Expo 2020 international participants meet in Dubai to discuss event preparedness

Over 370 delegates of the Expo 2020 travelled to the UAE to attend the final International Participants Meeting (IPM) last week ahead of the event’s official opening in October 2021.

From May 4-5,  the delegates who assembled represented 173 of the over 190 participating countries in this year’s Expo conference.

The IPM attendees were briefed on programming, marketing and communications, latest operations, security, and the city’s readiness to host the event. The UAE’s efforts to combat Covid-19 and maintain health and safety guidelines were reinforced at the meeting.

In April, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai has issued directives to make Covid-19 vaccinations available to official representatives of countries participating in Expo 2020.

Read: Expo 2020: Dubai offers Covid-19 vaccines to representatives of participating countries

“This International Participants Meeting has clearly demonstrated that Dubai and the UAE are ready to host a safe, exciting and inspirational event that will bring us all together and drive actions to benefit us all,” said ambassador Jorge Name, Argentina’s secretary for international economic relations.

Expo 2020 expects over 200 participants from nations, multilateral organisations and academic institutions.

Each country is set to have its own pavilion, a dedicated space to showcase its culture and progress and explore solutions to its challenges.

The participating nations include South Sudan, the world’s youngest country. Deng Deng Nhial, Commissioner General for South Sudan at Expo 2020, said, “Expo 2020 is our opportunity to map out a brighter future, to tell the world a different story – one that shows our huge potential to the world. It will be a crucial launch pad – not only for South Sudan, but for the entire continent of Africa – to build bridges, attract investment, collaborate with the international community, assess global challenges, and put our heads together to fix world problems.”

Delegates from 173 participating countries came together for the final International Participants Meeting to discuss updates on health and safety measures, event operations and more. We can't wait to welcome everyone back when we open our gates on 1 Oct 2021. #Expo2020​ #IPM2021 pic.twitter.com/NeTVtF1jmX

— Expo 2020 Dubai (@expo2020dubai) May 6, 2021

This two-day meeting comes after it was announced earlier in the year Dubai would be ready to welcome the world for Expo this year after previously getting postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read: Dubai ‘ready to welcome world’ for Expo, tourism chief says

Expo 2020 coincides with the 50th anniversary of the UAE. It is the first Expo ever to be hosted in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, making it the largest event to ever be held in the Arab world.