The Expo 2020 Dubai has opened its door to visitors from all over the world to the largest global gathering which will feature architectural wonders and a long array of technologically innovative pavilions showcasing the ingenuity of more than 190 countries.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, officially opened the first World Expo in the Middle East. The opening ceremony was streamed live to more than 430 locations across the UAE. Visitors started arriving on October 1 at the expo site for the first of 182 days of educational discoveries, cultural encounters and immersive experiences under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.
Ms. Reem Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, said, ”Expo 2020 Dubai provides us with an ideal opportunity to present the UAE’s authentic Emirati heritage, values and ancient traditions.” She added that during the next 182 days, the UAE would utilize the global event to highlight its role in the international scene.
Expo 2020 Dubai provides a great opportunity for tens of millions of people to reconnect with the rest of the world, fully engage with important global issues, and demonstrate innovative and cutting-edge solutions to global concerns. The event is expected to be a game-changing event, forging new alliances and building deep and meaningful relationships that will improve the world.
Secretary-General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Mr. Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, explained that the world is coming together for the first time since the pandemic began, to connect, to exchange and to learn on this extraordinary global stage. The time has now come to open Expo 2020 Dubai, an Expo that marks the era, that plays a defining role in the global recovery, and that contributes to a better future.
Ms. Somaya Al Ali, Director of Local Government Relations at Expo, expressed the UAE’s profound pride to host such a high-profile international show for the first time in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.
Expo 2020 had revealed the six-month calendar for its “Program for People and Planet”, harnessing the connecting powers of World Expos, nations around the world and the UAE to catalyze a legacy of transformative change. Designed with and for the global community, the Program for People and Planet addresses the most critical challenges and opportunities we face as a world today, said Ms. Hind Alboom, Manager of Participant Content Design and Development, Director-General’s Office at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The event which will last until March 31st, 2022 with great visual beauty and culinary tastes also offer a long list of business, trade and investment opportunities for those who strive to expand their creative ideas.
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