Dubai’s Expo 2020 world’s fair will be pushed to Oct. 1, 2021, over the new coronavirus pandemic, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris decided on Sunday, following a two-third majority vote. Or, as the website expo2020dubai.com put it more graciously:
“Expo 2020 Dubai is gearing up to help shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future… The global mega event will now run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, a delay that allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19, and 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.”
Let’s hope so. Many experts are not convinced an effective vaccine will be available in a year and a half.
AVS Creative, located in Herzliya, was selected by Israel’s Foreign Ministry to design, construct, create the visitor experience and manage the Israel Pavilion at The World Expo 2020 in Dubai. Back in 2019, the firm said, “We are all super-proud and honored to represent Israel on this historic project.”
His Highness 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 in response: “We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay 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.
“Over the last 50 years, we have sought to build 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.”