New dates for Dubai Expo announced officially

Dubai has announced a new date for the mega Expo event from 1st Oct 2021 to 31st March 2022. This was after  two-thirds majority of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Member States voted in favour of postponing the next World Expo by one year.

A press statement by the Dubai Media office said that BIE members approved  the dealy of  Expo 2020  as ‘right and responsible’ decision . This delay will  allow all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19. It also allows the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said: “We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay of Expo 2020 Dubai by one year. We are thankful to Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed.

Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, said: “I applaud the swift response by BIE Member States. Their support for the postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai - which will be formally approved on 29 May - is a renewed sign of solidarity and



demonstrates the shared will to work together in 'creating the future'.”

“In their support for the one-year postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai, Member States of the BIE are giving the world the opportunity to reconvene in 2021, when together, we can address the challenges facing humanity and celebrate the unity and solidarity that strengthen us. With its theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 Dubai will offer the world a unique platform to share the lessons, solutions and ideas for a better tomorrow.”

Expo 2020 Dubai retains its name and remains committed to hosting an exceptional event that will celebrate humanity’s resilience, creativity, culture and innovation - including major technological advances in the fields of medicine and science.

The first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and largest ever event to take place in the Arab world, Expo 2020 will welcome 192 countries, plus businesses, multilateral organisations and educational establishments.

India is also expected to participate in a major way in the Expo. India is one of the countries, which has been awarded to make and retain a permanent structure at the Expo site. The work of the building was inaugurated by Minister Piyush Goyal during his visit to Dubai  in September 2019.