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28 March 2024

UAE submits final bid for Expo 2020

Published
By Wam

Mohamed Meer Abdalla Al Raeesi, the UAE's Ambassador to France, has submitted the country's official Bid Dossier in support of its bid to host World Expo 2020 to the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental body in charge of overseeing the bidding, selection and organisation of World Expos.

Taking 10 months to produce, the 600-page document contains the details of the UAE's vision for the 2020 World Expo. It discusses the Dubai Expo 2020 theme as well as plans for the Dubai Expo 2020 Site, event visitors, promotion, financial costs, environmental impact and ideas about the legacy to the host city and beyond.

The Bid Dossier will be sent to representatives of all 161 member countries of the BIE.

The five competing cities were required to submit their plans to the BIE by Monday's deadline and are now not allowed to make any further submission. BIE officials will review the Bid Dossiers in detail before visiting each country to assess the plans.

Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State and Managing Director of the Higher Committee for Hosting the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, said: "We have prepared a distinctive dossier to convey an authentic portrait of our Nation and its vision to deliver an unforgettable World Expo in the UAE. In line with our theme - Connecting Minds, Creating the Future - Dubai Expo 2020 aspires to be a celebration of innovative new partnerships offering enduring benefits for future generations. I am confident that the Bid Dossier is a thorough piece of work and a deep portrayal of our capability to host such a mega-event on the eve of our 50th anniversary."

Dubai, UAE, is competing against four other candidate cities bidding to host the 2020 World Expo, including Ayutthaya (Thailand); Ekaterinburg (Russia); Izmir (Turkey); and Sao Paulo (Brazil).

The winning city will be announced in November 2013 following a vote by the 161 member nations of the BIE.

UAE hopes to obtain Africa's support for Expo 2020 bid

The Emirate of Dubai hopes to obtain the support of the Africa counties for its application in order to organise Expo 2020, said Mrs. Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State and Managing Director of Dubai Expo 2020 Executive Bid Committee.

"We have a special and very old relationship with African countries and we want Africans to see this exhibition as their own. This is the main message I want to send the Africans," said Ms. Reem Al Hashamy at a press conference in Abu Dhabi before invited journalists in the context of festivities celebrating the 41st anniversary of the Unity Day of the UAE.

In this battle between the candidate cities of Izmir (Turkey), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Ayutthaya (Thailand) and Ekaterinburg (Russia), she said she visited several countries in Arica to gain support for the application.

"I think the chances of each candidate city are equal, but I am confident as ever the Expo will be held in this part of the world which includes the region of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. We want this exposition to be truly universal,'' Mrs Reem said as quoted by the Pan-African News Agency (PANA) in a report by Brahim Moussa Wallia, who is among a group of journalists invited by the National Media Council on the occasion the UAE's 41st national day celebrations.

Presenting the advantages of Dubai, Ms. Al Hashamy highlighted the opening to Dubai which already hosts more than 200 different nationalities. The city has infrastructures and represents a place of business with extensive experience in the field of organization of international meetings.

But in the race to attract African voices at the time of voting, Dubai will have to compete with Turkey's candidacy of Izimir city. Turnkey is present already in Africa and has distinguished itself in recent years by a stronger presence in several African countries by increasing considerably the number of its embassies. Moreover, Turkey has a special relationship with many countries, through the organization of international meetings, construction of schools in African cities and the formation of African students its different universities.

Focusing on the theme "Connecting minds, Shaping the future," the candidature of Dubai to host Expo 2020 is yet entitled, among other advantages, to attract a spectacular number of visitors estimated at 50 million people, passing through its international airport and several thousands of hotel rooms.