Expo 2020 Dubai will be held in 2021 after a move to postpone the world showcase was backed by a two-thirds majority of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) member states.
The global mega event will now run from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.
A request by the UAE for the expo to be postponed was approved by the BIE executive committee last month and put to members for a vote, which was conducted remotely in light of the Covid-19 restrictions.
Voting opened on April 24 and was set to run until May 29, but within two weeks, the two-thirds majority had been achieved.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said: “We have sought to build over the last 50 years bridges, connections, and partnerships around the world because we believe in genuine collaboration to safeguard the future of all. This swift and overwhelming vote reflects the strength of our international partnerships and truly reflects the positive role the UAE and Dubai play with all countries around the world.
“This affirmation by the international community of Dubai’s offering and its ability to deliver, further strengthens our commitment to matching ambition with achievement to hosting an event that will capture the world’s imagination, when the time is right.”
A request for the event to retain its official title as Expo 2020 Dubai, has also been approved. Both this and the date change will be formally approved on May 29.
Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, secretary general of the BIE, said: “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.”
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.
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