Saudi Arabia will allocate $343 million as part of its programme to assist 100 countries participating in the Expo 2030, for which it is seriously bidding to host.
The financial package will be for assistance in areas such as pavilion construction, maintenance, technology support, travel and holding events, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said.
The minister was speaking at the 172nd General Assembly meeting of the International Bureau of Exhibitions (IBE) held on Tuesday in Paris.
The Saudi delegation also presented the file of Riyadh hosting the International Expo 2030 before the members of the IBE.
The next General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions will be held in November 2023, during which the winning city to host Expo 2030 will be announced through a secret ballot.
Each country of the Bureau has one vote.
The Saudi foreign minister also indicated that the Kingdom will work to develop more support programmes along with its leading partners around the world.
Saudi Minister of Investment, Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, said the country has estimated a $7.8 billion budget for the exhibition, “which is a stimulating amount for our broader investment plans in Riyadh”.
“As part of the Saudi Vision 2030, we are targeting investments at a national level of more than $3.3 trillion by the end of the decade,” Al-Falih said.
He said the Riyadh Expo 2030 will be a global center for meeting local and international companies alike and exploring issues of investment development through the Global Investment Laboratory that the Kingdom will be launching.
Saudi Arabia: Global innovation and hospitality hub
“It will also be a global center for innovation, and we will also launch a procurement center that facilitates participants to design, implement and build their pavilions at the exhibition, so that together we can build a world exhibition for the world,” the minister said.
Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the US, said the country will be at the highest readiness to host the World Expo 2030.
“During the eight years that followed the announcement of the vision Saudi Arabia 2030, the Kingdom has witnessed changes and developments that exceed what has been accomplished in the past eighty years of its life,” the Ambassador said.
She said the proposed Riyadh Expo 2030 exhibition will revolve around diversity, inclusiveness and participatory cooperation, and Riyadh will be ready to welcome everyone to live the stories of its development and success that is based on its youth.
“We are also proud of our hospitality and generosity as part of the Saudi identity and culture,” she said.
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