Riyadh: Saudi Arabia submits request to host Expo 2030

Under the theme 'The era of change: Leading the planet to a foresighted tomorrow'

By Web Report

Published: Fri 29 Oct 2021, 7:08 PM

Last updated: Fri 29 Oct 2021, 8:19 PM

Saudi Arabia intends to bid to host the Expo 2030 world fair, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Friday, part of the de facto ruler's push to transform the kingdom's economy and diversify it away from oil.

The Saudi capital Riyadh has submitted a formal request to host Expo 2030 under the theme "The era of change: Leading the planet to a foresighted tomorrow", a statement said.

Gulf neighbour and regional business hub the United Arab Emirates is currently hosting the Expo 2020 world fair in Dubai.

The bid, which was submitted to the expo organising body the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), will be led by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

Prince Mohammed said the 2030 Expo in Riyadh would coincide with the culmination of the kingdom's economic reform program known as Vision 2030, and allow the kingdom to share lessons from that programme.

In a letter to the BIE, the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, said: “We live in an era of change, and we face an unprecedented need for humanity’s collective action.”

“It is clear that the whole world, as a collective, needs to work together to foresee the future and address, with its brightest minds, the challenges and opportunities that emanate from this change.”

The Crown Prince highlighted that “the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh will coincide with the culmination of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”

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The Saudi Vision 2030 is a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism and was launched by the Crown Prince in 2016.

The Crown Prince also said that “the World Expo 2030 will represent an extraordinary opportunity to share with the world our lessons from this unprecedented transformation.”

The letter was delivered in Paris to Dimitri Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), by Fahd Al-Rasheed, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

Expo 2030 will take place from October 1, 2030 to April 1, 2031. The theme proposed by Saudi Arabia is “The era of change: Leading the planet to a foresighted tomorrow," local media reported.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), which is the overarching authority responsible for the City of Riyadh and is chaired by the Crown Prince, will lead the Saudi bid for the World Expo 2030.

Saudi Arabia’s first World Expo participation was at Expo 1958 in Brussels and it has actively participated in World and Specialised Expos ever since.

Follow our full coverage of Expo 2020 Dubai

World Expo 2020 (Expo 2020 Dubai) is currently taking place in Dubai under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, opened on October 1, 2021 and will close on March 31, 2022.

The next World Expo will take place in Osaka, Kansai (Japan) under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives” between April 13 and October 13 2025.

(with inputs from Reuters)