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DUBAI / WAM
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, on Wednesday visited the ‘50 Years of Expo: Participant to Host’ exhibition that tells the story of the UAE’s extensive history of participation in World Expos, in the lead up to Expo 2020 Dubai. The showcase was
unveiled at The Boulevard, Emirates Towers.
Accompanying His Highness on his visit were HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Expo 2020, and Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy.
The highlight of the UAE’s participation in World Expos was the speech of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at Expo 1970 in Osaka – 48 years ago – as the then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Taking place just ahead of the establishment of the Union, this was the country’s first participation in a World Expo. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, who was received upon his arrival by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, praised the idea of the exhibition. He said Expo 2020 Dubai will serve as a platform for innovators to exchange ideas and explore new development strategies for creating a better future for mankind. Sheikh Hamdan said that the event underscores the UAE’s keenness to promote a meaningful global dialogue to develop innovative solutions for current and future challenges.
The ‘50 Years of Expo: Participant to Host’ exhibition will run until October 4 at the Emirates Towers before continuously touring the country as part of the celebrations leading up to Expo 2020. The exhibition takes visitors on a semi-centennial journey that starts with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi’s participation in the Osaka World Expo in 1970, prior to the formation of the UAE. It also includes the milestone moment when, in 2013, Dubai won the right to host Expo 2020, and concludes with the UAE’s participation at the most recent World Expo in Milan in 2015. The UAE has participated in each World Expo since the Osaka World Expo in 1970, and the ‘50 Years of Expo: Participant to Host’ exhibition showcases the nation’s presence and contribution.
Expo 2020, the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, MEASA, region, will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021. It is expected to attract 25 million visitors, with an unprecedented 70 per cent of visitors projected to come from outside the UAE – the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
Expo 2020 aims to be one of the most inclusive World Expos in history. Each of the 180 participating countries will have their own pavilion – a first for World Expos. The theme of Expo 2020, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, underscored by the three key subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, emphasises the need for collaboration to address global challenges and common goals.