Expo 2020 is a symbol of human solidarity that connected 192 nations at a ‘difficult moment’, and the pandemic has taught everyone to be humble about the uncertainties of what still may come, Reem Al Hashimi, Expo’s Director General and UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, has said.
Speaking to CNN’s Richard Quest on the ‘Quest Means Business’ programme, Al Hashimi said,
“The pandemic hit everyone pretty strongly. When we had to delay for a year, I think it was an important moment for all of us. When I say us, I mean the international community but also the government of Dubai. How do we be responsible hosts? How do we bring the whole world together when you still in the middle of this?"
While Dubai relied on its agility, clarity of vision, science-based approach, the minister said there was also a realisation that nothing can be taken for granted.
“I think with Covid, one has to be really humble. You can’t get ahead of yourself. You need to keep following day by day, learning more and more about it, consulting with the experts and not taking anything for granted.. not least the incredible experience this place offers.”
Al Hashimi ,who is at the helm of the ‘world’s biggest show’ that opened its doors to the world on October 1, said Expo 2020 also reinforced that “through collaboration, through strong connections, through the sharing of best practice, of knowledge, of information can we actually overcome some of these global challenges.”
What next after Expo?
The 438-hectare sprawling Expo site - estimated to be the same size as 600 football fields - will remain as a hub for new tech and innovation, said the minister. Sandwiched between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Al Hashimi said the site is a “natural sister of both Dubai and Abu Dhabi”
She said,
“It is a very strongly tech-enabled, 5G tech incredible infrastructure. Everything that we built will stay. We have several country pavilions that will also stay. We have the conference and the exhibition over there. We have the Dubai metro coming all the way through.. So, really a hub for new tech, a hub for new innovation, and plans are already in place to roll this one out after 80 days when we close,”
After March when curtains will fall on Expo, 80% of its built environment will be transformed into an integrated mixed-use community called District 2020.
News Source: Khaleej Times
