020, Lt. General Musabbah bin Rashid Al Fattan, Director of the Office of the Vice-President, Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director-General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai, and Saqr Nasser Al Raisi, UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Italy.

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Mohammed visits UAE pavilion at Expo Milano

Earlier,  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Wednesday visited Expo Milano 2015, which is being hosted by the Italian city and will run until early November.

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Sheikh Mohammed toured the exhibition in which 121 countries are participating, including the UAE.

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Sheikh Mohammed visited the UAE's pavilion where a number of national institutions are participating to promote the country's achievements in various sectors. Among the pavilions that he visited were Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Dubai Municipality, the Department of Economic Development in Dubai, and Etisalat. 

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The National Media Council (NMC) has overseen the organisation of the many government and semi-government pavilions participating in the exhibition.

'Creating value key aim of Expo Dubai'

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Preparatory Higher Committee, has said that implementing a strong legacy strategy that will benefit both participants and the local economy is a key component of Dubai’s Expo 2020 preparations.

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Sheikh Ahmed told the global publishing, research and consultancy firm, Oxford Business Group, OBG, that thinking past Expo 2020 Dubai and going "beyond the physical assets being developed onsite" had been a focus, back even when the emirate made its initial bid to host the world fair.

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"Investment from countries and corporations in their Expo participation is often significant, and it is critical that we provide an after-use plan for some of their assets where possible," he said.

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The chairman said that legacy plans currently under consideration were aimed at creating value for both participants and the local economy. "For example, by keeping pavilion structures on the Expo site or moving them to a different part of the city, region or world, we can create a lasting platform of the shared experiences, connections and partnerships that have developed through Dubai Expo 2020," he said.

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The full interview with Sheikh Ahmed appears in The Report: Dubai 2015, OBG’s latest report on the emirate’s economy.

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Dubai’s preparations for Expo 2020 are gathering momentum. Last month saw the emirate launch a business engagement programme aimed at encouraging regional and global enterprises to invest in the Expo, while a business procurement portal and a commercial sponsorship programme have also been rolled out.

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The government is targeting 25 million visitors, including 17 million from overseas, for the World Fair, Sheikh Ahmed told OBG. Organisers expect Dubai Expo 2020 to yield economic benefits of around $18.7 billion by 2021, creating approximately 275,000 jobs in the run-up. Analysts, meanwhile, calculate that the fair will require some $8 billion in investment.

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Sheikh Ahmed said that infrastructure had a key role to play in helping the Expo reach its potential. "We now have two airports on offer, a new regional railway system will be in place, and the UAE will continue to serve as a significant port of call for international shipping and logistics," he said.

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He told OBG that energising research and innovation in the main thematic areas of the Expo dovetailed with the objectives mapped out in Dubai’s master plan. Dubai Expo 2020, he explained, was expected to act as a driver for the emirate’s educational and cultural outreach agenda, providing knowledge-creation platforms and encouraging theme-led research and innovation.

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Officials are confident that the Expo will help Dubai make the transition toward a knowledge-based economy. It should, they add, also provide a forum at which regional issues, such as water shortages and job creation, can be explored and addressed. The 2020 expo in Dubai marks the first time the world fair will be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region.

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