Official request made
New dates for the Dubai Expo 2020 have formally been proposed by the UAE government.
The governing authority of the event, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) announced the proposed dates of October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 have been suggested.
“The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has formally requested the postponement of World Expo 2020 Dubai in a letter addressed to Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE),” a statement on the BIE website stated.
“In the letter, His Highness Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of the UAE, seeks the postponement of the World Expo following in-depth discussions by the Expo 2020 Dubai Steering Committee with the Organiser and the BIE on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and in solidarity with participating countries.”
The statement from BIE also revealed the UAE government has requested “approval to continue using ‘Expo 2020 Dubai’ as the official name of the event”.
A virtual meeting is set to be held on April 21 in order to talk about the “options for a change of dates”.
In order for the change to be made, two-thirds of a majority vote from BIE member states needs to occur.
The news that Expo 2020 Dubai would be postponed was announced last week, with dates still pending.
“As we worked towards October 2020, however something terrible happened to our world,” Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai said in a heartfelt video posted to the Expo 2020 Instagram page. “And so our journey must take a different turn.
“We must adjust our opening dates for Expo 2020 Dubai, and spend our time now with our friends across the globe, banding together, working together to emerge stronger than ever before.
“When we come together as one, humanity knows no limits. Our promise still stands – connecting minds, creating the future.”
As of April 5, there has been 1,505 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UAE – 125 of those have recovered, and there has been 10 fatalities.
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Images: Instagram.
